Kain 2 Episode 1: Kagura @ Little Tokyo

Japan is mostly remembered as a portrait of a snow-capped mountain with pink flowers flying in the air... with slanty-eyed men wearing pads of wood and leather happily slicing each other into shreds in its foreground. For all its brutal history though, Japan brought the world not just a heap of silicon circuits and timeless tales of terror, but something more digestible in its plainest sense: good food.

From a capitalist consumer approach like Tokyo Tokyo, Karate Kid and Kitaro, dishes from the land of the rising sun made its way to Manila in forms that only mimic pop culture definition of Japan, but not with enough depth. Restaurants like Sugi in Makati's Greenbelt area carry the urban scent of Japan's modern high-end districts, closer to to the feel of the real deal but is riddled with Western influences. Just a few blocks away however, lies a quaint little area of the same city, a little corner of Chino Roces St. (Pasong Tamo) that replicates another time and place reminiscent of Mt. Fuji and the nonchalant times of the samurai: Little Tokyo.

Me and my special one went there out of a sheer desire to eat at some place we haven't been to yet, while our budget still permits. I've yet to discover the secrets of this place's famous okonomiyaki and see for myself if it's worth the long haul going there by foot.

onwards!




Little Tokyo looks like a lost patch of Meiji Revolution-era Tokyo, with its mostly wooden look, the architecture of the small buildings, their furniture, and the restaurants themselves. The welcoming committee of each diner greets you with the traditional Irrashaimase! with a Pinoy twang, but that's acceptable. It's not like you're in actual turn-of-the-century Edo (the Japanese capital's old name).

My beloved Bing in the entrance "hall" of sorts.

Weirdly enough, the place was just my former workplace's backyard a few years back in 2007 when I was still a struggling video editor in a now-defunct studio. Always thought the place was swarming with real Japanese who... might just yell at me for being the lone indio braving the place for a quick munch. Well, me and my date arrived there just after Christmas - a great time, as there weren't a lot of people around.

So we sat down this quaint little place called "Kagura" upon the suggestion of my date who got the idea from a fashion idol she's following. Kagura's specialty is okonomiyaki, a pancake of sorts that may contain various ingredients mixed into a savoury combination and grilled over a modern flat metal grill. Some call it a "Japanese pizza," but I prefer to call it an "omelet of dreams".

Kagura, while I cannot decipher the Kanji that makes up its name, looks like those small dining places you see in Japanese TV series where common folk have their dinner when they can't cook - in Filipino, the common "turo-turo" or karinderya. Yep. But of course, the ol' Far East style. One part of the diner consists of chairs lined up ala-sushi bar, the other, a more formal couple of low tables separated by a low wall.

Yes, they have manga and other stuff for your reading pleasure - if you can.

So comfy looking... but of course sleeping is not allowed. Nor are shoes in that area.

The place is full of Hanshin Tigers stuff - perhaps the owner's a fan of the Japanese baseball team, I don't know. It's a pretty assortment of accessories, such as stuffed toys, decorated material, etc. They also have two televisions that perhaps show only Japanese sports games all day (or maybe just that time we were there). Price-wise, the food is not so friendly to everyday budget, but not so unreachable as to make your Ninoy bills frown in dismay.

Not sure what these are supposed to be... bottles, perhaps?

Yours truly browsing through the menu.

The chefs busy cooking our first meal at Little Tokyo.

One of the few places that sell Asahi and Kirin beer at the same time. And perhaps some Hanshin collectibles?

Service wasn't so fast, well maybe because they cook food in front of you. Makes you wonder what kind of cooking goes in a McDonald's kitchen. You'll see the patient cooks flip and fry your order through the corner of your eye, if you're not inappropriately staring like a hungry dog at it. Which, is hard to resist at times - the aroma of the food being cooked is difficult to not turn your head to. Good thing they have nice ventilation in the place, as the smell of the food won't stick to your clothes. Nice to know.

We ordered two somewhat popular dishes - Modern Ebi Tama okonomiyaki (PHP 280) for her and Shoyu yakiudon for me. The former is a strange mix of noodles, egg and magical meat and veggies - I practically had no idea what types and cuts were made to make the thing look and taste so good. The Four Seasons juice we had was... well, just like in other restaurants. Cool and refreshing, but not entirely life-changing.

Because one does not simply stare at good food.

Modern Ebi Tama, from its name, most likely had shrimps and egg, green onions diced and generously sprinkled on top and accompanied by thin, round noodles and Japanese mayonnaise, most likely made from locally-procured rice vinegar. It looks strange if you're not used to seeing Japanese food; I myself took some time digesting its appearance. A few seconds later, I had to digest its contents... with permission from my date, of course.

One look and you know you're going to wolf the thing down in minutes.

Next up is mine: Shoyu yakiudon (PHP 260). Don't be fooled by its Street Fighter-ish name though. It's not a violent man's meal. But it does have a good share of meat. One may recognize the noodles as resembling the Chinese pancit canton, albeit cooked in a different way (or so I think). Thin slices of nice-tasting pork along with meat-tasting paper-thin flakes take the top portion, seducing you with the sweet smell of meat.

My camera was reluctant at first to approach this otherworldly-looking pile of carbs and proteins...

It's served nice and hot (like, smoking hot at plate-down). Then the world becomes an episode of Tsuuka Ichiban (Cooking Master Boy, an outrageous anime about food) and everything about it shines from the plate, drawing you to a conclusion that the world is a garden of golden rays of sunshine and nothing can draw you away from the presence of this divine mound of noodles, vegetables and meat.

... when it decided it wanted the first bite, which I denied of course.

After the meal, we headed out and had coffee... I know I should've taken more pictures, but there were Japanese tourists around, the place was also starting to get full and I was hesitant pulling out my camera from the bag, mindful of the eagle-eyed guards (or ninja's) who might be watching from some unseen corner, waiting to turn me into sashimi.

I'll go back to this place and eat again, that's for sure. On that day, I shall take more photos.
Unless a ninja-to (ninja sword) finds its way through my lungs first, lol... and oh, for peat's sake, I need a grammar checker. :(