Yukichi...

Day 1222:

The best part of this whole ramen dream...is seeing my friends succeed. Mendokoro Yukichi (麺処 ゆきち) is Kurai-san's new shop in Chiba.

Please please check it out! 3/15 grand open!!

If anyone really deserves to succeed, it's Kurai-san. He may even love ramen more than me.

For now, there are three ramen on the menu.

One shio ramen and two types of shoyu ramen.

I started with two.

A young master at work.

Shio Ramen.

Having not tried this last week I really wasn't sure what to expect. Upon first sip, I was caught off guard. Lemon? Yup, this chicken and fish based soup is infused with a hint of lemon. But it's not just a typical lemon ramen. The blend of oils and salts give it a refreshing depth.

Shoyu Ramen A.

I tried this one last week and wasn't to keen on it. But after I taught him some new techniques the other day, he actually took my advice and it turned out 10 times better.

Hmm...room for one more? Of course!

Shoyu Ramen B.

This one still impressed me the most. Tomato-infused-shoyu if fantastic!

Go Ramen! Go Kurai-san!!! お互い頑張ろ！！！

By the way, Happy Birthday Mom!!!!!

Kurai-san's ramen dream...

Day 1213:

The ramen dream isn't just mine...It's ours.

Cantonmen from Manraiken

And there's no other person that deserves it more than Kurai-san. He'll be opening his own shop soon and came to Bassanova to let me try his ramen.

The first was a pure Shoyu Ramen. I enjoyed it but there was something missing.

It needed just a little more punch.

But the second was a tomato-syrup-infused Shoyu Ramen...

And it was fantastic!!

No lie! I can't wait to try the finished product during his grand-opening. Stay tuned!

Milk and water...

Day 683:

I slept all day only to wake up craving one thing...

The Bush.

Then it was time to have a nice long sober conversation with big boss before he went back to Kyushu. The next few months should be very interesting.

Anyway, it was time to go support a good friend. Kurai-san was performing in a new band and he invited me to help bring down the house.

This place looks very familiar.

Milk & Water was the name of the band and Kurai-san is their new drummer. Go Kurai-san!!

A new definition of ramen rock star...

Clearing up...

Day 614:

Along with everything else, the skies have begun to clear. But don't let this beauty deceive you, it's still miserably hot and humid.

Perfect for cheap brew and free homemade beef jerky at the 808 Lounge.

And perfect for slurping a bowl amongst  friends.

Kurai-san, once again, thank you for your guidance!

Godspeed...

Day 500:

There are no tears to be shed. We'll be okay. As you know, my girlfriend (formerly known as the assistant), is heading to France today. I accompanied her to the airport to see her off.

It's hard to say goodbye, but it's all for the better.

Be safe 紗織. And don't worry about us. We'll see you in a few days...

As I sat by myself on the train ride home, I suddenly felt so alone. It started hitting me. Why AM I still in Tokyo?!? So to ease the loneliness for a bit, I stopped by Kururi (麺処くるり 高田馬場店) in Takadanobaba.

It felt good to see a familiar face. Like everyone else in this town, Kurai-san was hard at work.

Kururi is known for their award-winning Miso Ramen.

Thick, viscous, fatty, and hot. Miso ramen at its finest.

Thank you Kurai-san for helping to ease the pain.

I must admit, I briefly started to panic tonight. Not hysterically, but just trying to convince everyone around me how serious I thought the situation was. In the span of an hour, it seemed like everyone was telling me to leave. I was receiving tons of emails and fb posts from all my relatives and friends repeating over and over what I already knew. "The government is lying." "You are crazy for staying!" "If you don't leave now it's gonna be too late." It was driving me crazy.

So we decided to close early...

Kimura-san and I went to grab a quick bite for dinner.

And then a quick drink at the 808 Lounge.

The boss wants us to stay open and continue to ganbare. The boss also lives in Kyushu and doesn't know what it feels like in Tokyo. I think we are pretty much ganbare'd out. We are all gonna get together tomorrow and decide amongst ourselves if we should close, regardless of what boss says. I'm really worried about Shuga's pregnant wife. If anything, she needs to get out of Tokyo the most. I'll keep you posted.

Sweet run...

Day 484:

With my shoulder now at 95%, I finally got in a proper workout and I almost overdid it. But it's all good. I just know I'll be really sore tomorrow. Anyway, I stopped by the soba shop in Daitabashi to get some curry and was surprised to see Keiko-san from Goodwood working there. After a brief inquiry, I learned the whole story of how she became involved with this soba shop and Goodwood in the first place. Apparently she is the owner of both. Sorry Keiko-san. I would love to sit and chat some more, but I have to make a sweet run...

...to Ameyoko!!

If you ever find yourself in Ameyoko, you will want to stop by Shimura's Candyshop. They have all the sweets you can imagine. Shimura-san and his family are good friends of my family and today they treated me to some anmitsu while catching up. Thanks Shimura-san!

Then it was off to Nakamuraya with the usual suspects.

天空おとし！

A shio ramen from the heavens...

完食！

Then it was off to Heaven's Door for some refreshments.

BigMac!!

200 yen never tasted so good.

When I finally got home and opened a bag that Shimura-san had given me, it was packed with goodies. Sweet!

I know exactly who would like the KitKat mug...