Viewers like you make
this program possible. Support your local PBS station. PHIL ROSENTHAL:
I'm starting to get anxiety because I want everything. ♪ ♪ It's my first time in
one of the most populated cities in the world: Tokyo. <i> Kanpai!</i> (slurps) I'm going to find
the spiciest ramen... Whoa. ...the sushi of my dreams... (chuckles) Anything and everything
that makes this mysterious and amazing place
a must-visit destination. If I live, I'm going
to really like this. It's all next on... -<i> I'll Have What Phil's Having.</i> There were things I never tasted
growing up, like food with any flavor. In our house,
meat was a punishment. When I went into the real world, I was like a man
coming out of the desert. Then I started writing comedy and traveling
to other lands to eat. The world can be a beautiful,
delicious, and friendly place when we travel and eat
great food together. I'm Phil Rosenthal, and I'm here
to see and eat most of it, and to say to you, "Come on,
you can have what I'm having." (woman speaking Japanese) ROSENTHAL: Everybody says,
"You got to go to Japan, you got to go to Tokyo,
it's my favorite city." I got here yesterday and I got
to tell you, I don't see it, I don't get it,
it seems like another world, another planet even. It seemed overwhelming,
upsetting even to try to navigate. Look how crazy huge
this place is. They're a kind of urban sprawl
that makes you feel small. It's like Manhattan
times Los Angeles. It's just the most sensory
overload I've ever experienced. Who would want to live here? And yet millions and millions
and millions of people do. 13 million people, actually. I couldn't make any sense of it. Why is everyone saying
you've got to come here? I think I want to just go sit
in my hotel, but I'm here
so I'm going to jump in. ♪ ♪ I'm meeting Dave Spector
in the Shinjuku neighborhood, which is one of the many cities
within this city. Dave is from Chicago
and he's the host, commentator and comedian on some of
the most popular shows in Japan. And I'm telling you, you walk
down the street with him, it's like walking down
the street with Mick Jagger. (laughs) Whoa, whoa, oh my God, oh my
God, it's really him, he's here. Everybody's coming up to him,
everybody wants their picture taken,
people are freaking out. People of all ages. So far Tokyo to me looks
like 50,000 Times Squares. (Spector laughing) That's right, that's right. There is no centralization
per se and there's so many huge areas that you can't
really say that this is the middle of Tokyo. ROSENTHAL: So Dave takes me
to this tiny,<i> Blade Runner-ish</i> kind of alley called
Memory Lane. That's the nice name
for this place. It's been around from the '40s
and then it was called Piss Alley-- why? Because there were these tiny
little bars, a bunch of them, and there were no bathrooms. There wasn't room
for a bathroom, so what became the bathroom
was the alley. Thankfully now
there are bathrooms and so I was willing to go. - Because it's reminiscent
of old Japan. And you don't really see
too many of these areas anymore. And he takes me
to his favorite. The specialty is eel,
barbecued eel. And this guy's been there
60 years and he's got eels on sticks and you're going to get
seven sticks of eel. That's going to be
your dinner there. <i> Konnichiwa, konnichiwa.</i> <i> - Irrashaimase.</i> ROSENTHAL: And I'm sitting next
to guys who've been coming for 40 years and they're smoking
and they're drinking beer. Many of these guys
are the so-called "salary men," the people who give so much of
their lives to their companies. These little places where they
can go and drink-- and they drink. You know, life is hard,
and so the drink comes and the bottle is yay big. So let's have a beer. - Okay. ROSENTHAL:
And I'll pour for you. - Japanese custom, you always
pour for the other person. ROSENTHAL: Yeah, yeah I like
that, that's a nice custom. - Well, let's have
a little cheers. <i> Kanpai</i> as they say.
ROSENTHAL:<i> Kanpai.</i> -<i> Kanpai.</i> <i> Kanpai.</i>
ROSENTHAL:<i> Kanpai.</i> <i> Kanpai.</i> And these tiny little shops
can become your place. <i> Kanpai.</i> - He's saying clam up
and eat already. ROSENTHAL: Yes. The smaller the place,
the more it's yours because there's not
too many people in there. There can't be,
so you become special. <i> Arigato.</i> ROSENTHAL:
I take a bite and it's great. Delicious. It's smoky and charred
from the charcoal and then the sauce
is a tiny bit sweet, right? Okay, so far so good,
you got to love eel. Eel is just fish, you know,
without the fins and it's perfectly delicious. It's really good fish. And then about three skewers in
I get this one and I bite it, oh, I got a little bone and
I pull it out and I bite again and I get a little more bone. You're sure this is right? - This is the head of the eel. ROSENTHAL: Head of the eel.
- Unagi, unagi eel. ROSENTHAL:
So I'm eating the skull, and the skull is just some burnt
skin holding bones together. Bones and they crunch,
but not in a pleasant way. They crunch in a way
where you've bitten on a rock or on a bit of hard plastic
when you're opening a package. - You have to chew the bones
though. ROSENTHAL: Huh?
