Quick rundown of prices

• New 120 cm shoelaces from ABC-Mart for sneakers  315 yen
• Teriyaki burger at Lotteria 660 yen
• 2 L water from Mini-Mart 98yen
• 3 month pass JR Line Iidabashi-Okubo 14980 yen (Can also get on and off on all stations between for free)
• Pen holder, paper folder, pencil, 3 erasers, markers all bought at Lawson 525 yen

CoCo Ichi curry restaurant by recommendation by housemate

Curry dishes are very common in Japan and you will find restaurants both small and large serving at least dish of curry. By recommendation of a housemate I tried CoCo Ichi's curry. They had almost only dishes that were served with curry and rice. They also have several levels of spiciness in their curry the maximum being level ten and if you manage to eat an entire plate with their spiciest curry you will receive a certificate and congratulations!

I was not as brave, I remembered the last time I tried chicken vindaloo at an authentic Indian restaurant and had to spend an entire night in the bathroom afterwards and unable to taste food for a week I decided that a low level curry would be enough. 

The restaurant had only about 25 seats so I had to wait for some of the guests to finish but I was given a menu while waiting so I could look over what I wanted. I got an English menu and it looked a bit different from the Japanese menus, I am not sure if they excluded some items, like different levels of spiciness, for foreigners. I didn't really mind, since I was really hungry. I chose a dish with sliced beef and onions and was shortly seated. The waiter was really quick and friendly and the meal showed up not long after.

The curry was definitely not too spicy, but niether was it too mellow. It tasted great and it was once again just enough to make you feel full! This was also my first time eating with a spoon since I came to Japan.

If you like curry or if you think you have an iron stomach go and try their challenge!

Expenses

• Coca-Cola 150 yen
• Beef onion curry 800 yen

Katsudon time

For those who come to Japan, don't know any Japanese and think they will have to spend their time hopping from burger franchise to burger franchise to get something to eat should know that is not the case. If you ever feel hungry and look around you will most likely find food displays outside Japanese restaurant showing what they have to offer. They have incredibly realistic plastic models on many of their menu items and it is very easy to mistake them for the real thing.

The plastic food model industry in Japan is supposedly huge and I have heard of collectors travelling all over Japan looking for rare models of local cuisine.

I have not seen this in Sweden. I mean, we do have menus outside and sometimes a sun bleached picture show some of the dishes that are served, but even high class restaurants only have piecs of paper telling what they serve. I definitely think it would give the restaurant a certain "pop" if they brought out food models. When dining out I definitely think the eyes eat just as much as the mouth and a flat representation of a meal isn't that fulfilling. 

Most typical Japanese restaurants have a certain look I can't explain, but if you see a food display outside somewhere and a door with short curtains covering the top of the entrance you can be sure you will get a dish served with miso soup, rice or noodles.

When I entered around 7 PM there were only two people eating. If you go out to eat most places will be packed with people around lunch time or after 8 in the evening any day of the week.

Dining in Japan can be pretty cheap so don't worry too much if you go out every day on your visit. There are of course luxury restaurants that are expensive, but then you get what you pay for and much more. Even when it is expensive it will feel like a deal.

As a Swede I have been to many noodle restaurants I have enjoyed my meal every time. Not once have I gotten a meal that has made me think that I won't return, but when a couple of my Japanese housemates took me to a newly opened place they said they hated it.  They didn't explain why but said that after having lived in Tokyo you will start to taste the difference in noodles. It sounds reasonable as some people I know in Sweden wouldn't drink certain varieties of coffee or sodas if they so were force fed.

I am not as picky when it comes to food, I gladly try almost anything at least once. This time I ordered a katsudon set. with cold soup. A katsudon is a bowl of rice with a pork cutlet and if you order the set you also get a choice of hot or cold noodle soup and a small plate of pickled vegetables. My meal consisted of fried katsudon dipped in egg and fried again, cold noodle soup with seaweed, leek and a few ingredients I still haven't figured out what they are.

The dish itself is not unusual at all, it exists all over Japan but in different local variations and sauces. If you don't like pork you can always go for the beef, omelette, eel, shrimp or just fried vegetables. Whatever you like you will definitely feel full afterwards. I have barely finished any of the katsudon sets I have ever eaten. 

Expenses

• Katsudon set 900 yen

A monkey show

 Went for a walk today and met this dapper gentleman. He was entertaining the kids (and me) with handstands, ball balancing, jumping and a little two man show. Today is a dayoff in Japan and the Laqua center was full of people riding the Merry-go-round, riding the roller coaster, shopping, eating all kinds of great food and of course, enjoying some street performers. I got stuck at the kids show simply because, well it's a freaking monkey!

I also discovered that the shopping center didn't have two floors, but six with each floor having stores and an increasing wonderful view over the city. The weather was also a little colder, but not by much. A t-shirt was still enough, but I feel I am getting used to the humidity and temperature in Japan.

The Korakuen area has loads of different restaurants, there is a particular Korean resturant I want to try sometime. I miss kimchi and bulgogi.

I already finished my homework, but it is kind of meditative to practice writing kanji.

A small lunch

I decided to have a quick lunch as I passed by a 7-11. As I entered I saw something I haven't seen since Taiwan. I found baozi! Or as they are called in Japan, nikuman. It is like a lump of bread with different fillings. In this case it was filled with meat as the niku in the name hints.

For dessert I chose pineapples pieces and three bananas. The beef bread, pineapple and barely one banana was more than enough.

The beef bread was delicious but it seems they don't make them as thick as in Taiwan.

Expenses

• Pineapple pieces 200 yen
• 3 bananas 200 yen
• Nikuman 110 yen