Curry udon and green tea

When you return home after living abroad, there are things that you miss right away. Then there are the things that you may not realize that you miss; the sentiment has to sink in, like silt eventually forming little salty, tear-flavored deposits of emotional residue after journeying long enough through your veins. Where this residue ultimately comes to rest I have not yet worked out in the metaphor.

One thing I've been especially missing recently (only two or three years after leaving Japan) is an udon fast food chain that's quite widespread in Kansai (or at least Hyogo) - Nakau (なか卯) - a venue I've chronicled about before.

I'm jonesing for two items in particular - cheap curry udon, which if memory serves you can get for about 500 yen, or ~$5, and the complimentary cold green tea that would come with it. Try getting free green tea around here. Heck, try getting unsweetened cold green tea around here.

Thank you, Wikimedia Commons, for the eerily specific image of curry udon and green tea at Nakau.

There's also the matter of the song. Lots of stores have catchy little jingles that play at regular intervals inside so that customers will never forget. Yodobashi Camera has a good one. Nakau likewise has one that will be forever seared into my mind. And every time I think of curry udon, it plays.

いいね indeed, sir.

Tis even worthy of idolsong.

Japan: King of Convenience #1

You know, Japan is such a convenient place to live that sometimes it can be really easy to forget how inconvenient a place it is. In this series I want to share some of the more convenient elements of living in Japan (日本の生活).

On of the things that I think the Japanese have really gotten down well is fast food. Sure, they have McDonalds and KFC, and all that jazz, but that's not what I'm referring to. No, I refer to the ticket restaurant. Usually they are little joints with long counters and bar-stool style seats that specialize in noodle or rice-bowl-based fare. My favorite haunt is a chain called なか卯 (Nakau), and mainly offers curry, udon, and soba.

First, you walk in and find the ticket vending machine. Decide what you want and insert your money. Wow, you're almost done!

Place your ticket on the counter and wait for the waiter or waitress to take it. Then play with your cellphone or look around at all the other weirdos in the place. After a couple minutes, tops, your server will place your food in front of you. Bon appetite.

At Nakau, they give you a complimentary glass of green tea-tinted water when you sit down. At many places, they also place several pitchers of ice water at each counter so that you can serve yourself. As I drink a lot of water when I eat, this is much appreciated by yours truly.

When you're finished, just get up and leave. No need to clean up after yourself, you lazy slob. I like to thank the servers for the meal as I leave, but most people don't seem to say anything.

In my experience, many cafeterias in Japan operate by this ticket vending machine system, as well.

Have you eaten at this kind of restaurant before? If so, did you like this style of service?