DIA Blog 006 - 8 Steps To Have An AWESOME Thanksgiving In Japan by H8R
by H8R
Since I've come to Japan, I've had one Thanksgiving dinner that was pretty good, but it didn't really deliver on what I was used to.
There was another time when a bunch of us went to a local Taiwanese restaurant. It satisfied in terms of meeting up with great people to share a meal and stuff our faces, but it didn't have all of the nostalgic foods I had been missing.
When I thought about it, the last really, really good Thanksgiving dinner I ate was one that I cooked in 2013.
My mood was similar to my boy Noogie's so this was the first year I decided to go out and have a proper Thanksgiving with some friends.
Make sure you check out our Thanksgiving episode of Dudes In Asia!
1. Choose your destination
Living in Mie, Japan, my options for good, authentic American cuisine are somewhat limited. Keeping that in mind, I decided to head over to Nagoya.
A quick Google search of "Thanksgiving Dinner Nagoya 2018" led me to Japan Info Swap's page on the topic written by the prolific Mark Guthrie. (Seriously, if you haven't read his fake news sections in the NAGMAG, you're missing out!)
After reading over the options, I decided to go with Midtown BBQ.
I had never been there before, but the reviews looked good and the food sounded AMAZING! It was pretty much a no-brainer.
2. Assemble your crew
I put out a call to all of my co-workers to see who wanted to come out for a nice Thanksgiving dinner.
In Japan this year, the Friday after Thanksgiving was Labor Thanksgiving Day so we had a nice 3-day weekend. (It's a holiday similar to Labor Day in the states - a day to celebrate labor and production) That also meant that a lot of people were taking advantage of the extra day off so they decided to go traveling.
Our crew was limited to 4 people, but that didn't stop us from having a good time!
 |
| My friends Jobelle and Chris (he's an undercover salary-man) |
3. Make your reservations
If you want to have a guaranteed good time going to a crowded restaurant in Japan, it really helps to make a reservation.
Making a reservation (and being on time for it) does take a little more work on your part, but it can really help out when it comes to being seated quickly and not having to be crammed into a corner.
The whole process of making a reservation at Midtown BBQ was a breeze! I sent an email and got a response PDQ.
4. Dress up a little
This is something that people seem to be doing less and less as time goes one. Society has a whole (especially in the US) has become a lot more casual.
There's nothing wrong with being laid back, but dressing up a little does get you a lot of respect.
For the occasion, I decided to bust out my standard 3-piece suit with a French-cuffed dress shirt, bow tie, pocket watch, and hat. After all, I did buy these clothes so I might as well use them, right?
 |
| Selfie-time! Me and my good friend Ana. |
I got compliments the whole night long. All of the bartenders, waiters, and staff everywhere seemed to be a little bit nicer to me than usual!
5. Plan on pre-gaming
Before any big night out, it helps to have a quick meetup somewhere to get the festivities going.
A favorite haunt of mine is any HUB in Japan.
It's a British style pub and probably the closest you can come to bar like I'm used to in the US. The drinks are decent and they have happy hour specials until 7 PM. You pay per drink so there's no hassle with splitting checks or minimum food orders. (Although certain menu items are pretty damn good!) I recommend the "Honey Cheese Snacks" and "Lamb Skewers"
 |
| London Iced Tea (left) and the London Gin & Tonic (right) |
Having a few cocktails and some snacks before heading out for dinner can be a lot of fun, just be sure that your pre-game doesn't turn into the whole game or you'll find yourself passed out before the main course!
6. Chow down like you mean it
Now that the time for the main event has come, you'll have to dedicate yourself to finishing what you've started.
As soon as I entered Midtown BBQ, I knew that it was going to be a battle.
I could see tons of expats and locals all sitting around with massive plates of grub.
I ordered my jumbo portion of their Thanksgiving dinner which included:
- Smoked Crispy Skin Turkey
- Smoked Sausage
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Mushroom Shallot Gravy
- Stuffing
- Grilled Seasonal Vegetables
- Cointreau Fresh Cranberry Sauce
- Butter Rolls.
The ensuing smorgasbord didn't disappoint!
 |
| Behold! Thanksgiving at Midtown BBQ |
 |
| Of course I went with the Bloody Caesar cocktail (it's for my health, it has vitamins!) |
We had to utilize some strategic teamwork to take it down (I ended up stealing a friend's butter roll to help break up the meat sweats), but in the end we got the job done!
7. Chill out with an after party
Since we were in Nagoya, I decided that we should try to check out one of my favorite spots: the dimly lit, secluded, and oh-so-smokey jazz bar, the Caballero Club.
It was about a two-mile walk to get there, so we opted for a cab ride. We were really surprised to find out that our cabbie spoke pretty good English. He also told us that he was into video games and was currently playing Splatoon 2 for the Switch. He even offered us a discount when we got to our destination (which he would have had to cover out of his own pocket) which we politely turned down.
The jazz club was the perfect way to end the night.
The owner, a man who simply goes by the name Boss, is always super chill. He gave me a fake patch of hair some years ago and I make sure to bring it every time I go.
 |
| Boss's adorable dog, Botchan, has the run of the bar and the love the patrons |
We spent the next few hours listening to live jazz from the Yuko Takenaka band. Everything was very chill and super kick-back.
8. Get home safe
Our goodbyes were stretched out by an impromptu photo session after the band finished their second set of the evening.
 |
| From left to right: Me, Botchan, Boss, Chris, Ana, and Jobelle inside the Caballero Club |
We rushed to Nagoya Station but missed the train we were aiming for!
The last options were to wait 40 minutes for the last train (lame) or try to jump on the reserved-seating limited express train that was leaving in a few minutes. (sweet)
We made it on the train and were cruising back to base in no time.
All in all, it was a really fun night and something I definitely recommend you try if you are in Nagoya for Thanksgiving!
That's it!
Thanks for checking out my post. What sounds like the most fun for you? Do you have your own Thanksgiving traditions? Let me know in the comments.
Comments
Post a Comment