Let's discuss Japanese pizza again...

We ordered pizza last night.  Well, we ordered pizza for me.  My wife ate udon.  She's on an udon kick lately because she's been having some stomach problems and udon makes her feel better.  The less written about this the better.  I, on the other hand, went for my traditional comfort food.  Our delivery service of choice is Aoki's Pizza because we like their pies.

These pizzas aren't really anything special.  There are better pizzas available even here in Japan.  There's a place called Pizza Garlic, which I think is still open.  They have delicious pies.  Marisa is another pizza restaurant with stone oven pies.  They have excellent pizza there.  Kind of "craft pizza," definitely not New York or Chicago style, but amazingly tasty.  I even like Happy Valley's pizza.  The crust is a bit on the thin side even for a soft, bready type crust, but you can get a simple pepperoni pizza there.  The trouble is, all these options require hopping a bus or driving a car.  Aoki's brings a reasonably edible delivery-style pizza with thick, bready crust right to your house or apartment.  So while it's not as memorable as any of those other restaurants, or even compared to American delivery pizza, it's within the standards I grew up with.

Which true pizza connoisseurs would probably find laughable, but I'm a philistine due to geography.  The first pizza I ever tasted was probably Gargano's, which was a local tradition... in Albany, Georgia.  That's pretty far from the places where people debate pizza.  Then we got Domino's and life was never the same.  There are some serious pizza snobs out there and I salute their dedication to pizza perfection, but I am not among them.  I go for familiarity.  Aoki's Pizza gives me this even while adding all those exotic Japanese pizza toppings.  You know, like seaweed, corn, squid or octopus and even mayonnaise.

We've tried Pizza Time and Pizza-La.  Pizza Time, while delicious, proved to be a bit greasy.  You know, that orange pizza grease.  I don't really like having to blot my cheese before eating a slice.  We're willing to try Pizza Time again, but for now we're Aoki's customers.  Pizza-La was the first pizza I ate here in Japan, back when a friend and I came for a two-week visit.  Our hosts ordered pizza one night.  I seem to remember we tried to order one matching American tastes, but it probably had corn on it.  Have I eaten a Pizza-La pizza since then?  It's likely, but I can't remember.  If I have, it must not have actively offended me or else I'm sure I would remember.  That's not a glowing recommendation, but you can order Pizza-La in English from their online site.  This means there's another Pizza-La pie in my future.

When I lived in a small, rural community in Chiba prefecture, the local delivery pizza place was met with derision by its target demographic, school kids.  The all said they loved pizza, but openly mocked this company in class when we discussed food.  I can't remember the chain's name and I never tried one of their pies.  Maybe that's just as well.

Here's a quick tip for English conversation instructors-- ordering a pizza makes for an easy lesson in making simple requests.  Give your students a few topping and drink choices, throw in a salad and drill them on how to ask for things, make one the restaurant employee and one the customer and your students practically teach themselves.

Thus concludes today's pizza topic.

Some different types of pizza available here in Japan!

 

The first is from Shakey's Pizza in Tokyo. I think I took this photo in the Shinjuku restaurant.  There are Shakey's in Ikebukuro (a pretty large one) and Shibuya (smaller so it feels more frantic).  I believe there are other Shakey's around Tokyo, too.  The all-you-eat pizza buffet at whatever Shakey's you visit is a Tokyo bargain, but get there early. Lunchtime tends to be crowded.  Very crowded, with long lines at the pizza bar.  If your heart is set on pepperoni, be prepared for disappointment.  There have been a few times I've had to settle for similar-looking sausage pizza or even hamburger.

This is a sausage pizza and a classic Coca-Cola from Hedge, a small, American-style restaurant in the basement of Zaza City in Hamamatsu.  The pizza actually came from a pizza bakery called Popeye's Pizza in Food World, the adjacent supermarket.  I haven't been there in a good long while, but I believe both Hedge and Popeye's have closed.  That's tragic, because this was a tasty lunch option for lunch downtown, especially combined with a Coke from one of those little curvy bottles.

 

These last two are Happy Valley's "Pepperonia" pizza, #37 in their menu.  The soft crust has a dusting of flour, which I like, and the pepper adds a little spice to the taste.  This is the pizza I eat most often because Happy Valley is within easy walking distance of where we live now.  They also have plenty of other pizzas to choose from, plus some delicious pasta dishes.  We enjoy their salad and drink bar, too.  Pepperonia scratches my pizza itch better than just about any of the others, but I have distinctly American taste in pizza and from southwest Georgia as well, home of... well... nothing.

There are other pizza restaurants in Hamamatsu.  One closed down a while back, but it was a small place that could only acommodate maybe two or three small dining parties at a time.  It was run by a very nice guy into mixed martial arts, though, and featured excellent homemade desserts. 

Another is Pizza Garlic, out in the suburbs.  That's another one I haven't been to in some time, but they baked some outstanding pies and they once invited my bosses, my coworker and me to a summer barbecue where we had a ball trying to catch noodles running down a stream of water in some bamboo half-pipes.  You know that game.  Pizza Garlic (or Garlic Pizza) features a home-style atmosphere, too.  It literally feels as if a friendly family has opened their home to you.  I seriously recommend you find this place and try it.  The desserts are first class, too.

There's one more that has actually won awards, but I've sadly only been there once and I've completely forgotten the name.  I won't forget the delicious four-cheese pizza smothered in gorgonzola so easily, though.

Wow, I'm pizza hungry!