Gen Yamamoto, an intimate eight-seater in Azabu Juban features a beautiful L-shaped counter made from a 500-year old Japanese oak.  The bar takes its name from its owner and sole bartender, a mixologist who trained in New York before returning home to Japan, a decision in part spurred by his desire to have greater access to fresh, seasonal ingredients. 

Ascetic, neat and almost clinical in appearance, 

Yamamoto-san intently focuses on the creation of his delicious cocktails. 

Yamamoto-san's approach towards his cocktails is similar to that of a kaiseki chef, and he adopts the three Japanese concepts of omakase, washoku and ichi-go ichi-e in his bar.  Omakase, as we know, is the acknowledgment that the chef (or in this case, the bartender) is more knowledgable than the patron, and the patron entrusts the decision-making of the food or drink to the chef.  Washoku, recognised on 4 Dec 2013 as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, literally means "Japanese cuisine".  It emphasises the use of seasonal ingredients and utilising them in a way that brings out their inherent deliciousness together with beautiful presentation.  Ichi-go ichi-e 一期一会 is usually translated as "for this time only" and speaks of the immediacy and trancience of the experience. See this great website for more info. 

At this bar, drinks are stirred, not shaken. 

To best experience Gen Yamamoto, I would suggest the omakase style tasting menu - four cocktails (¥4,300) and six cocktails (¥6,500).  There is an added cover charge of ¥1,000 per person.  Yes, the drinks here are not cheap, but I would say that the price tag is worth it as they are outrageously good!  

The tasting course reflects shiki, Japanese seasonality.  The menu changes periodically, and, as I understand, rather often, sometimes within the same month, as the menu is dependent on the availability of the ingredients.

I was there at the end of September 2014, and we were treated to four delicious autumn cocktails. The five of us each had the tasting menu of four drinks, and after the first one I promised myself that I would return for the tasting menu of six, as it kind of bothered me that I would not know what the last two drinks were! We were very fortunate to get five of the eight seats in the bar without a reservation (we nipped in at around 930pm, and other friendly customers told us that they would be done by 10pm, so we reappeared at that time).  However, when a friend and I returned a few days later, again without a reservation, Yamamoto-san told us with regret that he would be unable to seat us that night.  Reservations are recommended!

All the ingredients used as the base of each drink were locally sourced from different parts of Japan. Each was pared with a different spirit, but I was too happy chatting and drinking so I failed to note them down. This is despite Yamamoto-san’s detailed explanations of the origins of the ingredients and the various spirits. What I did note, because I could not fail to notice this, was that they were all super tasty. My friends who were there this summer said that one of the summer drinks featured tomato. My four drinks were:


1.      Grape (Hokkaido Niagara)

The drinks are plated beautifully. 

The plates were decorated with two mini persimmons and an artful spray of water

Amusingly enough, this cocktail tastes something like an adult version of the White Grape flavour of Qoo (which I also love).  The cocktail was light, sweet and refreshing.   

For more on this particular grape, see http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2011/08/12/food/grape-adventures-in-northern-climes/.  When used in wine, it is sweet and has a juicy scent.  

Picture by Gen Yamamoto https://twitter.com/barGenYamamoto  

2.      Hokkaido Pear

I believe the pairing (hehe the pear-ing) here was of sweet potato shochu and Hokkaido pear puree. 

It was stronger than the first drink, but the flavour of the pear still shone out pure. 

3.      Ume

I think the ume was mixed with a sparkling sake, which is always fun to drink.

4.      Ibaraki chestnuts 

This was the most substantial drink of the evening. It was also my favorite. The cocktail had a milky finish and featured suspended tiny chestnut particles. We joked that it was a little like the nut milks that are often used as the last drink of the day in juice cleanses.

This beautiful picture was taken by Gen Yamamoto https://twitter.com/barGenYamamoto

 

For more glowing reviews of the place, see here and here. 

Hours: Tue to Sat: 3pm – 12am

             Sun: 3pm – 11pm

Reservations: Recommended, though you can drop in and try your luck if you don't mind hanging around the area for a little while. There are plenty of restaurants, some good snack shops (which fry rice crackers on the spot!) and Koots (if you fancy matcha or houjicha ice cream) along Azabu Juban, so while the shops are open (they close at 10pm) you can happily amuse yourself while waiting. 

