Father’s Day

For the final day of Elliot & Rachel’s visit to Japan, Tara and Geza (Andrew & Elliot’s parents) flew in from California to celebrate Father’s Day as a family and begin their two-week trip.

Our morning started with some exercise: Elliot and Andrew went for a jog while Rachel and I rented some bikes and headed for the Imperial Palace (there will be an upcoming post that highlights my love for these bikes and some fun adventures Andrew and I have taken on them). Rachel and I attempted to bike closer to the palace for a better view but were waved down by two police officers who then started blowing their whistles at us and yelling “GO BACK! GO BACK!” – we must have missed a sign telling us we weren’t allowed in the same area as the pedestrians! It was kind of kind of comical and while I’m sure his immediate implication was for us to return to the road, I can’t help but think he may have also wanted us to go back to America! In any case, it was still a lovely ride in our (unintentionally) matching outfits:

We then had a wonderful Father’s Day brunch at Lauderdale in Roppongi. Brunch is a pretty important part of life (for me at least) in the U.S. and a traditional Japanese breakfast doesn’t involve mimosas and bacon but rather tea and seafood. So while there are many meals I happily opt for traditional Japanese cuisine, brunch is not one of them. Lauderdale is particularly great because they have indoor and outdoor seating, they are English-friendly, and they take reservations.

After E&R left for the airport, we took the train to Ginza for afternoon tea at Ippodo, which is based in Kyoto and nearly 300 years old. The main shop is in Kyoto but they have several branch locations including the one we visited in Marunouchi. The tearoom offers many variations of Sencha, Gyokuro, Bancha, and Matcha (all green tea) with helpful guidance on how to prepare and enjoy each cup, which arrives with a wagashi (Japanese sweet). We each tried a different type of tea and were given various wagashi:

I opted for matcha (powdered green tea), which has become one of my favorite indulgences in Japan. I ordered a concentrated version, which you sip on and then they add more water and whisk to the more familiar looking frothy tea I’m accustomed to seeing. While the concentrated drink was good, I definitely prefer the milder taste of my second serving:

If you find yourself in Kyoto or Tokyo, I highly recommend visiting Ippodo. Or, if you find yourself anywhere in Japan, going for a traditional Japanese tea is a really enjoyable experience. It’s not as over-the-top as English tea but is equally enjoyable. If you’re interested in learning more about the different varieties of tea offered at Ippodo, this blogger visited their tearoom in Kyoto and took their one hour tea making workshop and does a great job walking you through each type.

After tea we meandered around Ginza and enjoyed wandering down some of the busy streets that they closed down for pedestrians for the afternoon:

For dinner, we made our way to Ippudo, a ramen shop with dozens of shops around the world, including in New York and London. Its hard to go wrong with anything on their menu and clearly we had worked up an appetite because I didn’t document anything aside from the unique wall decor during our visit:While I certainly was sad to have not spent Father’s Day with my own Dad (Hi, Daddo!), it was nice to spend it with Andrew’s family, to wrap-up our time with Elliot & Rachel, and to kick off our two weeks with Tara & Geza.