Lunch Date in Yokohama

Even though Monday was President's Day and a holiday, it wasn't really a holiday because Rich had to work for part of the day.  But since it was a week day, we wanted to take advantage of the fact that it was not a Japanese holiday, which we figured might mean less crowds and congestion at places.  I suggested we catch the train to Yokohama, which is always a great option because it's closer to us than Tokyo, but yet there's still a lot to do there.  Yokohama is approximately 20 miles south of Tokyo and is the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo.

After a short 30 minute train ride (including one transfer), we arrived at Landmark Tower/Queen's Square Tower in the Minato Mirai area.  The Landmark Tower, which is the largest building in Japan, houses offices, a hotel, tons of restaurants and a shopping mall.  The hotel is on the 52 - 67th floors of the Landmark Tower, there is an observatory on the 69th floor and the Sky Lounge Sirius (whose amazing view I hope to enjoy for myself one day, hint hint) is on the 70th floor.  At lunchtime during the week, the business people from the various offices come downstairs to the mall area to eat at one of the many restaurants.  Seeing so many suits always reminds me of and makes me miss the hustle and bustle of San Francisco.  Landmark Tower is awesome because it has Cold Stone, H&M, Gap, and Krispy Kreme, among others.....basically all the essentials. 

We were starving so we headed straight for Hard Rock Cafe. Even though we definitely love to eat at local restaurants, there's something comforting about going to a place with a name you recognize.  Plus, I'm not gonna lie, sometimes I just feel like a big ole burger.  However, the thing about U.S. restaurants in Japan is that you never know how closely the Japanese location will resemble the U.S. one in terms of menu offerings and what the food actually tastes like. In my opinion, Hard Rock Yokohama remained true to its roots and did not disappoint. 

I had the bbq bacon cheeseburger and Rich had the pulled pork sandwich, both of which were delicious.  Rich is pretty picky about his bbq, so if he says it's good, it must be good (he asked me to make it clear that he's a North Carolina vinegar bbq sauce person).  We were both stuffed so we didn't get anything for dessert even though the apple crumble was calling my name quite loudly (oh well, there's always next time).  I will caution readers though, you definitely don't want to go here if you plan on drinking a lot because drinks will run you about $12.00 a piece, $20 for the ones that come with a signature glass.

 After lunch we headed back to Landmark Tower and walked around for a bit.  I only window shopped though because we are heading back to the States in a few weeks, at which point my husband knows I plan to do a TON of shopping (so he understandably had me on a short leash while we were in Yokohama).  Since I didn't have dessert at Hard Rock, I stopped in at Mrs. Elizabeth Muffin for some yummy mini muffins for later. All in all, it was a great day and the best part was that I got to spend it with my husband!!