- Don't take the bones out. ROSENTHAL:
Got to chew them up. - These kind of dishes
it's kind of manly. ROSENTHAL: I feel manly. - You're stepping up
to the plate to eat this. ROSENTHAL:
I feel totally manly except that when I can't eat the bones. You're not a man
if you don't eat your bones. You chew the bones,
that's part of the fun. So I try to eat the bones and I
think this will be my last meal because I'll choke to death
on an eel bone. Listen, to each his own,
I'm not criticizing, I'm not... This is not for me. I'm just happy to be leaving with my teeth and trachea
intact. So that was a wonderful episode
of<i> Bones.</i> And I have to say the alley's
a great night out and a good way to get a small taste
of old Tokyo. ♪ ♪ Another day of wandering
the streets of Tokyo has left me dazed and confused. I turn a corner
to meet a friend for lunch and all of a sudden, it's calm. A very nice gentleman named
Sam Ohta, who publishes books and magazines about food, took
me to a place called Narisawa. Named after its European-trained
chef Yoshihiro Narisawa, this is considered
one of the greatest restaurants in the world. It's rated the top restaurant
in Asia. There's a reverence
for nature here. Earth, fire, water
all represented. Narisawa's meticulousness
is almost otherworldly. Every one of his dishes are a scientific
and sensual experience. Oh, that's gorgeous,
look at that. This is actually dough
sitting beautifully in this leafy arrangement while
its yeast proofs at the table. It'll get baked
right at the table, too. We're seeing the process? - Yes, yes.
ROSENTHAL: Okay. You start to think
about nature, obviously, and the process of baking bread. - This is chef's theme. He loves the sky,
the trees and ocean. He's the first one
to start to eat mud. ROSENTHAL:
Did you say eat mud? - Yes, sand and muds. ROSENTHAL:
He eats sand and mud? - They're clean ones, you know. ROSENTHAL:
Am I eating sand and mud today? - Maybe. Let's hope so. (laughs) ROSENTHAL: The first thing
to come is what they're calling "The Forest Floor." This is a new... wow. (gasping):
Oh my goodness. (birds chirping, water running) I'm hearing birds chirping,
and a stream running and leaves rustling. (laughing):
What is happening? ROSENTHAL: Where? ROSENTHAL: In the wood? ROSENTHAL: This is a live feed
from the forest through the Internet
into a speaker in the wood. I have to die now. What... He has microphones in the forest
for this. When have you ever seen this? And it's all edible. The bark is the skin
of a Jerusalem artichoke. The mushrooms are tempura,
the trees are herb stems, the moss is soy mixed
with green tea and the dirt is bamboo
mixed with black tea powder. And there's a little tree of
water from a mountain stream. What are you eating first? I'm watching you. When you have presentation like
this, it's a form of theater. It all doesn't mean much if
the food then is not delicious. Right? But then it is. What is happening? And then they come over
and there's this heated bowl. Super heated. They now take the dough out
and bake it at the table. They put a cover on it
and they said, "In 12 minutes your bread will be ready." It's dinner and a show. While the bread is baking,
a small garden arrives with sweet shrimp hiding among
the flowers and the leaves and with them these vials holding essences
of tomato and seaweed. - Is the aroma coming out
of the tomato? ROSENTHAL (sniffing): Yup. - Ooh, definitely tomato. ROSENTHAL: Wow. Beautiful, freshest
sweet shrimp. These lovely herbs and then
the essence of the tomato really comes through.
- Yeah. ROSENTHAL: I'm going to eat
every drop of this. - And he's always been different
from other Japanese chefs who went abroad to learn French
cooking techniques and came back and usually they do traditional
style French cuisine. ROSENTHAL: Yes. These kind of mash-ups
of cultures. You get tremendous results. - Bread is ready. ROSENTHAL: It is? Okay.
