Sushi

Yesterday was a food-filled day.

Because I am a member with the hotel group, I was offered a discount on my breakfast vouchers. So I bought them. Breakfast is in a pizza and pasta restaurant, attached to the hotel, which you can enter directly in the morning. Later in the day you need to go outside and just round the corner. Your voucher gives you access to a breakfast buffet, plus a main course. There are both Japanese and Western options for the main course. I decided on the fish. I also had a small bowl of salad from the buffet. An excellent, relatively light breakfast

It turns out that it is quite quick and relatively easy to get to and from Shibuya station when you are not lugging a heavy, recalcitrant suitcase with you. It is also easier to navigate the station when you are using the metro and can follow the coloured circles. I was on my way to a sushi making class, due to begin at 10:00

I oh so, oh so nearly didn't go. The thought of navigating the Tokyo metro seemed quite daunting. Who needs to be able to make sushi anyway. You can buy it everywhere. But then I thought: you are just being a wuss. You can navigate metro systems. They're not hard. And you have clear instructions on how to get there.

So I went.

And I can navigate metro systems and I am not a wuss. And the instructions were clear and I had no trouble getting there. Apart from the stairs, when the escalators were broken. I took more stairs yesterday than I have in years!

It's just as well I went. I was the only student! I had a 1-2-1 sushi making session in Tokyo!!!!

My first attempt at a California roll was not good:

Very poor makizushi.
I squashed the seaweed wrapper and
they fell apart

My ebi nigiri was better

Making sushi in Tokyo

I made sushi with salmon, omelette, squid, prawn. Not tuna. I am not a fan of tuna sashimi. I also had another go at the makizushi, which was much better. The chef wasn't happy with my plating and made me re-do it. And the final result looked like this:

I got to eat my sushi for lunch. I couldn't eat all of it - it was a lot of sushi. The chef said he would eat the rest for his lunch. I hope he did. It would have been a shame to waste it

Evidence that I am actually in Tokyo

I made my way back to Shibuya, didn't get quite as lost trying to get out of the station and came back to Lyf for a rest. Then I went back to Donki for another look around and then a potter in Loft and a wander around.

I had pizza and a glass of wine for dinner, in the restaurant next door. I watched the sous-chef rolling the dough and the pizzas being made by the pizza chef.

I was expecting it to be rather expensive, assuming there would be a Shibuya mark up. But there wasn't.  I got this pizza and a good sized glass of wine for about $20

I looked into the possibility of buying a new suitcase and abandoning my existing one. I can do this but it will cost around $80 for the hotel to take care of the old case. I've had a look at the damaged wheel and think I might try to make a temporary fix and keep it with me for now. I would rather buy pizza, wine and onigiri with my $80. Plus, of course, I would also have to pay for a new suitcase. I will try and manage until I get home.