English menu: Yes

Address: Anniversary Building 1F 1-6-4 Azabu-Juban, Mianto-ku, Tokyo 106-0045

Telephone: +81 64-34-0652

Service: Friendly and English-speaking

Website: http://www.genyamamoto.jp/bar_tokyo/English.html (English)

Directions: The closest metro station is Azabu Juban.  Take Exit 4.  It will be a ten minute walk. All photos below this are taken from Google Maps street view!

• Once you exit the metro, you will see a shop called The Darjeeling 
• Facing The Darjeeling, head into the street on the right side of The Darjeeling. This is Azabu-Juban Street. The first shop across from The Darjeeling is a Tully's Coffee 
• Walk down Azabu-Juban Street. You will pass a McDonalds then a Starbucks on your left. Keep heading down in the same direction, then a supermarket across the road. Next to the supermarket is Mount Thabor bakery, which sells yummy bread. 
• When you see the shop below, make a right turn into a narrower alley 
• If you keep heading down Azabu-Juban Street before taking the right turn into the narrower lane and you come across a 100 yen shop across the road you will know you have gone too far. Backtrack and look for the shop in the picture above. 
• After you make the right turn, while facing into the narrower alley, check to see that the first shop on your right is a pet shop with this cute picture   
• Continue walking down for a very short distance until you see this restaurant then stop, Gen Yamamoto is right next to it                      
•  If you see a vertical parking garage, you've gone too far, so turn around. 
• You should see Gen Yamamoto! Enjoy this amazing bar! 

Japan is a great city for eating - from Michelin-starred restaurants for star collectors, to mid-range establishments to hole in the wall corners and vending machines, there is something for everyone. And, best of all, it's all fresh. Seriously, the seafood here is so fresh, sometimes it is still alive as you put it in your mouth.
SUSHI DAI (寿司大)
I'll start off with Sushi Dai in Tsukiji Market, as this has the honour of being the meal for which I have queued the LONGEST. (It is not the longest I have ever queued for something, as that goes to a performance by Marina Abramovic in the MOMA.)  For a chance to eat at Sushi Dai, I arrived at Tsukiji Market to join the queue at 0645.  I then queued for 4.5 hours and only got to eat at 1115.  I know, I know, it is kind of crazy to queue for so long, but after I was locked into the queue for 2 hours, I was all kinds of determined to stick it out. 

When I got close enough to peek in, I realised why the queue moved so slowly. You can see how small the shop is, I reckon there are only around 10 counter seats.

You would think that arriving at 0645 would be sufficiently early, but I guess not!  I had considered waking up even earlier to catch the tuna auction, but as I found out from people in the queue, to be in good time for the tuna auction, you need to get there at 0330.  There are only 120 slots, and by the time my new friends arrived at 0330, they said that the spots for the tuna auction were already half full! Also, check out the website to see if the market is open.

There are two alternative omakase sets at Sushi Dai. Omakase means "I'll leave it to you", so you basically entrust your food to the chef's good hands. The big set is 4000Y and the small set is 2600Y. The difference between the two is that the small set has chutoro and no otoro (i.e. the tuna is not the delicious fatty one) and has no uni and has less dishes.

After my 4.5 hours of queuing, I DEFINITELY wanted the large set.  This consists of 13 items: otoro (fatty tuna), flounder, snapper, uni (sea urchin), tamago, saury, red clam (alive), chutoro (tuna), baby shrimp, ikura (salmon roe), tuna and mentaiko roll, unagi, and a last dish of your choice. I had a second helping of uni as my last dish - it was so tasty!

This chef was so friendly and really put effort into making each piece, so he was a delight to watch. He also knows the name of all the items in English, Mandarin and Korean (and of course, Japanese). This possibly shows how touristed Sushi Dai is haha.

He's also game for photos haha

No wasabi and soy sauce is required for most of the sushi, as the chefs have already included these elements. All the sushi is presented straight on the counter top before you, instead of on a plate, which I found rather fun.

Otoro (Fatty Tuna)

Flounder

Flounder prep: the chef gives the fish a touch of lemon. Look at his concentration!

Snapper

Uni (Sea Urchin)

Tamago

Ocha

Saury

Red Clam 

This was alive  and had to be slapped by the chef as he placed it on the rice. Here, you can see it trying to peel itself off the rice bed

 Chutoro (Tuna)

The tuna pre-preparation

 Baby shrimp

Ikura (salmon roe)

Normally, the ikura we get is frozen, but these were fresh as they're in season now. Delicious.