- Start serving right now. ROSENTHAL: This bread comes out,
it had bits of chestnuts in it and yuzu
and then this moss butter. It sounds disgusting. It was the most beautiful
little bonsai mountaintop with this gorgeous moss
that's actually kale, black olives and butter. - I thought they only grow
in the river on the rocks. ROSENTHAL:
Now it's growing on your plate. It's just this beautiful thing
you spread on this hot, hot bread that was
just baked right at your table. Next we get squid and here comes
a sauce made to look like ash. Who doesn't like ash sauce? Made with liquid nitrogen. The ash is actually cold. This is a play
on the beach side barbecues that Japanese fishermen have
after they come home with their haul. Just fantastic. Our final dish is Kobe beef, which is cooked only by
drizzling hot oil on it. It's dressed up to look
like a piece of charcoal. Can you imagine cooking
something by just pouring oil on it for half an hour? Who has the better job: that job
or the guy in the forest with the microphone? (chuckles) Hello. - The side dish is Japanese
wild mushroom and ginkgoes. ROSENTHAL:
All right, here we go. (gasps) It cuts like a piece of butter. Oh boy. It cut like a dream. - Oh, so good. ROSENTHAL:
And then it tasted so beautiful. It was in a micro-thin coating
of edible charcoal. It became like this
kind of great char on the edge of the beef. Chef Narisawa comes out
of the kitchen now to serve us his chestnut and yuzu ice cream
and gives us a chance to rave about our trip
through the forest. It's amazing how you are able
to communicate this through the meal. I'm going to do a dish where
you get a very dry piece of meat and under the plate is my mother
saying, "Finish your meat. Finish your meat." It'll be just as evocative. (laughter) Mm... - With yuzu, beautiful. ROSENTHAL: Wow. Richard, come here,
we got a lot to show. Sometimes I think my brother
Richard took a job producing this show
just for moments like this. Is that crazy? I've got to say,
every bite here has been absolutely breathtaking. This man has created
a peaceful garden in the middle
of a concrete jungle. ♪ ♪ Food. This is the most food-centric
place I've ever seen. Every other door is a restaurant
or a place to buy food. ♪ ♪ But here, food is pop culture. It's driven by the consumer
who loves to try the new and different, who loves to see
what the new thing is and then they're discontinued
because the people, they're bored,
they want the next thing. There's a great writer,
Yukari Sakamoto. She writes for<i> Traveler</i> magazine
and she's written a book on food and sake in Tokyo. She was born in Tokyo
and grew up in Minnesota. She worked at one of
the great food halls underneath Takashimaya department store,
which in and of itself is a trip and I've lucked out today
because Yukari is giving me a personal tour. Look at that. Oh, that's awesome. The doors open at 10:00 a.m.
in the morning and these gorgeous women
come out and they speak to the customers and they
show you the flower of the day and they tell you if there's
anything special going on in the department store. That's the most beautiful
store opening I've ever seen in my life. It's like out of a movie
from the '40s. You really feel like entering
someplace special. - And you are very special. ROSENTHAL: I love the bow. The presentation of everything
and the way they bow to you as you enter seems like every
fiber of their being is put in to making sure you have
a most pleasurable experience. My mother never tucked me
into bed the way these ladies put you on the elevator. Oh my God, it's like
choreographed beautifully. - Let's go down
to the<i> depachika.</i> It's actually two words:<i>
depa</i> from the department store and<i> chika</i> meaning basement. ROSENTHAL:
Wow, it's Disneyland. Here's meat land, here's seafood
land, here's vegetable land, here's salad land. It's almost like you're
at a royal wedding and this is the buffet. An artist worked on this, you. I'm starting to get anxiety
because I want everything. I'm starting to feel
like oh no I'm not going to be able to eat it all. It was the best purveyors in
Tokyo and from around the world. We were like trick-or-treaters
with our bags. <i> - Hai, arigato gozaimasu.</i>
ROSENTHAL:<i> Arigato.</i> (loud crunching) (laughs) Everything here is<i> oishii.</i> Delicious. They made me feel
like a human being, they made me feel special. Wee! Listen, when we go to a store, do we want a kid
looking at his phone, barely looking at you,
who feels entitled, or do we want to feel
just a little taken care of? It's this thing about "Outside is rough,
come in here." - Wait till you see
the high-end fruit. $100 for one of these
melons here. $85 for grapes. ROSENTHAL:
We have to sell the car, honey. I bought a melon. But these are for special gifts. - For gift giving, yeah. ROSENTHAL: It's a tradition
that goes back 200 years. It combines the Japanese
devotion to nature and their obsession
with perfection. They look like works of art. How do they taste?
- They taste amazing. They melt in your mouth,
they're juicy, very aromatic. ROSENTHAL:
The best melon you've ever had. - You will ever have
in your life, yeah. ROSENTHAL: You're saying that's
the $100 melon in that dessert? - We'll go over here. ROSENTHAL: Let's get that,
and then we have it all. - Let's do that
and then we can try it. Let's try the grapes. ROSENTHAL: Because more
than anything I like a deal. - Yeah, this is your deal. ROSENTHAL:
They have a rooftop garden. We go up there and take
everything we've gathered and have a picnic. The roof is this oasis
that it seems like in the most crowded city
in the world, nobody knows about this place. -<i> Itadakimasu,</i> which is
thank you to the fisherman, thank you to the chef. ROSENTHAL: Work of art. - Isn't this beautiful? In the bento box,
you always see five colors. White, black, red or orange,
yellow and green. But also things are cooked
differently so we have something that's steamed, pickled,
something that's grilled, sautéed so that you get
the textures, the colors. ROSENTHAL: But it's like
if you've taken care of those things,
you probably have a good meal. - Exactly. Kabocha. <i> Oishii?</i> ROSENTHAL:<i>
Oishii, oishii.</i> We're going to try
the $100 melon that's been made
into a dessert. - From Takashimaya. ROSENTHAL:
Here's the $90 grapes. Wow. - That beautiful?
ROSENTHAL: Yes. - So is that the best melon
you've had in your life? ROSENTHAL:
That's kind of great. Nothing wrong with the
$100 melon except the price. - Let's share a grape.
