Finding cheap eats in expensive Tokyo

The counters fill up past at the restaurants in Yakitori Alley,
a food street that's Tokyo's best value

 Every time I go to Tokyo, I always stumble upon something new and interesting.

When I was in Japan's capital last month, for instance, I went out looking for some cheap eats and was directed to Yakitori Alley, a small street on the edge of the Ginza that runs parallel to the city's main elevated rail line on which the super fast Shinkansen (bullet) train rides.

In the hollowed out crevasses under the elevated line, restaurateurs have set up shop and sell everything from sushi to horse for very reasonable prices.

The best restaurants in Yakitori Alley are the ones with the longest lineups - like

Midori Sushi, where people start lining up as early as 4 p.m. to eat some of the freshest fish I've ever tasted (bought daily at Tokyo’s legendary Tsukiji fish market). The prices at Midori are very reasonable - two can eat for as little as $30; a steal in expensive Tokyo.

When you enter Midori Sushi, the chefs behind the long counter frantically preparing dynamite and California rolls yell out a welcome - it's a tradition in a lot of Japan's neighourhood restaurants. A la Carte selections like shrimp, sea urchin (you can have medium or extra fatty - guess which one I chose?),  abalone, flatfish and something called striped jack fish (delicious!) cost between $3 and $7 each and sides of chawanmushi (an egg custard filled with fish that's topped with a crab claw and is now one of my all time favourite dishes) run about $10.

The counter is the hottest seat in Midori Sushi and the local atmosphere is truly wonderful.
Yakitoti, by the way, means "meat on a skewer, and as you can imagine, there's plenty of barbecue places in the Alley toasting morsels of meat (beef and lamb) as well as fish and chicken on small habachis.

The Izakaya restaurant around the corner from Midori Sushi - across from the International Arcade - was another of my favorite Yakitori Alley hangouts - lots of Tokyo businessmen come here after a hard day at the office to eat and sip beer and sake while the bullet trains rumble overhead.

There's a great "local" atmosphere in Izakaya but beware of what you order - the dish being consumed at the next table that looks so good could be horse. Not to worry, this eclectic eatery also dishes up chicken, pork, beef and fish - all at very reasonable prices.


The Yakitori Bar Tonton restaurant, tucked away in one of the arches off Yakitori Alley, is another of my favourite places to eat. I consumed lots of skewers of pork and beef but shied away from the smorgasbord of organ meats served in this restaurant, like heart, gizzard, liver, tongue and intestines.

There's also plenty of Western-style restaurants in the Alley.

Finding Yakitori Alley can be a bit of a challenge - the closest subway station is Hibiya (take exit A2)

Turn right at the top of the stairs and walk along the elevated rail line until you see the passage way with the glowing lights and the grill smoke rising from it.

Exit C1 from the Ginza station offers more subway line connections and isn’t too much farther away. From here you’re closer to the "uncovered" yakitori stalls rather than the original ones under the tracks.

The freshest fish is always on the menu in this Alley.

Tokyo subway is a cheap thrill ride

Tokyo's Metro makes it easy to get around this amazing city.

TOKYO – Like most Asian subway systems, Tokyo’s Metro is clean, safe, inexpensive to use and very efficient.

Known here as the “Wonderground”, Tokyo’s underground network whisks you to the city’s iconic landmarks and tourist attractions in just a few minutes.

Getting a ticket to ride the Metro is easy enough – the ticket machine switches to English at the push of a button and the step-by-step instructions are the easiest this long-time traveller has ever seen. Once on the subway, station calls are given in both Japanese and English.

The distance you travel determines the fare – the major lines within the city centre cost about $2 Cdn. for a one-way ride and the most I paid during my visit this week was about $4 to go from one end of this sprawling city to another.

When exiting the stations, it’s important to take note of where you want to go – sign posts at every station indicate the exit that’s closest to the tourist attraction, hotel or neighbourhood you want to visit.

One car on every subway train is for “women only” – Japanese men are notorious gropers and city authorities decided to give females a place where they can feel safe and secure.

On a recent visit to Taiwan, I was amazed at how courteous Taipei subway passengers are to each other – waiting passengers form a line to the left of the door and wait for every passenger to exit the subway car before entering. Tokyo commuters are not so polite and it takes a few days to get the hang of their routine. However, trains pause for a long time at each station, so there’s no need to rush the entrance.

Overall;, considering the cost of taxis and the traffic congestion in Tokyo, taking the subway is the only way to get around this amazing, fast-paced city.

Turning 20 in Japan is kids play

Young women celebrate their advancement into
adulthood by dressing in traditional kimonos.

KYOTO, JAPAN – I was looking to snap a picture of someone wearing a traditional Japanese kimono when I turned a corner and spotted literally thousands of kimono-clad girls walking towards me.

I’ve hit pay dirt, I thought, as the army of kimono girls eagerly posed for the stranger; some pushing others out of the way to get their chance to be photographed.

It was one of the most unusual sights I’ve ever seen but it’s an annual event every January in Japan – all part of Adult Day ceremonies when the country’s 20 year olds celebrate their passing into adulthood and become of legal voting and drinking age.

Adult Day actually kicks off a five-day festival throughout the country and this ancient city’s neighbourhoods hold street parties, highlighted by food fairs, to help celebrate the event.

For their part, the 20 year olds dress up in colourful kimonos and parade around the streets; creating traffic jams when people stop and wish them well or ask them to pose for pictures.

No expense is spared on Adult Day – parents fork over large sums of yen to buy or rent the traditional kimonos and beauty salons fill up early as the young men and women get their hair arranged for the big day; which usually stretches well into the night with the “legal drinkers’ stumbling out of the bars in the city’s renowned Gion (Geisha) District in the wee hours of the morning.

Turning 20 in Japan looks like child’s play to me.

Kids get kicks at karate ceremony

Boys and girls stand in bone-chilling Kyoto river as part of Karate training.

KYOTO, JAPAN – You see the strangest things while walking around the streets of this imperial city with the 1,400 year history.

Kids very young take part in event.

For instance, while strolling around Kyoto’s Arashiyama District – a tourist area located 25 minutes by cab from the city centre which once served as cottage country for royal courts when Kyoto was Japan’s national capital – I was distracted by the sight of dozens of youngsters clad only in white pajamas standing in the frigid waters of the Oigawa River.

Intrigued, I ventured over and discovered the pajamas were actually karate uniforms and the kids were being baptized, so to speak, as part of their training regime.

The “baptismal” ceremony is carried out every January and those who can last one hour in the ice-cold river, which is fed by the snow capped mountains which ring this beautiful area, you get a passing grade.

While standing in the water, the kids carry out exercises like kicking and punching and most of them seemed to be having a good time.

Kids as young as 4 years old were being persuaded by their parents and coaches to enter the frigid water but some were having reservations and expressed their displeasure with some loud cries.