The Many Flavors of Tokyo Pig

Time for some more Tokyo!

Lydia explored the wonder that is the Japanese vending machine.

She walked away with an exotic melon cream soda.

Our metro time has actually been welcome because it's well air conditioned and the weather in Tokyo has been so toasty. Ernie's little fan has been doing a good job of keeping him cool in his stroller. Must be nice.

Our first stop was to Harajuku's mipig cafe - MICRO PIG HOUSE. They seem to have a micro pig in charge of capitalization.

I thought that this might be a good place to get Ernie a job as a micro pig.

So you pretty much sit down, put a blanket on your lap, and little pigs will jump up on your lap.

Lydia belatedly realized that she does not like little piggies on her lap, and it was much too late for her to go wee wee wee all the way home.

Therefore, send not to know

For whom the micro pig oinks,

It oinks for thee.

Ernie was sad when it was time to leave his piglet friends.

I'm not a normal person, so when it was time for me to find a restaurant in the neighborhood I chose Tamawarai, a Michelin-starred soba joint to bring my three month old child to.

The review I read suggested trying the craft sake. I asked the server for his recommendation and he succeeded in choosing one of the few sakes I've had in my life that I did not want to drink. It was Domuroku Nigorizake from Nagano. It was so unfiltered that it legit had chunks of rice in it. It was like the sake equivalent of drinking lumpy spoiled milk.

For a starter I also went with the yakimiso "a portion of chunky miso paste mixed with carrot and spring onions grilled until the top caramelizes."

Besides suggesting literal poison for sake, the server was super nice and seemed worried that I was going to need help eating my soba.

We made it out of the restaurant without causing too much of a scene. It was a win and an important step in Ernie's culinary development.

We met up with my old friend Yukako and had a lovely dinner at Ichi Ni San, a shabu shabu pork joint. I hoped that Ernie had forgotten about his micro pig friends at this point.

I told Yukako that Lydia likes giant friggin' frozen desserts and she was happy to participate.

Yukako is the best. Every like 8 years I just swoop down and she's always game to hang. Last time we partied with her in Tokyo was 2016.

There was a statue of what seems to be a pig's butt in the lobby.