ROSENTHAL: Here we go. That grape is like
a glass of wine. That's kind of amazing. - So at the end of the meal
we say<i> gochisosama.</i> ROSENTHAL:<i> Gochisosama.</i> - Which means it was a feast and
today it literally was a feast. ROSENTHAL: Very nice. This has made me very happy. ♪ ♪ I didn't try sushi
until I was in my twenties. Like a lot of people,
I think the first thing you think of is raw fish? A lot of people aren't crazy
about cooked fish. Here's how you get into it. Okay,
you ever have smoked salmon? You ever have lox? Lox is the gateway sushi. I've been eating sushi
at least once a week for years and when you love something
that much it's hard to recreate the excitement
of the very first bite. Dave Spector has an idea,
though. He's taking me to one of Tokyo's first
and best sushi restaurants, Kyubei Sushi in the upscale
Ginza neighborhood. It's been here since 1935. And this is the chef,
Yosuke Imada. Imada-san's father started
the place and now his son is working there and it's
a beautiful thing to see. Anything you give me,
I'm going to eat. So everything is good. <i> Omakase.</i> -<i> Omakase,</i> yes. ROSENTHAL: He starts
with<i> maguro,</i> which is tuna. I've had tuna countless times,
but it's never ever tasted so buttery and delicate
and delicious. Oh, my head just exploded. I actually just had a vision
of hitting you on the head and stealing that. And look, this is one
of my favorites. This is uni, sea urchin. It's so beautiful
in the packaging, I want to eat the box,
but Imada-san creates sushi out of it. This place actually invented
uni sushi. Your father was the first person
to put uni in a sushi. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. ROSENTHAL: Before that,
people had eaten uni out of the sea urchin shell,
but he thought to put it on the rice and wrap it
in the seaweed. (speaking Japanese) - He was very playful. He wanted to do new things. ROSENTHAL: Really? And this you said is 1941? - Yeah. ROSENTHAL: Here's something
that I eat all the time and this guy's dad invented it. - It's the same recipe
and he, my father, set. ROSENTHAL: You feel as if
you honor your father by keeping the recipe. - Yeah, yeah. ROSENTHAL: When did you inherit
the restaurant from your father? (speaking Japanese) - He said, "It's yours,
it's yours," you know, in his thirties. ROSENTHAL: He said that
and they had been working for years together? - Together, yes. ROSENTHAL: Sweetness and
creaminess and deliciousness of this uni,
it was the best I ever had. Whoa. That's very generous. And I got to have a lot. (chuckles) Hey, do you like fresh shrimp? Oh, hello. I mean really fresh shrimp? Wow. It's...
he's making a break for it. (laughs) Oh sorry, sir, yeah that's... - Never say, never say that. ROSENTHAL: Never say sorry. (speaking Japanese) - Enjoy it and be thankful
for it. ROSENTHAL: I'll be thankful. Beautiful, thank you. - Wow. Wow,<i> okimasu ne?</i> - Moving. ROSENTHAL: I've never seen it
move like that. (chuckles) This is now a horror movie. (laughs) Dave doesn't want
to insult Imada-san. (laughs) - I'm supposed to be
like the expert here and... All of my credibility
is now out the window. Do you feel that on your...
moving, though? At all? ROSENTHAL: In here. - Sweet?
ROSENTHAL: Very good. I will have nightmares
tonight, but... ♪ ♪ It's like a ballet
in front of me with red snapper and mackerel. Then here comes abalone. All of it surprising, intense and like I've never had it
before. I think when Jiro dreams of
sushi, he dreams of this guy. This is what I'm loving about
my first trip here to Tokyo, these absolutely gorgeous,
impeccable, transporting events. Everything is an event
that's managed so beautifully with such care, and dedication,
and hard work and it's an art form. It's spectacular. Chef Imada ends the meal
with the traditional<i> tamagoyaki,</i> omelet, this one with ground
shrimp added to the sweet egg, another innovation
of his father's. - Look at the color. It's so different, isn't it? ROSENTHAL: Maybe even more than
the fish, sushi chefs are judged by the quality
of their<i> tamagoyaki.</i> - It's not for the beginners. You have to be about
four or five years into it and then you start to learn
how to do it. (speaking Japanese) <i> Arimasu ne,</i> you can smell
the shrimp a little bit. Original,<i> desu ka?</i> (speaking Japanese) It's his father's original. ROSENTHAL:
This is the best I ever had. - Nothing like this. ROSENTHAL: You make it? Beautiful. - It's a masterpiece.
