I won’t even get started about the pizza…anyone who knows me must be sick of hearing me talk about NY pizza. I’ve ordered pizza in Japan and although delivery is getting more popular here and the menu photos look delicious with all the crazy assortment of toppings, I don’t like spending $50 for two medium sized pizzas from Dominoes or Pizza Hut. My mother-in-law introduced me to Costco Japan’s “regular-sized” slices of pizza at the “normal” price…so we may need to get Costco membership just for that.

But in Japan, the availability of prepared foods at supermarkets and “bento” take-out boxes is really good. I suppose this is why most people here don’t really need to do delivery- one can easily go to a supermarket or convenience store and get katsudon, karage, curry rice, yakitori, sushi and many other kinds of dishes. Not too bad at all.

Jagabata じゃがバター Steamed potato with butter

Yaki ikaやきいか　Grilled squid

Okonomiyaki おこのみやきJapanese style pan-fried “pizza” with ingredients such as cabbage, pork, shrimp, octopus, squid (okonomi means “what you like” and yaki means “grilled”)

Takoyaki たこやきPan-fried balls with octopus pieces and veggies inside, usually topped with sauce, shaved bonito flakes and Japanese mayonnaise

Holding あんずあめ anzuame (apricot candy)

Jagabata じゃがバター Steamed potato with butter

Yaki ikaやきいか　Grilled squid

Okonomiyaki おこのみやきJapanese style pan-fried “pizza” with ingredients such as cabbage, pork, shrimp, octopus, squid (okonomi means “what you like” and yaki means “grilled”)

Choco Banana チョコバナナChocolate covered banana

Kakigori かきごり Shaved ice with fruit-flavored syrup (and sometimes condensed milk)

Yakidango やきだんご Grilled sweet, sticky rice (mochi) balls on a stick

There’s a place in Jiyugaoka called Sweets Forest. It’s like a cute little food court decorated as forest with fake trees, but there are only dessert stalls. We tried this lovely concoction of strawberry ice cream similar to Cold Stone Creamery on top of a fresh mini waffle from Mixn Mixream. I wish I had one right now.

I miss brunch. I can eat Eggs Benedict, waffles with sausage, or a stack of pancakes at any time of the day. But I do love a hearty breakfast served at noon. On our last weekend in NYC, my family took the kids and I to a yummy Sunday brunch at The Popover Cafe. It was about a 45-minute wait, which I think is the norm for Sunday brunch on the Upper West Side for some reason. Well, I suppose a lot of people in NY generally love brunch. Perhaps because we all wake up too late on weekends but don’t want to skip the breakfast foods, and having a mimosa at 8am feels rather early.

I wish we could’ve hosted a traditional Christmas family dinner at our place but perhaps another year it will be possible. So on Christmas Eve we went to Jinya in Ebisu, a robatayaki place. It’s cozy and dimly-lit with tatami floor seats and they serve lots of tasty izakaya fare plus nabe- a very comfortable place to get out from a cold winter night.

And for Christmas Day lunch we went to The French Kitchen Brasserie. It was a lunch buffet in which appetizers and desserts were all you could eat and you choose one main course. Many things from appetizer buffet bar for the kids -an egg station where they will cook your eggs to order, a fresh fruit station, salad fixings, cheese,  bread, and desserts.

Spending the holidays in Tokyo was very different than what my parents are normally used to but at least there is enough Western influence that places all over Tokyo are decorated for the season with Christmas trees and lights that make it feel like back home. It’s nice to be surrounded by the sparkle and shine of the season but what ends up counting the most is the company of loved ones and sharing the time together.  Their stay here really made the holidays extra special for us.