Mayuko Takata Daily Show Mango Banana Bell Pepper Eggplant King Tokyo X Kobayashi fish Episodes of the Week Rice Mushrooms mochi umeboshi natto sushi Fukui Mini Moni Pumpkin Crab Chocolate Spinach Broccoli Liver Turnip Beijing tuna overtime Lobster Beyond Kitchen Stadium potato Eel Specials Mushroom Nakamura BKS Iron Chef Yomigaeru Morimoto Kobe Michiba Chen Sakai Eps of the Week iron chef
I’m in the process of downloading the special right now. I might not have a chance to get it posted until late tonight, but keep your eyes on this page because it will be uploaded before morning. In the meantime, watch the preview below.
New Year’s Eve special preview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYNW5E-ms4U
Pongtawat “Ian” Chareomkittichai (Iron Chef Thailand) vs. IC Suga – Issei Ebi (Spiny Lobsters)
Michiba Rokusaburo vs. IC Kurogi
Morimoro Masaharu vs. IC Wakiya
UPDATE: I am putting the episodes up for download now. I have not had a chance to watch them to check for quality or completeness. The description on the Japanese site where I get it seemed to indicate that the commercials are left in at least two parts of this. (If there are any problems with the video, please let me know so I can search for alternative sources/files.) I will try to add more details later tonight. Feel free to comment with information and I’ll gladly add it to this post. Good Gastronomy
Ryouri no Tetsujin Dream Match – Iron Chef Special – 12/31/2012
Update 11:11PM: Sorry, everybody. I just got home and I obviously screwed something up with the links before I left earlier. I’ll get it fixed ASAP.
LAST UPDATE OF THE NIGHT (MAYBE?) – All download links are working. I’m in the process of uploading one large (1.1+GB) zip file with all three episodes enclosed. Keep an eye out for that to show up on the download page. I know everybody was looking forward to seeing these episodes, and I’m really sorry I screwed up the links earlier. I hope the wait is worth it.
My Trip to Japan – Part 7 – Asakusa
We got up Monday morning, and headed back toward Tokyo from Niigata. This would be the only day without a scheduled baseball game, so it was essentially a “free day” for everyone. Some went to Sumo, some went sightseeing around Tokyo. I decided I would visit Sensoji in Asakusa, Taito, Tokyo.
Sensoji is Tokyo’s oldest temple. The first temple was built on the site in 645. The current temple was built with donations from the public after bombing raids destroyed the site in 1945. There were a ton of people there, even on a Monday afternoon. The first thing you see is the outer gate, Kaminarimon (“Thunder Gate”) with it’s huge lantern in the center and statues on each side.
Between the outer and inner gates runs Nakamise-dori, the famous shopping street. There are a ton of little shops along this street selling everything from toys to Japanese snacks to custom made kimonos. It’s a good place to pick up souvenirs for the folks back home (and I came back on my last morning in Japan to do that.)
After passing through Nakamise-dori, you come to the inner gate, Hozomon (“Treasure House Gate”). The Hozomon features a large Chochin in the center, flanked by two Toro each weighing 1000kg. The upper floor houses Senso-ji’s treasured sutras.
Between the Hozomon and the Main Hall, you could get your fortune or Omikuji. This guy has pictures and a great explanation of the process. (Another one is here toward the bottom of the post.) I got a “bad fortune,” so my paper got left there. Fortunately, I was reassured by the sign that said by tenaciously doing my best, I could carve out my own fortune.
That night, some of the group went to dinner at a restaurant in the neighborhood around the hotel. It was a nice chance to talk and hear stories from everyone. Tomorrow, I venture out to Akihabara and a game at the Seibu Dome.
The nominee this week is presented by Hisao Taki, the Chairman of the Japanese restaurant guide Gurunavi. The challenger, Yusuke Kawasaki, won the Gurunavi Chef Best of Menu 2012. He will be taking on Iron Chef Japanese Jun Kurogi, who lost his debut battle. He turns to Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi for advice and is told to stay true to his own cooking, man-up and act like the Iron Chef he is!
The theme is Jidori. While the simplest description may be “chicken,” it appears to be more than that. Read more about Jidori HERE, HERE and HERE.
Iron Chef Yomigaeru – S1E06 – Iron Chef Japanese Kurogi vs. Kawasaki Yusuke – 12/7/2012
And I can’t wait until 12/31 and the special featuring Michiba and Kurogi. (Did I see that right? A 5 hour special?)