ROSENTHAL: Absolutely, yes. Well, thank you.<i>
Arigato.</i> ♪ ♪ (cheering) ROSENTHAL: Listen,
I love all the fancy bento boxes and the pricy fish,
but now it's time to get messy. Shinji Nohara makes a living
taking tourists like me to Tokyo's best of the best. Today we're finding some
of the best ramen in Tokyo. Brought here by 19th century
Chinese traders, ramen developed differences
based on region. And even though
some really inventive things have been happening
in the ramen world, it remains a wonderful food
to turn to when you're feeling a little rough around the edges. Yes? You know what I mean? ROSENTHAL: You're saying this is one of the world's
great drunk foods. - Yes. First up, Gyorai in Bunkyo City,
where the broth is the star. I'm excited. We order at the machine
up front. And then settle in to watch
our broth prepare itself in some pretty cool looking
contraptions. All right,
these are coffee siphons. Instead of where
the coffee grounds would go, there's a mixture of bonito
and kombu seaweed flakes. Oh, here it goes,
look at this one. A savory flavor. - And then... ROSENTHAL:
It comes back down. It works for coffee. This is a good idea
if it works for soup. - Yeah. ROSENTHAL: I love that. - Yeah. ROSENTHAL: Wow. Come to papa. That's the most flavorful soup. Did you know it's not polite
to eat noodles quietly in Japan? The slurping actually
has a point to it. When you suck the air in
with the noodle, it enhances the flavor. There's more flavor going up
into your head. (loud slurping) Good. (loud slurping) (slurping) You've got to slurp with me. - Duet? ROSENTHAL:
Yeah, duet and here we go. (loud slurping) - Oh yeah. ROSENTHAL:
That's a happy noise. - Mmm! ROSENTHAL: Life is good. Next a quick stop at the
tsukemen ramen festival. (men shouting in Japanese) <i> Konnichiwa!</i> <i> - Konnichiwa!</i> (speaking Japanese) <i> Arigato.</i> Tsukemen ramen is cold noodles
dipped into hot broths. You take some and you swirl it
around like this? - Yeah. ROSENTHAL: Eating here
is like a ramen roulette wheel. This questionable slurp
is pork and squid ink. (slurps) But nothing so far in my life
has prepared me for the dangers
of Kikanbo ramen. Two demons, yes. I like anything with demons. They remind me of my kids. ♪ ♪ <i> - Douzo, irrashaimase!</i> <i> ROSENTHAL:
Konnichiwa, konnichiwa.</i> Regular spice, extra spice,
ultimately extra. (chuckles) - The last one is beware. ROSENTHAL: Beware? That'll kill me. What are you going to do? - I'm going for regular. ROSENTHAL:
I'm going to try extra. - Dangerous? ROSENTHAL:
I'm not doing dangerous. I'm not crazy. I'm invited behind the counter
to watch the chefs perform their black magic. ♪ ♪ (laughs) These are the two demons
you were talking about. They're not afraid of turning up
the flames on these. I'm seeing garlic and oil,
and I'm seeing red pepper. - Yes, three kinds of pepper. ROSENTHAL: Three kinds of pepper
and what's the white one? - Pork oil. ROSENTHAL: Pork oil. That's called fat, yeah. If I live,
I'm going to really like this. (Speaking Japanese) Watch out! I've never seen so many
ingredients in one bowl. It takes two guys to do it. - Okay, finished. ROSENTHAL: Mine is more red. I'm going to die. I'm excited because
it's scary and beautiful like my wedding night. - Extra. ROSENTHAL: Extra. I'm afraid of this guy. - It's coming. ROSENTHAL: It's quiet at first,
and then a wave of punishment washes over me. This is a punch in the face.
- Yeah. ROSENTHAL: It's good. My lips are on fire. My nose is running. I'm crying. I'm sweating,
but I can't stop. Call my wife
and tell her I loved her. Whoa. - Maybe you need more beer? ROSENTHAL: Maybe I do. <i> Kanpai.</i> -<i> Kanpai.</i> ROSENTHAL:
Thank you for bringing me here. That was spectacular. <i> - Arigato gozaimashita.</i> ROSENTHAL: I see you again
in my nightmares. - So how was it? Two demons. ROSENTHAL:
Two demons are dancing now and fighting in my stomach. Now I want something chocolate. Very near where we're staying
is the Meiji Jingu shrine and the park lands around it
are all part of this connection the shrine has to nature, and the moment you walk in,
you're not in Shinjuku anymore. You are in this dream
of Japanese forest. Every single pebble seems
to have been laid out for you and you're with these
beautiful Japanese trees and this is where the empress
liked to go fishing. You see the fish. It was a respite from the
kind of crazy chaos of the city. I'm surprised to learn
that this intensely urban place has more public parks
than any other city. It's important to them to make
room for nature and beauty. Now, I don't like to go
to more than one splurge-y type place a visit,
but Yukari insisted that we go to her
favorite restaurant, Den. She said there's a young chef
here named Zaiyu Hasegawa and he's 36 years old. He looks 12, and he's one
of the best chefs in Tokyo. - Chef Hasegawa. ROSENTHAL: Ah, hello.
- Phil. - Thank you.