Tuna and mentaiko roll

Unagi

For the 13th dish, my friend got a Yellowtail (I got another helping of the delicious uni)

If you're wondering what to get, ask the chefs what fish is currently in season! It turned out that yellowtail was in season at that time

Overall verdict: OISHII! The food was super fresh and prepared really well. (Although I'm not sure if it is a four and a half hour queue's worth of delicious, as I haven't tried the other stalls yet.) 

Address: 5-2-1 Tsukiji Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0045

Phone: +81-3547-6797

Opening Hours: 5:00-14:00（Mon-Tue, Thu-Sat) 5:00-12:00(Wed)
Close: Sun, Holidays (Wed where Tsukiji Market is closed (check the calendar - the days marked in red indicate closure)

Credit Card: N/A

Seats: 13 counter seats

Menu: 4,000yen(旬魚おまかせセット/Omakase-Set, 2,600yen(にぎり司/Nigirizushi-Set）

Service: Great! Very friendly, and English is spoken

Directions: (courtesy of the excellent website Picrumb - they also have an app available for around $2 which can be used offline. Lifesaver for people like me who cannot read maps!) 

1. I alighted at Tsukijishijo and followed the very easily navigable directions to Tsukiji market. 

2. Once you are in Tsukiji market, walk straight for about 160 metres till you reach Sui-Jinja (Water Shrine) on your left hand side)

3. When you see the crossing in the picture, make a right turn opposite to Sui-Jinja by following the arrow (Sui-Jinja is circled in blue on the picture)

4. Once you see the red mail box, you are almost there. Make a right turn. You will probably see a long queue for Sushi Dai right about here. 

5. Walk for a few seconds and you'll see Sushi Dai! ENJOY! 

Feeding time near the Okunoshima Shrine

Okunoshima, also known as Usagi (rabbit) Shima, is best known for the 300-400 wild bunnies that call the island their home.

Huddle of buns  



What is perhaps less well known is the tragic past of the island as a site for the manufacture of mustard gas during WWII. It was chosen for its remote location and left off maps to keep it a secret. During this dark period, rabbits were brought onto the island to be unfortunate test subjects of the poison gas. Some people think the rabbits now are descendants of those unfortunate bunnies, but there are also other theories. One popular one is that school children left 8 rabbits behind while on tour, and another is that the rabbits were brought onto the island to see if the island was once again fit for human habitation. 

Whatever the case, the bunnies are now here to stay, and we are so much the better for it haha. 

The various buns around the island. If you go during the high heat of day, you'll most likely find the bunnies lounging under trees or hiding under tables/ benches/ bus stops.

If Tokyo and Kyoto are on your destination maps, head to Okunoshima from Kyoto instead of Tokyo. It will take you approx 150 minutes from Kyoto (discounting waiting time) and around twice that time from Tokyo. From Hiroshima to Mihara, it is only 25 minutes (Shinkansen Kodama ). 

The journey from Kyoto will look something like this (I didn't take Shinkansen Nozomi as the JR pass doesn't cover these trains): 

1. Kyoto to Fukuyama (Shinkansen Hikari, 95 mins)
2. Fukuyama to Mihara (Shinkansen Kodama, 23 mins)
3. Mihara to Tadanoumi (JR Kure line, 20 mins)
4. Tadanoumi to Okunoshima (Ferry, 12 mins, 300Y)

From Kyoto to Mihara, my plan went without a hitch (even for disaster prone travellers like me, because the Shinkansen is the smoothest running system and there are English translations). My waiting time at Fukuyama to catch the next leg to Mihara was only 13 minutes. Just a note of caution that the Shinkansen leave strictly on time, and the times you see are departure times rather than when the train pulls into the station, so make sure you are on the train before the set time. If you are fairly spontaneous / don't tend to stick to schedules, the JR pass is a life saver as you don't have to be at stations at set timings, and can sit in non-reserve carriages without having to queue.

If you do want to plan carefully, Hyperdia is a wonderful resource. 

