Positioning is super important! Hidehiko Ishizuka of “Honjamaka” on “Viking etiquette

Introducing Ishizuka’s way of enjoying Viking!

Hello, everyone. This is Hidehiko Ishizuka, who was frustrated when the TV did not come on after pressing the remote control of the air conditioner many times.

Well, this time, I would like to write about Viking. By “buffet,” I do not mean a Scandinavian pirate buffet. It is an all-you-can-eat buffet. I like the word “all-you-can-eat” the best in Chinese characters.

I have been to the dinner buffet at Yokohama Bay Hotel Tokyu, the order buffet at Chongqing Tea House near Rose Hotel Yokohama, the Grand Cafe at Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel, the breakfast buffet at Futakotamagawa Excel Hotel Tokyu, the breakfast buffet at Mikazuki Sea Park Hotel Katsuura, etc. and so on, the hotel names keep coming up until someone stops them.

Except for Katsuura, all of them are about a 40-minute drive from central Tokyo. I want to eat buffet, but people, after eating, want to sleep. That is why we stay at hotels.

Of course, there are many other hotels with buffets. However, there are conditions for the buffets I love.

The first is that there must be a wide variety of dishes. It is important that they give us choices, such as Japanese, Western, and Chinese. I want to eat pasta, but I also want to eat a small basket. I want to try the braised sea bream, but I also want to eat the shrimp gratin. The buffet is the place to make these dreams come true.

The second is that the food is replenished every so often. Have you ever experienced this? A plate labeled “Shrimp au Gratin” has no shrimp in it, only a soggy béchamel sauce. Or a plate labeled “Tiramisu” with just something brown in it. Very disappointing.

The third is the aisle. Do you ever find that people are so crowded around the omelet in the front that they can’t proceed to get the scrambled eggs and bacon in the back? Everyone is so busy looking for their targets that they almost cause a fender bender when they pass each other. Vikings need more space.

Going out to get food is like going out fishing.”

Next, positioning. In my case, the staff is very considerate and says, “We’ll show you a seat in the back (where you won’t be seen),” but I say, “Near the drink bar. I say, “Near the drink bar. I drink a lot of water, so I prefer to be near the drink bar. I would like to take a chair to the drink bar and eat there.

If I am shown to a seat far from the drink bar, I always return to my seat with two drinks that I want to drink. If the venue is empty, for example, I may finish one drink on the spot where I poured my drink, pour another drink, and return to my seat.

In terms of positioning, I prefer to be directly below the air conditioner rather than in front of a beautiful view. The sun shines on the window and you can’t stop sweating, so you are busy with chopsticks in your right hand and a handkerchief in your left. The air conditioning is better than the view. Under the air conditioner vent is best.

Finally, the way you take your food. The well-selected ones take a little bit at a time and divide it into several portions: Japanese food for 1R, Western food for 2R, dessert for 3R, and so on.

However, the Ishizuka family is different. Going out to get food is like going out to fish. We want to reduce the number of trips as much as possible.

My wife puts butter rolls and croissants next to fried rice, yakisoba and spring rolls next to sweet-and-sour pork, and Neapolitan in the little space available. This is what a pirate (Viking) is all about.

From the May 15 and 22, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY