Category: Japan – Travel

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My hotel in Hiroshima. The somewhat tacky sign you can see here highlighting their low rates is about the only uncool thing about the place. When you walk into the hotel, it feels like a boutique hotel, not a 5000 yen ($42) a night place. Lots of hydroponic plants, staff always dressed in black, and a “fireplace” consisting of some logs in front of a plasma tv that has reproduced flames flickering (well, that is a bit tacky too I guess, but….) Comes with a very nice Japanese/Western breakfast buffet too with fabulous onigiri (rice balls). Contrary to most “business” hotels in Japan, my single is quite roomy too, complete with a minus ion doo-hickey and LCD TV.

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I know I probably committed a cultured tourist’s sin by foregoing Hiroshima’s famous okonomiyaki variety in favor of a falafel (but hey, gimme a little credit I didn’t go to McDonalds), but you have to understand that I’ve been waiting 4 years for this kind of food. I’m sure one can eat falafels in Tokyo somewhere, but I don’t know where (kebabs yes but I don’t eat meat — leave me a comment with recommendations if you know a good falafel place in Tokyo), and thus both Naoko and I have been longing for the kind of food that was part of our regular San Francisco diet (Ali Baba in Lower Haight). So I couldn’t pass up the chance to go to Churi, co-run by an Israeli and his Japanese wife. While slightly different than the falafel sandwich I used to eat in S.F., it was still pure heaven. Topped it off with a couple of Baileys and milk drinks and good conversation — surprise surprise someone actually came up to me and started a conversation in Japanese! — at Bar Alcoholiday nearby. Found out about both via the very useful gethiroshima website (they also produce a very nice map available at places around town).

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Not much one needs to say about this one.