Pizza is to New York as okonomiyaki is to Tokyo. Fry (yaki) batter made of flour, yam, eggs and cabbage, like an omelette add to it "whatever you like" (okonomi). After grilling the batter on a teppan (hot plate) the chef decorates it Jackson Pollock style with squizzles of mayo. "Shall we have okonomiyaki?" asked tomodachi san about my final dinner in Tokyo. Hai! Off we go to the sixth floor of Bic Camera, the discount electronics mega store by Tokyo Eki. Shujin (husband) considers it the ichiban (top) okonomiyaki place in town. "You have to get there early," he advised.
Windowless Bic Camera is full of temptations, offering every gadget under fluorescent light desired by Edoko; as a former depato eateries are located on the top level. While the Thai joint is half empty, Chibo is already busy. "How about the counter?" tomodachi posed. To start she ordered (healthy) tofu salad, and then we shared a series of pies (plain and sea food). Oishkata!(Yum) Ices for dessert, with cups of kocha (tea). A whispered remark in tomodachi's ear; so desu, a queue has formed. Strolling through Tokyo International Forum, three tomodachis wend our way to the Four Seasons where the staff greets me by name. How do they all recognize me?
On the seventh floor of the hotel we peeped into the bar, and were surprised to find that the Business Centre consists of one sole computer in this land of texting. Back on the street the queue of taxis extended for a mile; the financial crisis has caused many jobless Edoko to become cab drivers. "Such a strange month for you," tomodachi pointed out. One sayonara party was organized by a woman with acute laryngitis forced to communicate in writing; another by someone who arrived after the last sushi was swallowed. How many nihonjin have crossed my path in three and a half years! With promises to meet in New York, we exchanged sayonaras under the bright lights of Tokyo International Forum.
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