ROSENTHAL:<i> Konnichiwa.</i> <i> - Konnichiwa.</i> ROSENTHAL: This is your birthday
restaurant? - This is where we come
for our birthday. (speaking Japanese) ROSENTHAL: And usually you need
a couple months notice. - It's hard to get in. ROSENTHAL: There's a package. These unbelievably whimsical,
fun creations start coming out. It's a sandwich. - It's a traditional dessert
and we're starting the meal with a dessert. ROSENTHAL:
He's playing with me already. This is<i> monaka,</i>
a dessert sandwich that's usually filled
with sweet red bean paste. What's in it? Is it foie gras?
- Foie gras. - Yes, foie gras. ROSENTHAL: Foie gras and
some miso and a little cucumber. It's so delicately crispy,
this little sandwich. Pow! This is gonna be special. I'm in it now
for as long as he wants. I'm yours, one bite, I'm yours. Chef Hasegawa treats
each presentation like a gift, complete with fancy wrapping
and ribbons, which is not surprising
given his background. - His mother used to be a geisha
in the Kagurazaka district. In Japan,
it's all about gift giving and receiving things,
so his mother as a geisha kept receiving lots
of amazing food. She would bring that home,
and from a little boy he was eating amazing food, so. ROSENTHAL:
My mother is a geisha. - Oh is she? ROSENTHAL: No. (laughs) Next up is turtle soup. Look at that. - You wouldn't think that
turtle is a Japanese dish, but it's actually part of the traditional classic
Japanese cuisine, kind of prehistoric. ROSENTHAL: It's so cool. The beautiful broth is made
of kombu, which is seaweed, and turtle consommé,
with just a little pepper. He's very theatrical and he's
got a terrific sense of humor. - Huh? ROSENTHAL:
Kentucky fried chicken? - Den-tucky fried chicken. - Den-tucky
fried chicken. ROSENTHAL: He presented us
with a box of what looked like Kentucky fried chicken. Instead of Colonel Sanders' face
on the box of fried chicken, he puts his face on every box
except for mine. - Oh my God. ROSENTHAL: Wait a minute,
that's my face on there. How did that happen? - Phil-tucky Fried Chicken. (laughs) ROSENTHAL: I don't think
he's going to sell many with<i> that</i> face. You now open the box. So look at that, there's a nest. And there's some hay
and there's a chicken wing, but you notice that the
chicken wing is a little fat. Why? Because he's taken out
the bones of the chicken wing and he's put in aged potato
and black truffle. It smells like the perfect
fried chicken. Mmm! Delicately, beautifully fried,
it's one of the best pieces of fried chicken I've ever had
in my life. The Colonel should be ashamed
of himself. Come on. ♪ ♪ You wanna see some process? Here's some process. <i> Daijoubu?</i>
Look at his hands. ROSENTHAL:
What did he do with his hands? Did you cut yourself? - Look at his face. <i> Daijoubu?</i> (laughs) ROSENTHAL:
Oh, my wife would love that. She finds little hearts
in everything. This aged black Wagyu beef
is surrounded by beets cut into little heart shapes. They're "heart beets." (speaking Japanese) - Dip a little bit in the salt. ROSENTHAL:
A little bit in the salt. Damn. (chuckles) Such an artist. He made this high enough so that
you can't see everything. - Yes. ROSENTHAL: So it's
this little tease. You see just the tops
of what's happening. - Yeah, yeah. ROSENTHAL:
It's like a strip tease, where we're just showing
you a little. And now here we go, whoa. - This is my favorite. ROSENTHAL:
Look at the color. There's a couple of ants
in there. - Oh yeah, there is. ♪ ♪ ROSENTHAL: Ants. I've never eaten an ant before,
but if I was going to, it would be here. (speaking Japanese) - He says try it,
it has an interesting flavor. ROSENTHAL: Really? Very interesting. I think I'm going to start
with the lettuce. What's this? I love finding things. - It's a burdock root. ROSENTHAL:
Under the leaves are hidden little like roasted burdock. And that's warm. With a kind of smoky sauce. You see the faces? - You see that, yeah. ROSENTHAL: And then you notice
the little ginkgo beans have little faces on them
and then there's a carrot with a smile face. (laughs) (speaking Japanese) He said it looks like you. Yes, I had a big smile face on because I was eating
delicious things. All right, folks,
I'm going to eat my first ant. Now I've gone on record
as saying I'm not eating bugs, I'm not interested,
but I'm in the hands of a master so I guess you got to try it. It felt weird going in,
but when you bite down on it, which takes a little bit
of courage, it tastes the opposite of what
I thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to be
bitter and horrible and insecty. And it was just like this little, little tiny drop