I had orignally gotten a reserved ticket, but had overbudgeted my time, and hopped onto a train a whole hour earlier. This meant I had no reserved seat. When I realised to great sadness that there was no more free window seat, I decided to go into the first available car with window seats. Unfortunately, this turned out to be the smoking car, which was also a green car. JR passes don't let you get on green cars as these are premium carriages with plusher seats. When the train conductor came round and realised this, he gently urged me to go back to my proper seat and even got me a reserved seat. But, it was an aisle seat. So (I know this is terrible), I was like thanks but no thanks and continued in that carriage, moving a few seats away from a man who was continuously smoking. When the conductor came back, instead of being rightly appalled at me, he very kindly found me a window seat in another carriage (I think he was also concerned about me being in the smoking carriage, rather than me simply being in a green car). He also very gamely posed for a photograph after I thanked him profusely (and with more than a tinge of shame).

Upon reaching Mihara, I realised my mistake. Having come from Tokyo, I was lulled into a false sense of security that the JR trains practically come every 5 minutes or less. I was also spoilt by the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto which runs at least once every half hour. This is most certainly not the case at Mihara. The JR Kure line from Mihara to Tadanoumi run only once every hour. Don't make the same mistake as me and please check the timetable for the the JR Kure line. 

I realised I had around 40 mins to kill (40 mins which I could have spent on sleep in Kyoto), so I went to the well placed Mihara tourist office (right at the train station, like all good Japanese tourist offices). I was so happy when I read the brochure that there was an attraction right beside the train station: the Ruins of Mihara Castle.  



Attractions in Mihara. The ruins of the castle are at number 18.



In truth, the name glamourises it somewhat. It is a low fortress surrounded by a small moat and on top of the fortress is little plateau which is now a part and you can walk around in 5 mins or less. Now, I'm not saying Mihara doesn't have other attractions, but it is just that you can't reach these in the waiting time for a train. Still, I'm pretty positive so I enjoyed my waiting time by seeing the small park and eating some local food.

Following this, I went back to the platform. But, to my surprise this train was not punctual like all other Japanese trains. When it was 10 mins late I began to panic and went to ask the JR office. It was only then that they told me: the train from Mihara to Tadanoumi is only two carriages long. This means that it only occupies the very front of the platform. I was standing on the other end of the platform, so I missed it. This would entail another hour's wait. 

Fairly desperate by then, I decided to take a taxi. If, like me you want to consider this, please note that a taxi will set you back around SGD$60, which is fairly steep if you consider that the JR pass would have gotten you there for free. The reason is that the path to Tadanoumi is a winding one along small streets (I got caught behind a lorry, too bad for me). I consoled myself that it was a scenic road as it wound by the sea, and the Seto Inland Sea is really beautiful. Then my positivity kind of ran out when I saw the train tracks winding by the sea too, on the outside of the road. Ah well, I think the exchange of money for time can sometimes be very worth it, especially when you are short of time. 

 Tadanoumi is a sleepy, picturesque, sea side town with plenty of fisheries.

The taxi dropped me off at the train station, and from the train station to the ferry terminal it is a 5 minute walk at a fairly brisk pace.

These directions are pasted on the window across from the train conductor's office at Tadanoumi.

When I got to the ferry terminal I saw a ferry, was delighted, and ran on. Apparently you are supposed to buy a ticket at the terminal, but the people are so nice they accept cash at the door.  

This is the ferry schedule. The first column is the departure time from Okunoshima (大久野島). 

In Japan, try to save the Japanese names of the places/ restaurants you wish to go to, as some places do not have English translations.

This is the schedule for trains departing from Tadanoumi. Again, check out Hyperdia for more info.

Another thing you are supposed to buy at the ferry terminal, which I did not realise to my great detriment, is rabbit food. It was only when I got to the island and enquired with the shop at the resort that I was told: no rabbit food is sold on Okunoshima itself. This was really bewildering as I'd read some guides which said it does. So I was empty handed. Buy your rabbit food before getting on the island to be safe. They like pellets, but they also will eat lettuce (two heads of lettuce should sustain you) and carrots. 



While it doesn't sell rabbit food, the shop sells plenty of rabbit trinkets.

Without rabbit food, I managed to charm (trick) some rabbits to come near to me, but without food, they're not really interested. The bunnies are really quite friendly and will bound up to humans (food sources) but I realised that they don't like to be petted. Very unlike my bun at home who lives to be petted on the head. I guess it's because they are still wild animals. They will, however, interact with you for food. 

