Fait accompli! One of our bucket list missions during our piano workshop with Yamaha in Japan was to find a place to experience fluffy pancakes. I've seen videos and pictures of these incredible delicacies all over the Internet, and have been dying to try them out. Finally, on our last free day of sightseeing, we found a delightful cafe within walking distance of our hotel in Hamamatsu, called the Pullman Caffé.
Read MoreAt the end of our 5th day of piano workshop training, our fabulous Yamaha liaison and host Kazu-san continued his tour of Japanese cuisine by introducing us to Yakitori. Yakitori is a style of barbecue chicken skewers specially grilled over charcoals.
Read MoreOn the first full day of my Yamaha trip to Japan, before heading down to Hamamatsu from Shinagawa (outside of Tokyo), I'm trying fried chicken and biscuit. Korean fried chicken (KFC) is my absolute favorite, and I'm convinced it's the best in the world. Dwayne is from the South and has his doubts, so I'll have to find a way to get him to try some. I'm sooo curious to see how well Japanese fried chicken measures up to KFC!
Read MoreAfter a grueling day of piano workshops at the Yamaha Kagegawa factory, our Yamaha liaison Kazu-san treats us to one of the finest sushi dinners I have ever experienced in his hometown of Hamematsu.
Read MoreHamamatsu is famous for their eel cuisine ("Unagi" in Japanese). Kazu-San takes us to his favorite eel restaurant called Unagi Fujita Hamamatsu Ekimae. This has got to be the lightest, most flavorful eel I have ever tasted - absolutely heavenly! In addition, we got to sample some fried eel bones - super crunchy with a smoky taste. Great source of calcium and a delight to snack on!
Read MoreI thought it would be fun to do a comparison between hotel breakfast buffets in the USA and in Japan. During my Los Angeles layover, Yamaha put us up in the Crown Plaza LAX, a short shuttle ride away from the airport. Compared to my Holiday Inn stay where I experienced a One Minute Pancake Machine, the Crown Plaza breakfast was definitely a big step up. After our 12 hour flight to Narita Airport, we checked in at the Keikyu Ex Hotel in Shinagawa, about an hour train ride away from the airport. All things considered, it appears that the Crown Plaza LAX and the Keikyu EX Hotel are both comparable in quality, at least when it comes to the rooms themselves. But the breakfast buffet? Folks, feast your eyes on this video!
Read MoreAfter a 12 hour flight from L.A. to Tokyo Narita airport, Dwayne managed to nearly get arrested (we can't take that guy anywhere!) and we proceeded to take a train to Shinagawa, about an hour away. Our first dinner in Japan was at a fantastic restaurant called Hibiki, which roughly translates as "sound" or "harmony" - what an appropriate place for Yamaha piano reps! Kazu Hosoya, our Yamaha liaison and guide, is making a point of taking us to his favorite restaurants on this trip, and we're definitely off to a fantastic start!
Read MoreWhenever you go to Korea, there are a couple of things you really need to try. You need to try the Korean barbecue. Or for me, I need to have Korean barbecue of some sort. I need to have some Korean fried chicken. Fried chicken is amazing here. They call it 양념 통닭 (“yangnyum tong tak” = '“seasoned chicken”) in some places, but any kind of fried chicken you get in Korea is the best in the world, I think. And another favorite that I haven't heard a lot of people talk about are the strawberries.
Korean strawberries are unbelievable. They are like eating candy. I remember one time walking through an open air market a number of years ago. A guy drove up in a motorcycle with a big container. He opened it up and showed us these strawberries. And they looked gorgeous!! So, on a whim, I just went ahead and bought some. Right then and there, I put one of the strawberries in my mouth - and I could not believe how sweet it tasted!! It's literally like eating candy. There is absolutely no bitterness, no sourness. It is like eating pure sugar, it's unbelievable! It's so delicious. Love these strawberries!!
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