of lemon. Why is it so lemony? (speaking Japanese) You didn't add lemon? (speaking Japanese) - So he's only boiled it,
that's it. (speaking Japanese) But actually around the world
the flavor changes for the ants, and he's still researching,
but he doesn't know why. So these are ants
from the mountain. I said, "Why is it crunchy?" He said, "You know, it's
the physiology of the ant." ROSENTHAL: Don't tell me
too much because I'll die. But it's kind of a revelation
for me, so thank you for making that special. - He's telling you thank you
for crossing that bridge. (laughs) ROSENTHAL:
I crossed the bridge. <i> - Gochisosama deshita.</i> <i> Arigato gozaimasu.</i> Amazing, amazing. (speaking Japanese) He said his staff worked
very hard, too, yeah. (applause) ROSENTHAL: Look how sweet. Isn't that great? ♪ ♪ Try new things. That's what travel
is all about for me. You know you never know
what you're gonna like. I liked that ant! ♪ ♪ And now look at this,
this is a pachinko parlor. I've heard about pachinko. That's Japanese pinball
and I love pinball. I'm going. (extremely loud clicking
and whirring) Oh my God, this is the freaking
loudest place I've ever been in! It's like the biggest casino
you've ever been in in Vegas times ten, times ten jet engines
next to your head! I think I'm going deaf
and having a heart attack. Okay, you don't have
to like everything. I need something comforting now. - Hi! ROSENTHAL: Hello! - How are you? ROSENTHAL:
Very nice, you look very good. - I look very good
for waking up. (laughs) ROSENTHAL:
Oh, look at this guy. - Hey,<i> sayonara.</i> ROSENTHAL:<i>
Sayonara,</i> that's goodbye, Dad, but that's a good... nice try. - I say<i> sayonara</i> to say hello
and goodbye. ROSENTHAL:
It's not<i> shalom.</i> (both laughing) Can you believe I'm talking
to you from Tokyo? It's amazing. - Are you in the center
of Tokyo? ROSENTHAL: I don't even know. I don't think so, the... - It's the second largest city
in the world, isn't it? ROSENTHAL: It's absolutely
massive, like Manhattan, but spread out over Los Angeles. - Where's Richard? Can we say hello to Richard? ROSENTHAL: You can't enjoy me
for five minutes? "Where's Richard? Where's Richard?" (parents laughing) He's busy producing. He's producing. - He's just as important as you. ROSENTHAL: No, no. - Yes. ROSENTHAL: All right, yes. - So all right, very good. ROSENTHAL: He's very good. The whole crew is very good. I'm not just saying that because
they're all watching here. They're very good. Can I tell you what I ate? - Yes.
- Go ahead. ROSENTHAL:
Today I ate ants. - Ants? - Are you serious? ROSENTHAL:
I ate my first ants. - You could've had them at home. We had them. (chuckles) - Where's Richard? (laughs) ROSENTHAL: Here's your damn son
that you love. - You look very comfortable,
Richard. - I am very comfortable. - Richard, your hair looks nice. - Thank you. (everyone laughing) ROSENTHAL: Now we can go. - All right, bye-bye. ROSENTHAL:
I'll speak to you soon. - Stay well. ROSENTHAL: Goodbye.
- Bye. ♪ ♪ I'm heading
for a very rare treat. My friend Yukari has invited me
to her home to have dinner with her family,
which is a big deal because people in Japan
don't do that. The living spaces
are very small, so you never get invited
to somebody's house. That's what restaurants are for. Her husband Shinji
was a former fishmonger and is now in culinary school. Here we are. Where's Luca? I want to see Luca, Luca! Hi, that's for you. Yukari's son Luca
and her father-in-law Motu greet me at the door. All right, Shinji. - Yes. ROSENTHAL: I don't have
any trains for you. All I can offer you
is my incompetence. What we have here
is sashimi grade yellowtail. - You cut the fish,
like this, like this. ROSENTHAL: I don't want to ruin
your dinner. - Come this side. And you stand about 45 degrees
to the cutting board. Back up a little bit. A little bit. This way, this way.
ROSENTHAL: Which way? - Like this way. ROSENTHAL: I didn't know we were
having dancing lessons, too. - Exactly, yes, that's good,
that's good. ROSENTHAL: Yes, good? - Great, great, great,
yeah, okay. ROSENTHAL: Yes?
- Yes. You sure, Fred Astaire? Here we go. - You just one motion, yeah. ROSENTHAL: look at me. I am sushi master. - Excellent, bravo. (claps) ROSENTHAL: Before I can hurt
the fish or myself, Shinji takes back the knife
and I sit at the table where I belong. <i> Kanpai!</i> - Our first guest. <i> Kanpai.</i> ROSENTHAL: Cheers.
- Cheers. ROSENTHAL: Here's to swimming
with bowlegged women. (laughter) -<i> Hai, hai.</i> ROSENTHAL:
Oh yes, you want that. That's beautiful, come on. - So I'll explain, this is tuna. ROSENTHAL: Yes. - And yellowtail.
ROSENTHAL: Right. Three shrimp.
