Safe Travels in Japan - Artnia and CoCo Ichibanya

ArtniaCafe

Jason here. After getting lost for some time, and fierce wind storm beginning to pick up we finally found our destination, Artnia- the Square Enix Café.

This is café and store is right next to the Square Enix headquarters, located in Shinjuku. Everything about it pays homage to some Square Enix game or another. After perusing the store and checking out their really fantastic upscale room decorated to look like a crystal cavern, we decided to sit down and order some drinks.  

Of course the entire food and drink menu is themed. After looking over the ingredients and trying to decide if it would be safe, I ordered a Chocolate Ice Cream Parfait, complete with a solid chocolate buster sword sticking out of the top. 

While I seemed to feel fine the next day, I may have just gotten lucky. There was no allergen menu, and Kayleigh’s parfait contained corn flakes despite not being listed as one of the ingredients.

The parfait itself was delicious. Extremely chocolaty, which is exactly what I had been craving. There were multiple layers, each one revealing yet some other type of chocolate. After walking around all day, this really hit the spot.

Kayleigh here. While the food is a bit risky because of the frequently changed theme menu and unlisted components, the trip is still worth it for any nostalgic Square Enix fan. The drinks are equally creative and decorative, and should all be safe other than the beer cocktails. Not to sound nerdy, but Final Fantasy VII was what Jason used to ask me out on our first date, so it holds a special place in our hearts (even though the game has not stood the test of time!)


CoCo Ichibanya
(website is in Japanese only, but english menu is available online)

Jason here. As I mentioned in a previous post, Kayleigh spent some time before our Japan trip researching restaurants which would be gluten free. The second chain she discovered was Coco Ichibanya.
CoCo Ichibanya is a Japanese curry restaurant, and Kayleigh was eager to find out how Japanese curry tasted. I myself, was happy to eat at a restaurant that sported an English allergen menu, and takes extra special precautions.

The allergen menu unfortunately only has a single item, non-spiced curry. It comes with white rice, and you can add sausage and\or meatballs as a side for an additional charge. Of course I opted to get both sausage and meatballs.

To make sure the meal is completely allergen free, they actually bring you the curry freshly heated up still in its package. Be warned it is extremely hot, so be careful opening it. It was a bit chilly that evening, so the extra hot meal really rejuvenated me and helped me to enjoy the rest of the night. 

Kayleigh here. Unfortunately, as Jason said, the only gluten free curry available is the mild version, without the ability to select the spice level like the other curries. It is still a good representation of what sort of flavors and combinations that Japan considers a curry, so bring your own travel-sized hot sauce and heat things up to your liking.