Autumn in Tokyo and Environs

Autumn usually brings in a lot of vegetable and fruit produce. Pumpkins come to mind too, especially in the West during Halloween. In Japan, Halloween is quite a celebrated event as well, and people usually come out in creative costumes and party the night away. And similarly, pumpkin is used by a lot of restaurants as a theme ingredient during this period. Such as this tiramisu in Cocolo Cafe in Shinjuku: 

This sumptuous dessert + drink set costs around Y850. Delicious and sweet pumpkins are used and they blend effortlessly into the mascarpone cheese. 

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A nice and very affordable place to eat in Shimokitazawa is Pebble Cafe. The place is youthful and vibrant, and so is the menu, with its rather simplistic selection: rice toppings, curry (served either with naan or rice), noodles, and dessert. 

The fennel bulbs tried the keema curry with naan (Y900). The naan was baked nicely, and the keema curry is just hearty; not too salty and rich to the palate as ready-made curries tend to be. A simple salad of fresh greens and a sweet/garlicky dressing is served on the side. 

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The fennel bulbs have gone to Shizuoka just to see more of Japan. Most travelers just go past Shizuoka between Tokyo and the two much larger cities of Osaka and Nagoya. However, this city has a lot of nice views to offer, including magnificent vistas of Mt. Fuji, as long as the weather is clear of course. 

PARCO shopping center just near Shizuoka station has a selection of rather standard run-of-the-mill restaurants; but one just simply caught the fennel bulbs' interest: Baqet restaurant on the shopping mall's top floor serves a set meal consisting of soup or salad, a main course, and unlimited freshly-baked bread and a glass of wine for just around Y1,700.  

Shrimp, broccoli, and egg salad was chosen for the salad course. The dressing is based on mayonnaise, and it was light and refreshing. 

For the main course, a cutlet of chicken breast is deep fried Cajun style and served with vegetables (broccoli, eggplant, and courgettes). The chicken is cooked very well and the quality of the meat is very good. The flesh is not threadlike which usually happens when chicken is fried. A hearty meal, to go with 3-4 wheat/rye rolls and a croissant.

*Shizuoka is around 150 km to the west of Tokyo and can be easily accessed by the JR Tokaido Shinkansen in an hour, or in 3 hours using the JR Tokaido Local Line via Atami. Some spectacular scenery can be viewed along the way.