Rekindle & Discovery in Tokyo

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Tue: Metropolis primer

We were in Shinjuku before 3pm. We noticed, though, a strange traffic near Shinjuku station. SWAT teams on the streets? What's going on?

We got settled in Takadanobaba and met Toshi. He took us through the Tokyo maze to mochi mochi no ki. Their ramen in fish broth is super tasty. I had tsukemen this time. It was totally legit, mmm. From there, we walked to the city hall. Its observatory is totally worth it. On the way, we saw rows of black-painted Hummers with their right-wing slogans. SWAT teams were packing up their barricades. I guess they just announced that they were moving to the city hall...! Fine, we’ll just follow them. Up on the observatory, it’s always amazing to see the 360-degree view of never-ending concrete jungle.

And while Toshi is with us, we had him take us to Akiba. I’ve never been there so... It's worth the visit once. There is even a brochure for visitors. So we were pretty close to Tokyo station where we had left our luggage. But! I forgot the exchange slip back in our lodging, super fail! They don't have my personal info so without the slip, I didn't see how we'd be able to retrieve our bag. And for some reason, I went dyslectic and thought they were open until 10pm. Once we reached Takadanobaba, it was past 7p and noticed the slip said it was open until 20h. That's like in less than 1h! It’s going to be so tight! I called them and they were so nice. Because we'd have to pay extra if we don't make it, he said he'd wait for us overtime! Who does that? Omg, thank you! We got there 8:20p. Rough start in Tokyo...

Wed: Rainy Tokyo

Even here in Takadanobaba, we had the convenience of konbini. This time, around the corner was Seven-Eleven, not to be confused with that gas station 711. This is quality stuff. We had the usual coffee and sweets for breakfast. My throat felt dry in the morning. Let's hope it's not what I'm afraid of. My legs were more or less smooth, just a little sore on the stairs. Our first agenda of the day was Harajyuku. It's been since my pre-teen days! We got to Takeshita St at 9:30 and although there were plenty of people, most stores were closed. It started to rain which didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. Luckily, Calbee+ I had already bookmarked was open. It is Calbee pop-ups that serve fresh potato chips and their usuals. My must-try was fresh potato chips with Roy's chocolate drizzle! It was actually not bad. This reminds me of the late night B&J ice cream 😊. Well, Calbee+ was still quiet but it was time for us to get back on the rainy hip street 😞. It was a little early for brunch but no choice. We headed to a pancake place. Apparetly, that's the thing in Harajyuku of late. I don't even seek that here but hey, it might be different. After powering through the rain that was coming down even harder, we found that the place was closed to replace yesterday's holiday, nooo!

Rain was pouring at that point and my mary jane vibram stood no chance. Well... I had a hair appointment in Aoyama at noon. It is not too far and we didn't want to deviate too far. Stores were not opening until 11:30 or if they were open, they had long line or were too much of Aoyama posh. Luckily, we spotted across the main street what-seemed-to-be a biergarten. It was simply called "Commons" and was a movable feast, perfect! We had a little bratwurst plate and evaded the pouring rain under the tent. It wasn't the warmest thing but relief nonetheless. Bamboo ash roll was chalky black…

I felt bad jumping in the salon soaked because they'd towel dry jacket and bag for you. And too bad fixed-up hair will be wet afterwards. After a nice pampering session (for me, anyway), we were ready to eat. Ichiran we spotted at the intersection was a no-brainer. Toshi took me to this ramen cubicle in Shinjuku years ago. He blessed it yesterday that, although they've expanded, quality is still good. This ramen place is pretty fast-paced for the newbies. Boom boom you decide, order, eat and out! Everything is streamlined. Nobody coming around to take orders. You buy your order at the vending machine, take a seat at a claustrophobic cubicle, specify anything else and put it out. Shortly after, someone (who you can’t see because you have a small window open in front of you) comes and takes the paper and close the blind on that minimal window in front of you. Moments later, your bowl arrives. It happens so fast that even if you’re enclosed, you don’t have time to feel lonely. The bowl is very nice, flavorful. Thin ramen has no hint of overcookage.

What else to do on a rainy day? Beer! I love how we roll. Next destination: Yebisu. It’s a good thing that Yebisu beer has been available in the recent years in the US. The biergarten was much fancier than expected. Come to think of it, the whole neighborhood is high-end. Crowd was well-dressed adults and waiters were bow-tied men. We had Yebisu half & half and Sapporo New Tokyo Original draft. Last stop on the rainy day; Tokyo Grand Station for an amazing dessert selection right in the station. Some are limited to this outpost. Everything looked pretty and yummy. We so wanted to take everything!!