ROSENTHAL: Yeah. - And then Japanese
Hokkaido scallop. ROSENTHAL: Yeah. - And then squid. ROSENTHAL: A kid and a squid:
the Luca story. You guys didn't want
any of this, did you? Do you know, the only other
person I know named Luca is from<i> The Godfather,</i>
Luca Brasi? You ever see<i> The Godfather?</i> He's... he's a very big part
in that movie, and Marlon Brando says to him, (in Brando voice): "Luca,
my most trusted friend..." (giggles) You know, Luca, you're my most
trusted friend." That's you. Don't see the end of the movie. Tonight,<i>
I</i> sleep with the fishes. -<i> Kanpai, arigato,</i> thank you
for coming to our home. ROSENTHAL:
Thank you for having me. This means a lot to me,
and you guys are all terrific. I'm not crazy about Luca,
but everyone else, really nice. (chuckles) Today I learned that
before entering this shrine, there's a purification ceremony. It's my last day in Tokyo
and Chef Imada, who gave me the sushi of my life
at Kyubei Sushi, has honored me by including me
in a family dinner at his in-laws' restaurant. It's over 100 years old and has been in the family
for generations. And the name of this
family restaurant is Iida-ya. Good? Imada-san took me and his son. We met the son's wife. We met her mother and father,
Tatsuo and Keiko. This is your father? - Father, yes. ROSENTHAL: Very nice. - Nice guy. ROSENTHAL: "Nice guy." I like to meet a nice guy,
not like this one, no. My friend Mayuko
is here to translate. And what is this beautiful
family's restaurant famous for? Pond Loach. That's gonna be dinner. If you don't know
what pond loach is, it's the little eels that swim
around in the rice paddies. Pond loach, also called<i> dojo,</i>
has been a staple of the Japanese diet
for centuries. (speaking Japanese) First to arrive:
loach soaked in sake, covered in a sauce so secret
the recipe is not allowed to be written down. - This sauce here, he's the only
one person who can make it. ROSENTHAL:
So that makes him powerful. It's cooked? - All ready.
ROSENTHAL: "All ready," okay. - It's cooked and ready. ROSENTHAL: You're worried
about me, aren't you? (chuckles) "Oh, he's not going to like it." - Just a little bit? Hot pepper? - A little bit of red pepper,
and then you dip it in. - Like this, yeah, yeah. - You just eat as is and... - Little bone. ROSENTHAL: Little bone. - Just very soft,
just very soft. ROSENTHAL:
Yeah, not like the eel bones that I had the other night. This is a very mild fish,
very nice. Very nice, thank you. Wow, what's that? Then fried loach appears. This fish fried? - Yes. - Small fish. ROSENTHAL:
That's great, I love that. Followed by<i> nuki,</i>
which is, thank goodness, eel with the bones taken out. Mmm... I like<i> nuki.</i> You're very close, obviously. Do you try to eat together
whenever possible? (speaking Japanese) - Like they have,
like, a champagne night. ROSENTHAL:
You have champagne night? (speaking Japanese) - He likes to plan
all his party. ROSENTHAL:
My family has egg cream night. - Egg cream? ROSENTHAL:
You know what egg creams are? I can teach you
a secret recipe. Okay, so an egg cream
has no egg and no cream. (speaking Japanese) It's a New York specialty. Here's how you make it:
chocolate syrup. (speaking Japanese) Okay, milk. Sparkling water, seltzer. It goes... (imitates spritzing)
like this and it has foam on the top because it's
a chemical reaction, with the seltzer and the milk. Look at this reaction. I wish I could make one
for you right now. Will you try it? Will you try to make it? They sell chocolate syrup here,
right? Do you have seltzer also and...
and milk? (speaking Japanese) - They have. ROSENTHAL: Here it is. Now... now I cook for you. (applause) Chocolate syrup, Morinaga. I use Fox's U-Bet,
but it'll be okay. So we squirt some of this
in there. (speaking Japanese) - He wants a lot of chocolate. ROSENTHAL:
You like chocolate. Me, too, you're like me. (laughs) - Wow. ROSENTHAL: This is an
interesting chemical reaction. You start to stir. This is important. And as it goes... (all exclaiming) (applause) - Oh, you do good job. You do good job. - Thank you. Thank you so much. ROSENTHAL: Very nice. - This is my spoon. ROSENTHAL:
And that's your drink. - Mmm... (laughs) ROSENTHAL: This one has a lot
of chocolate in it. Who likes a lot of chocolate? Is it nice? I didn't even taste it,
but I'm just trusting hundreds of years of experience. <i> - Oishii.</i> ROSENTHAL:<i> Kanpai.</i> <i> - Kanpai.</i> ROSENTHAL: Chocolate egg creams
for everybody! Pretty good. - Thank you very much. ROSENTHAL: I love being
with you, thank you. - He wants a second round. ROSENTHAL:
Yeah, I do it, come on! (laughter) ♪ ♪ Now I start to understand
what it means to live here. Since they can't macro-manage
the planning of the city and what happens to life
because of this urban sprawl, here in Japan,
what I'm starting to see is that they make beautiful
everything that they can. When I'm eating the food,
I see the care taken in the preparation
and in the flavor and in the beauty
of every single element. The plate, the cup,
down to the grain of rice. And so that the image is like
of a flower coming up through the sidewalk. It's an absolutely beautiful
culture. And I've gone
from "I don't get it" to "I'm starting to get it."
