Well folks, it’s 5:21 in the morning and I’m eating ramen under the blinking neon lights of Minato-Ku, Tokyo. Vinography has hopped off to Japan in search of a little R&R and some good sake. Like most of our trips, this will be primarily an eating and drinking trip studded with occasional forays into the cultural and the commercial. We’ve had reservations for weeks at some of our most anticipated restaurants, but couldn’t seem to get into any of the recently Michelin three-starred restaurants, either because they are closed for the holidays or because they were instantly booked when the announcement was made.

No matter. I’ve got some friends that are turning us on to some “hidden three stars” that shun publicity of all kinds, so we’ll be off the culinary map a little while we’re here.

As expected, Tokyo has changed a lot since I was last here just three years ago. New subway lines have opened, there are new subway passes to use, fifteen new restaurants on a singly familiar block in Roppongi, and sadly, the main branch of my favorite ramen shop, Yokaro, seems to be the casualty of a building renovation. And that’s all just what I’ve noticed in the first two hours through the fog of jet-lag.

Since my hotel room seems to have a built in T-3 Internet connection (Gawd I miss the infrastructure here) I’ll try to add to my Tokyo restaurant reviews and blog a bit about sake while I’m here. Stay tuned.

For now, though, I need to get some sleep.