Thu: Loaded Day I (Tsukiji, Shibuya & Roppingi)

Uh oh...sore throat seems to be turning into something real. Good news is that the legs weren't sore any more. We got to Tsukiji by 8. There were already loads of people. This was to be expected. First thing to do there is to hit the Sushi place. Eating sushi for breakfast just doesn’t jive but they close early because they cater to the market crew. The market itself was pretty much cleaned up by the time we got there. After a little struggle finding the "sushi row", we found the guidebook-recommended Sushi Dai. Yeah we found it alright, along with a line of people snaking around who knows where. We jumped on the line anyway. Soon after, a lady from the restaurant came around to tell us that the wait will be ~4hrs from where we were. Excuse me? Did I hear that right? F-O-U-R hours? No way. I'm pretty sure other places here without this frenzy will be just as good. They just simply cannot serve bad fish here. Besides, I looked around and they were all foreigners. Not to bash them, but y'know. We found another mention in the guide book tucked away deeper in the market. Isonoya had maybe 10 seats along the counter. Here, customers were foreigners too. But honestly, which Japanese person travels to market at 8am to eat sushi? Anyhow, it wasn't cheap but sushi was what sushi ought to be. I was a bit taken aback by the sushi chef behind counter saying English words. IMO, it took away the authenticity of the place. Then again, that’s the Japanese way.

Eating sushi was just a part of the agenda in the market area. There are also stands outside of the market, serving authentic goodness. We picked up a few legit dango and strolled to find nick nacks. Our favorite was grilled scallop, hands down! Grandpa slow-charcoal-grilling one scallop shell at a time, cooking in its own juice! Smelled sooo good. He said he can't rush the cooking. By the time you get your shell, you've salivated quite a bit. When you bite into the meaty juicy scallop...mmmm.

From there, we went straight to Shibuya for a photo shoot appointment at 11. It was sooo much fun! We got out at 3pm...hungry! Not much in the guide book except department stores (again! haha). Around the station is big and busy. I was pretty disoriented. Our best bet was Konnokura, a chain izakaya. I've never been there but seen it everywhere. Sour, yakitori, shishamo, pork stew, atsuage, takowasa...pretty typical but reliable menu! Minus the smokers, I wish there were more of these in my hood.

Next on the agenda was to hit Roppongi hills! It had been ages since Toshi took me here last time. I watched Howl's moving castle here 😊. It was getting chilly at dusk. I think we made it to TV Asahi cafe. Yes still open. I saw that latte art and I had to have it! Drawing comes out so clear because cocoa is dusted on a stencil on whipped cream, ah ha. This foam is finer and denser than the milk foam. It was all soccer national team theme. We had men's team cake too 😊. Another goal for today was to catch the sunset from Roppongi hills. Sun was going down very fast. Of course, we weren't the only geniuses having a view of Tokyo tower lit up with the sunset backdrop. People were already camping out at the prime spots! We managed to snag a spot and enjoy the view. Soon after, sun totally set and we were wiped out. Ready to hit the road back home and recharge for the next day!

Fri: Loaded Day II (Asakusa, Skytree & Odaiba)

We got to Asakusa at 8am. Stores don't even open until 9:30 or 10 but I knew it wouldn't be deserted. This is the tourist mecca. Early stroll around the temple was nice though. I've been here a few times as a child. For a snacker, this is heaven! In a short stretch along Nakamise, possibilities are endless. Some musts are age dango & ningyo yaki. Ningyo yaki can be hot off the oven! Besides these time-less classics, we spotted a few lines. One was daigaku sweet potato!! My fav! Apparently it was raved on TV. Definitely approve. Big chunk of dense sweet potatoes are doused in syrup...to die for. Another line was for over-sized melon pan. This I skipped but looked legit. By 10:30, we'd already outdone ourselves with eating. Looks like we might have to walk to Skytree to burn this off. It's actually a nice stroll through residential Tokyo where elders playing bacci ball in the park. Right next to the tranquil, a monstrous tower emerges abruptly. Surrounding the tower is a huge shopping area called Skytree Town. The latest shopping outlet in Tokyo is packed with cute stores. Lots of Skytree limited edition items and character shops. Finding lunch was a bit of a debacle during the peak hour. Every one of 2-floor full of restaurants had line and places tend to be touristy...We settled with Omu-rice 😊.

