Today, Im staying local to the Shinjuku area. How local are you staying? So local I dont have to get on a train today. Family Mart starts the day with their Famichiki, croquette, and tsukune. The three minced chicken meatballs on a skewer were grilled with a bouncy texture. It was good but a bit on the sweet side for my liking. I think they misheard me or there was no beef in the croquette because I ordered beef croquette. The potato filling is creamy while the outside is crispy. This too is good and a nice replacement for a hash brown. Finally, I would have the Famichiki over KFC. Its a boneless thigh meat thats also deep fried. It less mess less fuss sincd there is no bone to deal with and the flavors are on par. All topped off with an iced latte, of course.
I went to the third Don Quijote within walking distance of the station. It worked to my benefit as I found more quanities of a certain item and another flavor of an item purchased previously. This should close out any further visits to this store. The only let down was this used to be a reliable place to get Diet Dr Pepper. All they had and all I could find around Tokyo was just the regular version. Across the street was a branch of Sushiro, a competitor of Kura. I stopped in for a quick snack of a few tempura items and washed it down wiht iced oolong. The shrimp and squid were a cut above Kura and on par with UobeiI visited another store that has locations all over Tokyo. 2 were very near to the main station. Muji is known for household goods but they have released a line of food items where the quality is good and inexpesive ilke their housewares. Picking up a few edible sourvenirs to bring home in a few days. These should not be affected by the hot temperatures.
I finally went into the Kabukicho Tower today. The first few floors have entertainment and dining while the middle and top floors are occupied by hotels. Starbucks is on the first floor while a number of restaurant stalls are on the second floor. The scene reminds me of Decker from Blade Runner getting noodles in a neon lit area although not as dirty or as rainy as the movie At thistime, it would not have been a good idea to tr and sit down to a table and eat. In a few hours, thers is going to be a performance on stage. The floor above is a Namco arcade with opening to the stage below. Mainly crane games and gasha pon. On the inside of the circle were food related trinkets while all the others had various prizes.
I knew I wasnt going to be too hungry around dinner time. There was a Gindaco at the Toho cinema building on the first floor as you enter from Yasukuni dori. Gindaco is a reliable chain of takoyaki store. The os I had in Aomori had alot of doughy filling with little, very little octopus bits. This one has tables and seats in addition to takeout. The regular is 580 yen. Additional toppings can add 100+ yen. I opted for the cheese and guacamole topped octopus balls. Im a sucker for guacamole will give most items a try, bad or good, Atop the sweet sauce aside from the aforementioned toppings, there was also fried onions. Not sure the extra toppings really added anything to the experience but it was still good takoyaki. The outside was fried fairly crisp. The inside was not as molten or as liquid as expected. This firmer texture was to my liking as it made it slightly easier to eat without the hot filling scoldering the inside of your mouth.
All this was in attempt to keep cool and dry. Not a day has gone by where I was not drenched n sweat. Even the short treks didnt stop it. At least I was back in the room long enough to relax alot during the day while comfortable.
