Support NeoGAF

[Deleted member 17706]

I wish they would spend less time focusing on making themselves look good for other countries and focus on the social justice problems of their own country. /debbiedowner

What the hell are you even talking about? Why would you bring this up in a thread like this?

This is all about individuals in Japan opening up highly specialized businesses and aiming to be as perfect as they can be in their execution.

What does this have to do with the Japanese government and social justice problems?

I didn't think the Chinese and Korean food I had in Osaka was all that great, then again I shouldn't be eating Chinese and Korean food in Japan to begin with maybe. lol

Really? I love Japanized Chinese food!

 

[AbortedWalrusFetus]

The thing a lot of people are missing is that the types of places the article is talking about are not the types of places you would ever even consider eating at due to cost, obscurity, or some other factor.

There's an example of it here in Philadelphia at Vetri. Marc Vetri is one of the best italian chefs in the entire USA, if not the world. The entire restaurant seats only 35 patrons. The fee is $135 per person, and the menu is a tasting menu. Meaning the chef picks what you eat, basically, not the other way around.

Most people in the USA either couldn't afford to eat there, don't know about it, or wouldn't be adventurous enough to eat a mystery menu. It seems that the article is saying that in Japan this sort of establishment is far more common than it is anywhere else. When you rate a city on how cosmopolitan it is or if it's great for eating, you don't average it from the bottom up. You count the number and diversity of the top only. Japan having the largest amount on top is plausible to me. It may also have the largest amount on the bottom, but that's completely irrelevant in this context.

 

[Beer Monkey]

If it takes you 18 years to pull a perfect shot you are somehow seriously mentally handicapped.

 

[ElectricBlue187]

I don't think this article is intended for the demographics of this forum. Look at the prices they're talking about - $3000 for a jacket? I work at a restaurant like the one they describe here, where the food is amazing but costs ~¥21,000 a meal, before drinks. This article is intended for multi-millionaire businessmen who would fly into Japan on business and spend a few extra days trying this stuff out, not schmucks like us.

Also, NYC is still ground zero for decent pizza but you can get very good brick-fired pizza near Shinjuku-sanchome on the Marunouchi line for only ¥500 - a steal! A great place to bring a date. Also Freshness Burger totally outshines any US burger chain.

I'm a bit wary of trying another Japanese burger place after trying http://www.kua-aina.com/

That shit sucked. http://teddysbiggerburgers.com/ was about 100000x better

 

[distantmantra]

I'm a bit wary of trying another Japanese burger place after trying http://www.kua-aina.com/

That shit sucked. http://teddysbiggerburgers.com/ was about 100000x better

Kua Aina is American, though.

 

[Tristam]

Oh, and I rarely get to boast about buying and/or participating in things that require good money, but the first time I went to Tokyo I did go to exactly the type of tiny restaurant referred to in the article and by other posters here. I was living in South Korea at the time and went with my girlfriend to Tokyo to visit her best friends. Anyway, the mother of one of her friends is very well-connected to people in the upper echelons of Japanese society and got us into one of these places free of charge. It was near the heart of Tokyo (although I can't remember if it was in Chuo-ku) and there was a grove of trees and a small street lined with quaint little houses, which served as a very cool contrast to the tall skyscrapers all around. The dinner took place in one of the houses; it was some kind of hotpot. The food was very good, but I don't know if it was $100-a-plate good. There were just a couple tables there, and I remember the girlfriend's friend claiming that the other table was occupied by a handful of Japanese celebrities.

For about two hours I got to feel like one of the 1%, and then I ended up spending a sleepless night on the floor of a PC cafe cubicle. I think maybe money does buy happiness after all.

 

[Of All Trades]

Most people in the USA either couldn't afford to eat there, don't know about it, or wouldn't be adventurous enough to eat a mystery menu. It seems that the article is saying that in Japan this sort of establishment is far more common than it is anywhere else. When you rate a city on how cosmopolitan it is or if it's great for eating, you don't average it from the bottom up. You count the number and diversity of the top only. Japan having the largest amount on top is plausible to me. It may also have the largest amount on the bottom, but that's completely irrelevant in this context.

Eh, I agree with the bottom being irrelevant but I'd disagree that only the top is relevant when discussing a city in terms of food quality. A city known for food will have a stellar top and an excellent middle (so every meal is a great meal), not a sharp dropoff from top to bottom.

And from the way the article describes things I'm guessing most Japanese would fall into the same category as most people in any country, and that, again, population density in the major cities is having an effect.

 

[akira28]

I still love you Japan. We go very far back, you and I. Stay the hell away from New Yorkisms though. Remember west coast, San Fran, LA, quality of life, not quantity.

 

[Ken Masters]

I was cringing almost the entire time I was reading that.

Your face must be quite sore

 

[ElectricBlue187]

Kua Aina is American, though.

is it? If so they try extra super hard to not appear to be american

 

[Raelson]

From an outsider perspective, Tokyo seems like the best city in the world. I really can't think of a better city, looking at it objectively.
Though, there are things about their culture, mentality and so on that may not be the best.

 

[mrklaw]

You cannot even understand how good this shit is as toast. It is the highlight of hotel breakfasts.

Japanese toast bread is so good, every time I visit Japan I seriously consider importing that shit into the UK. We'd bloody love it here. That plus strawberry jam - so good.

 

[distantmantra]

is it? If so they try extra super hard to not appear to be american

Yep, they're a chain from Hawaii that just happens to have a few (18 now!) locations in Japan. I've been to the one in Shibuya and the one on the North Shore of Oahu in Haleiwa.

 

[MC Safety]

Have you read a lifestyle magazine before? "Travel And Leisure's Feburary cover: the 40 worst resorts in the Northern Hemisphere! 10 C-plus hikes for you and your family!"

Yes, I have. And allow me to reiterate that usually the Wall Street Journal is more discerning in its reporting.

You can do an intriguing travel piece for a lifestyle magazine without it sounding like promotional copy. I say this as a former journalist who used to work the features desk and would routinely compose long-form features for newspapers and their accompanying magazines.

 

[chaostrophy]

This dude really thinks coffee comes out differently depending on the time of day due to fluctuations in the power grid? He's a fucking nut.

Yeah, I'm a pretty serious coffee snob and have never heard of this before. I call bullshit.

No offense to Japan though. I think their detail-oriented culture has led to them making a lot of amazing stuff.

 

[manipulate]

 

[SUPREME1]

I think a long pull of black espresso is what the rest of the world calls an Americano. For them a espresso is like 1/8 what we pour.

An Americano in it's traditional form is Espresso which has been watered down.

GIs in Europe during WWII didn't like Espresso and so they would have the baristas add water to dillute it.

Thus why it's dubbed an Americano.




FWIW.

 

[GhaleonQ]

Yes, I have. And allow me to reiterate that usually the Wall Street Journal is more discerning in its reporting.

You can do an intriguing travel piece for a lifestyle magazine without it sounding like promotional copy. I say this as a former journalist who used to work the features desk and would routinely compose long-form features for newspapers and their accompanying magazines.

Fair enough. As long as you can get past the lack of a good hook, "Japan's premium service industries are brilliant and now cater to an international audience that realizes that," doesn't seem to require hedging or a 2nd level of depth. It's true.

But, you know, fair enough.