The food! The food! Eating in Tokyo, Japan

She welcomed us in to her tiny cafe, behind a curtain,

Behind the wizened man selling tourist trinkets to passersby,

One other couple at one of the four tables and us,

A menu for breakfast, a hard boiled egg, some impossibly delicious

Soft grilled bread cut into rectangles the precise size to wrap the egg,

Steaming coffee and a small cream on the side, for 600 yen

(That's $3), 

But it's the feel of the place, the peaceful yet warm and welcoming

Tiny little place, and how do they manage to keep afloat with so few

Of us maybe wandering behind the curtain,

I'd wander there every day, yet there are thousands of them,

Like the one called La Beauté, where we found ourselves 

At night, us alone with the restauranteur, (watching in fascination

The bowing ritual amongst the clientele having just exited the

Restaurant below), and this one, 5 tables and us basking in

His attentions between chopping and broken friendly English 

(And yes, he is planning to travel to Mexico City and Bolivia for 9 days,

And no, he does not speak any Spanish either, he smiles)

And the food! The food! 

The art of the vegetable arrangement on a platter, each then to be placed

Into a boiling hot pot of tomato elixir on one side, basil on the other,

To magically create in front of us a succulent feast.

And it's all for us, no rush, just smiles, delight, peace,

This is no flash in the pan restaurant, 17 years in, 

How do they do it, the simplicity, the grace and yes,

The food!!