This day has been action-packed already. But we had the afternoon to hit another attraction; Odaiba. And I heard there is now a life-size Gundam mobile suit!! Hello! Odaiba is always fun to visit riding Yurikamome which gives the view of the bay. Odaiba consists of a few shopping areas and Fuji TV HQ. Gundam was legit, blowing steam every now and then. Apparently, there is night show. But by the time we got through FUji TV, I was wiped out with bodyache. Maybe the bug is finally getting the best of me. We made our way back to Takadanobaba. Convieniently, Orenosora, the ramen shop Toshi took me to way back when we waited in line before opening, is right next to Takadanobaba station. Ramen round 2 was a success before my body called it quits.

Sat: Loaded Day III (Koukyo, Ginza, Ueno & Monja)

Today was 9am start. Legs were still screaming! We were taking subway line today and we had to go a bit further to the station. But good things happen to those who walk further! We ran into Mister Donuts. Vinh's been waiting for this :D First agenda for today was Imperial Palace. We ended up approaching it from the backside where the greenery is. It's pretty nice. Definitely well-kept and it would be a nice stroll for anyone. We picked up the paved trail outside the Palace ground. I had heard of the popularity of this for runners and walkers. I was definitely curious of the running scene there, which we immediately witnessed. Looks like there was an event going on. Only if we knew :p Trail is dotted with signs and warnings for running etiquette. This sounds all too familiar. We ended up going past the parliament and finally figured out where the front gate to the Palace was. It was 11:30 by then and was a hot day. Long sleeve came off right away.

From there, we walked to Ginza. We didn't quite make it there for omu-rice lunch as planned but impromptu pit stop at Forum's movable feast worked out great. Awesome atmosphere 😊. The place to visit in Ginza is Kabukiza. It's unique. It's not like the baroque extravagant theater but original. Undergroudn is a mini shopping/exhibit area, connected to subway station. Then I saw a good-looking sakura manju. None of those smooth surface stuff y'know? Real domyojiko, from Ginza kanoko. Similarly authentic-looking attendant was surprisingly engaged with my purchase. I sure don't look authentic. He even poured us a good cup of green tea to go with the sweets.

Moveable feast tied us over but we could eat lunch now. Still on the check list was Bengal curry in Akiba. Japanese curry is something of its own and Bengal is supposed to be it. I'm not a huge fan and S&B roux might have done more justice for me. It was too legit, haha. I'm glad Vinh had a huge appetite. It's too heavey for my mid-day eat :p. We walked to Ueno, believe it or not. I have never walked this much in Tokyo. Train goes everywhere. In Ueno, crowd got crazy near Ameyoko market. We could barely move through the strip. I gave up after a few feet. Ueno Park was super crowded with a lot of vendors too. It was a holiday weekend after all. Don't worry, we'll escape to China tomorrow. We sat down by the fountain in front of the National Museum. I was pretty wiped out from the day's activities already.

At 5p, sun was going down and the air was cooling. We checked out super cute panda concoction at Ueno station and made our way to Tsukishima for monja. I’ve never had monja til this day. I had an image of poor man's okonomiyaki…will see. I was surprised to see it being a cult favorite. Once we got off the train, we couldn’t have miss the monja row. Exit 7 is marked "monja street"! And monja street it was...closed off from cars and monja eateries lined up for blocks. Good thing I checked the target places on Gurunavi and that we didn't come starving. At Goemon, we waited ~1hr. We ordered Goemon mix and draft beer. Reading the instruction sheet confused me even more. I couldn’t even imagine what this thing was going to be. Let alone how to properly make it on the hot plate!! Help! When the bowl of mixture came, I had to ask how to make this thing. Wth, but you speak Japanese! I know!! The guy was kind to offer us to make it, phew. Too bad there is no tipping. He would have scored big. I was pleasantly enlightened that the finished product was nothing like okonomiyaki but more like stir fry. Pretty light and tasty. We liked it 😊.

With that, we did everything on the checklist in Tokyo and then some. Let's see what new adventure awaits us across the pond!

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Photos

Snacking at Commons
Movable Feast!

Sushi Dai
Tsukiji market sushi row

Wasabi!
Tsukiji market

Latte art
TV Asahi cafe

The view!
Roppongi Hills

From Asakusa to Skytree
Shitamachi atmosphere~

Gundam cafe
Odaiba