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This page has a few pictures from my visit to an Anna Miller's restauraunt in Hiro-o, Tokyo, Japan on 1 March 2004. This particular restaurant location is shown on the map at left (taken from the Anna Miller's site). It can be reached from the Hiro-o stop on the Hibiya Metro line. (There is a great Metro map here! Click on the H tab then on Hiroo to zoom in) I got a lot of help from other MT regulars in this thread. |
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This is the exit from the Hiroo station, it was a very short walk from the top of the steps to the restaurant. Note the uber-kawaii boys and girls restroom sign. The girl, of course, gets to wear pink! This is exit "3"… the exits from Metro stops are all numbered as some of them can have up to 15 or more exits. Hiroo is only a minor station, non junction, so it only has 3. I knew that I wanted this one as the map showed me it was the closest. |
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This is what I saw as I walked up to the restaurant. As with many shops and restaurants in Tokyo, the exterior is very unassuming, not a lot of frontage, and it's tucked into a building with several stories. Note the pie rack on the outside, and the signage promoting takeaway pies. Many Japanese restaurants have "plastic food" in the window (presumably to help us Gaijin know what to order), but this looked real to me. AM are really playing up the Pennsylvania Dutch connection, as well as using pink, the favorite color of Japanese as far as I could tell, you saw it everywhere. |
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I snuck this picture while sitting and awaiting my order. I was mindful of what Piro had said about pictures and wasn't sure whether I would be able to take any, so I had the flash turned off. The interior of the place really wasn't that big. Maybe seating for 30, 40 if you really pushed it. I was in the (tiny) non smoking section. Many restaurants in Tokyo are very small so this was about average. Some noodle shops are much smaller than this even, just one counter with 5 stools. The clientele here was mostly youngish. |
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This is a collection of all the things that were either at the table already or given to me during the course of my meal that were paper and intended to be disposed of. At top is the moist towelette that all restaurants give you unless they are swank enough to give actual hot cloth towels. (mostly I ate at places that gave paper). Note the AM badging on everything. From the left:
Note also the silverware, since AM is a western style place, you get silverware. Mostly I ate at places that used chopsticks, I made an exception for AM… The water glass that AM uses is much bigger than what you usually get, sort of a large shot glass. |
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Mindful again of what Piro said I took no more pics till I was ready to go. After paying I asked the manager (well, pointed at my camera and gestured) if I could take pictures. He very happily smiled and gave me a thumbs up. So I took this one sort of fast and caught one of the servers off guard, she just had time to raise her hand to cover a fit of giggles. It does show sort of the expanse of the place, as I am all the way at one end. If this is typical size, Piro uses a bit of artistic license in the one that Kimiko works in, it seems like there are more tables and locker space and kitchen space etc, in that one. Note the liberal use of pink in the decor. |
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This is a shot into the kitchen. I was sort of frazzled so I didn't take a LOT of pics I was just happy that they let me take some. Again, note the PA dutch theming |
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When I swung the camera around to get the pies and the manager, he went to duck down and hide, but I motioned for him to stay. I think the Japanese love to get their pictures taken so he immediately beamed. Note the hearts worked into everything. PA Dutch use the heart a lot, as do the Japanese so AM really hit on some good branding. |
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By now the waitresses were giggling a lot and knew that I'd finish up with another picture of them, so they gathered in one spot and as I swung the camera in their direction they made the traditional peace sign (I have seen SO MANY candid shots where someone is doing the "v for victory"), and grinned. Unfortunately you can't see their name tags which are terrifically cute, they're big red plastic hearts with their names on them in white letters. I don't think either of them had to resort to what Kimiko does to "enhance" their assets, let's just leave it at that… No "presenting falsely" with this pair! Piro's idea of short skirts may be more conservative than mine as I found their skirts enjoyably short but not hugely shorter than the skirts on, say, the vodaphone girls in Shibuya handing out tissues. |
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And out the door I went! Parked outside is the AM delivery scooter. When you're working hard and really need some pies, this can take care of you. It's a Honda Canopy or similar. Note the dual rear wheels. Even with a narrow track like this (narrow enough to weave between traffic lanes) this means that it won't tip over when parked, because the back end stays vertical. You see these scooters everywhere in Tokyo. |
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Well, it was time to go, and I decided to walk away in the other direction (and use one of the south Hiroo entrance stairs instead of the north one I came out of). This is a pretty good defining shot, there's a parking garage entrance next to the restaurant, and apartments or something on the upper floors. |
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I leave you with this shot, it's a bit to the south of the restaurant, looking back at it, so you can get a sense of the neighborhood it is in. All in all I am very glad that I went searching out an Anna Miller's and I would like to thank the forumites who encouraged me to get over my fear of being too much of an Otaku, and who helped me complete my mission. Thanks all! [haiku]
Next time you are in
Some great pilgrimage? [/haiku] |
