Tachikawa and Tonki

Wrapping up loose ends

Our last full day in Tokyo as a group, and we have an outing deferred from last Sunday, plus our final dinner together on Japanese soil.

Sunday, April 6

During the stillness of the early morning, after noshing on curry bread from Andersen bakery, I lugged my dirty laundry to the local branch of Coin Laundry Pierrot. According to the line on the combined washing/drying machine, it only added up to about 4kg. I selected the regular cycle, fed in some coins, and watched it start. I then had plenty of time to wander the neighborhood for a little temple and shrine photography and a quick visit to the Family Mart for a bottle of tea.

I was back checking in on my machine when a man suddenly rushed in and moved a bunch of laundry into one of the huge dryers. He had a slightly unkempt and panicked look, and I noticed that he was driving a large white Mercedes sedan. There must be a story there, but I can only speculate that he’ll be in trouble with someone if this laundry isn’t done in time. My life seems so boring by comparison.

After a quick shower, I joined April as her guest at the Sheraton Club for breakfast. The spread included eggs, Japanese and Western dishes, and pastries. Oddly, the tea selection was limited to a few types of non-Japanese tea bags. Darjeeling? Sure.

One of the items on our “To Do” list for this trip was to visit Tachikawa, former home of a U.S. air force base. The main attraction these days is Showa Memorial Park, where we expected to find sakura trees in full bloom. We boarded a tram for a ride through the park. Although overcast skies didn’t show the foliage in its best light, there were lots of people enjoying the season, and plenty of nice areas we would have explored on a sunnier day. (I posted a boring video of the view from the tram on YouTube.)

Rather than eat at the park restaurants, which had tepid reviews, we headed to Tachikawa station. After considering a range of options in the adjacent Granduo building, we settled on a quirky omuraisu restaurant. Its name, RAKERU, reflects the Japanese pronunciation of the founder’s name, Raquel. Considering that there are Japanese words for omelet and rice, I always found it puzzling that the combination is called omuraisu, but seeing that a popular topping is ketchup suggests that it’s a dish invented for foreigners. I resisted the allure of ketchup and opted for a topping of shrimp and shimeji mushrooms in a thick dashi sauce on my omelet. Not bad; this will hold us until dinner (in three hours).

Back at the hotel, I rested and tried to capture a sunset shot. While I couldn’t see the sun, the view South toward Happo-en garden illustrated the contrasts of Tokyo.

For dinner, we headed to an old favorite, Tonkatsu Tonki. When I “discovered” it in 2009, using the crude research tools available at that time, it had a reputation for serving the best tonkatsu in Tokyo. We ate there twice. Sixteen years later, the menu has barely changed. The main choices remain two variations on deep fried breaded pork — fattier rosu (loin) and leaner hire (tenderloin) — accompanied by a tower of shredded cabbage, rice, miso soup, and pickles. They also have kushi-katsu, but I didn’t see anyone with skewers so I’m not sure how they prepare it.

We were seated upstairs at a table, which has less visual entertainment than the counter downstairs that looks directly into the kitchen, but makes for easier conversation. When the food came, I was so distracted I forgot to take a picture. Fortunately, there were plenty of examples at the counter downstairs.

Setting aside sentimental appeal, Tonki is not very Instagrammable. The place looks run down, and compared with Katsukura, the plates and condiments are rather basic. But no one can deny that they still know how to fry pork and shred cabbage, and sometimes that’s all you need. (More pictures for the day on Google Photos.)

Tomorrow I’ll be moving to a less fancy, less pricey hotel. But tonight, I can enjoy the Sheraton’s comfortable bedding one last time.