Therefore, I needed to get food. In a sad state, I went around begging for food, and the first people I encountered told me that they didn't have enough food for themselves so they refused to sell me any. Disheartened, I went on a hike up to the lighthouse on the south of the island. 

So, the ferry will drop you off at the second pier, and if you want to get to the first pier, there is this bus on the island (timed to coincide with ferry drop offs) that will bring people to the resort/golf course. To circumnavigate the island on foot (4.3 km) will take, according to the tourist map, 1.5 hours at a slow clip. I didn't do the walk around as I was pretty tired by that time (my daily routine involved getting up at 6-8am and walking all day only to get back home at 11-12pm).  

Map of Okunoshima: the 1st ferry pier, the resort, lighthouse and the poison gas museum are all to the south of the island

The hike I took was close to the resort, and went down to the beach (which I understand is a popular camp site in the summer). If you want to go to the poison gas museum (highly recommended), then you may wish to take the bus to the resort, though in truth, between ferry piers it is an easy 20 mins walk. 

The hike to the lighthouse was beautiful and afforded stunning views of the Seto Inland sea.

More importantly for me, on the way I happened to meet a very nice Japanese couple who gave me some rabbit food and refused to take payment. Armed with the food, I could then become a rabbit magnet. So I happily exited the hiking trail (there were not many buns on the trail, I think they are quite deterred by the steps that led up). 

Simply waving the food around will attract a large crowd of hungry buns, who will stand up on their hind legs for food (so cute!) and climb into your lap, or up tables and chairs just to get at the food you are offering.   

These buns heard the rustling of the food and hurried on over

One of the happiest moments of my day was when I spotted a baby bunny in the undergrowth. It was SO CUTE and had a little white fur diamond on its forehead:

And then, I spotted the baby bun's sibling! At first, it was all shy in its burrow. I crept in slowly (you can't tell from the pictures, but I was literally scrambling on my hands and knees in the undergrowth, my legs on the sand and my hair caught in the branches), hoping to gain its trust. And it worked! The little one hopped out, sniffed my food (I think it is too young for adult rabbit food) and chinned my hand! Chinning, for those unfamiliar with rabbits, is a way the rabbit marks its territory (with a scent gland under its chin), and if a rabbit chins you, it is claiming you as its own, so consider it a sign of affection!

Bunnies have the cutest butts!

Apart from the buns, which are the island's main draw, I would say that the Poison gas museum is very worth a visit, even though not every exhibit has an English translation. The entrance fee for adults is 100Y. In true Japanese fashion, you buy tickets at a vending machine, and they trust that visitors will purchase the tickets before entering (there is no one manning the counter to make sure people buy the tickets). Photography is not allowed in the museum.



Outside the museum though, photography is okay (I would think).

This is the vending machine right outside haha

I had some rather mixed feelings in the museum. On the one hand, all our history lessons involved some discussion of the Japanese occupation in Singapore, and how it was a terrible time for our people, so to some extent seeing the equipment used in the manufacture of the gas actually made me quite angry. This was especially so when I read things like how some of the employees reacted when they heard that Japan had lost the war, and I quote "Some said the Japanese army should have made better use of the poison gas". On the other hand, the museum clearly denounced the use of poison gas as a weapon, and appealed for peace, which I was quite touched by. Just outside the museum, there are a number of artworks donated by schoolchildren making the same appeal, and there are also the beautiful Japanese  origami cranes which symbolise the desire for peace.



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To sum up my top tips for tourists: 

•  Trains in Japan are super punctual, and the timings on your ticket are departure rather than arrival times, so be there early! Particularly if you are taking a non-reserved seat, you may need to queue to be assured of a seat. 
• To get from Kyoto to Okunoshima: (i) take the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Mihara, (ii) the JR Kure line from Mihara to Tadanoumi, and the ferry from Tadanoumi to Okunoshima.
• The entire trip (without waiting time) will take you approx 150 minutes.  Be on the safe side and budget for more time.
• The ferry costs 300Y, the rest of the journey will be covered by the JR pass. 
• The JR Kure line from Mihara to Okunoshima runs only once an hour, so it is a good idea to check the train timing beforehand.

• The train is only two carriages long, so stand at the start of the platform. 
• Buy rabbit food before arriving on the island, as rabbit food is not sold on the island. 
• The poison gas museum on the island is also worth a visit, It costs 100Y and will take you around 20 minutes to cover. 
• Be kind to the bunnies and have a great time!