Our last full day here was spent shopping, shopping and more shopping! We began with breakfast of French toast and soufflé pancakes at Hoshino Coffee, and it was delicious. We wandered around 109 men for a while, then made our way to the Disney store for Star Wars purchases - I bought a lovely die cast Rey on special.
After Disney we headed to Shibyua Modi, and wound our way around every floor looking at clothes, homewards, shoes and books. Then it was time to check out Tower records, which has a reputation for great coffee, so we had a look through the collection and had a lovely coffee with some of the best coffee art I've seen.
From there it was time for Tokyu Hands, a craft and homewares store somewhere between Myer, Spotlight and Bunnings. It was brilliant, entire floors devoted to paper and pens, and we picked up some Totoro merch and lots of washi. At this point it was dinner time, so we popped into Ikinari Steak for a delicious and unique experience. Here you pay per gram of meat, and you watch them cut your steak and weigh it, before it's cooked and served on a sizzling plate with corn and onion and you pour a marinade over the steak before enjoying it. It was absolutely fantastic, beautifully seasoned and cooked to perfection, at $60 for both of us, it's also excellent value.
Happily sated, we continued shopping in Loft, HMV, Seibu and Muji, I found the soundtrack to Castle of Cagliostro on vinyl, which was awesome, and we stopped by a Lawsons for a much discussed Egg Salad Sandwich (Anthony Bourdain apparently made a big deal about them) and they are indeed ridiculously good for the $1.20 they cost. Now it's time to pack up the apartment and our stuff ready to leave tomorrow. Konbanwa!
- Jess
Japan -Day 9 - Yebisu and more karaoke
Brewery hunt take two; great success! After yesterday's disappointing lack of beerage, today we decided to check out the (much closer) Yebisu Brewery Museum in Ebisu. It was only one stop away, and we found it easily, which was a relief. The museum is actually quite tiny, with most of the building devoted to a grand foyer, shop and tasting area. We had a short tour, entirely in Japanese, because at the end there were tastings. Andrew liked the beer because, as they were at pains to explain in the English pamphlet, it's actually a German style beer which follows the same beer rules as they have in Germany. Andrew tried three styles; pale, amber and dark. Apparently all were tasty.
We then had a wander around the shops in Ebisu, and had some delicious soba with pork katsu and tempura veggies for lunch, before some more general window shopping. We came back to our room for a short rest, we needed to tidy up and begin packing so that we can fill tomorrow properly, and we're about to head out for dinner and more karaoke!
- Jess
EDIT:
Dinner was a brilliantly fun affair that was utterly Japanese in style. We went to Genki Sushi which is a sushi restaurant where you order from a touch screen and then your freshly made sushi is delivered by a train on a track to your seat. It was great fun, and the sushi was delicious.
Then it was time for more karaoke! When you start after 11pm it's even cheaper, so we began at 11pm and went for another hour and a half. My voice is very hoarse now, but there is something magical about singing A Whole New World at the top of your lungs at midnight drinking beer and cola spider cocktails in the middle of Tokyo. Tomorrow is our last full day, so we should probably get some rest. Ja mata ne!
We then had a wander around the shops in Ebisu, and had some delicious soba with pork katsu and tempura veggies for lunch, before some more general window shopping. We came back to our room for a short rest, we needed to tidy up and begin packing so that we can fill tomorrow properly, and we're about to head out for dinner and more karaoke!
- Jess
EDIT:
Dinner was a brilliantly fun affair that was utterly Japanese in style. We went to Genki Sushi which is a sushi restaurant where you order from a touch screen and then your freshly made sushi is delivered by a train on a track to your seat. It was great fun, and the sushi was delicious.
Then it was time for more karaoke! When you start after 11pm it's even cheaper, so we began at 11pm and went for another hour and a half. My voice is very hoarse now, but there is something magical about singing A Whole New World at the top of your lungs at midnight drinking beer and cola spider cocktails in the middle of Tokyo. Tomorrow is our last full day, so we should probably get some rest. Ja mata ne!
- Jess
Japan - Day 8 - All over the shop
Well, that sake was a brilliant idea, and I'm absolutely sure that future Jess will agree! Today was a long, epic adventure. We decided that it would be an awesome idea to visit a brewery that was a very, very, very long way away. It turns out that Google had different plans for us though, so after we got ourselves on the (wrong) train, realised it was the wrong one, came back a few stops, got on the right one, and began our eleven minute (apparently) walk, it became clear this wasn't destined to be. After successfully navigating to a Christian Youth Centre around two hours travel time from Tokyo in the outer region, the universe decided that a brewery wasn't a great idea for us, rather, (cue theme music from Fellowship of the Ring) we should instead a day spent fruitlessly trying to find one. Since it closed at 4pm, we called it quits at 3.30pm and went back into Tokyo. On the plus side, we discovered maple syrup pancakes in a packet are the greatest thing ever, pear ice blocks are awesome, there was a lovely river we walked by for part of the wandering shambles, there are actually farms in the greater Tokyo area, and tiny school children wander about at three o clock by themselves and help each other with homework on the train, which was adorable.
Once we made our way back to Tokyo, it was time for a much needed foot massage, so we went to one in Shinjuku that was cheap, and had half an hour of luxurious rest while our excellent masseurs proceeded to attempt to help our poor feet. It was delightfully painful, but relaxing, and after our complimentary tea we were ready for dinner. We waited for Ichiran ramen, a much recommended place where you customise your ramen. It was delicious, and that set us up for more shopping.
Andrew wanted to go to Bic Camera, a giant everything store in Shinjuku, with a Uni Qlo and Gu inside, so off we went. It had a ridiculous amount of stuff, with very strange groupings of products: pianos, curtains and phones, toys and toilets, wine and headphones and cameras. We also did some clothes shopping as both Uni Qlo and Gu had sales, so we picked up some winter things that were very cheap, and Facebook tells me it's a little cool at home.
It was getting late, so it was finally karaoke time! Shibuya is great for karaoke, so we found a cheap one ($37 for both of us for an hour and a half and all you can drink booze) and settled in. So. Much. Fun! Iron Maiden, Spice Girls, Seal, Bob Dylan, Taylor Swift, NIN, Rage Against the Machine, Florence and the Machine, Beastie Boys - it was amazeballs! Of course, the beers, grapefruit sours and jug of sake helped us along nicely. We stopped off at the 7-11 for snacks on our way home, and now we're at 1am-ish. We will be doing that again methinks :)
- Jess
Once we made our way back to Tokyo, it was time for a much needed foot massage, so we went to one in Shinjuku that was cheap, and had half an hour of luxurious rest while our excellent masseurs proceeded to attempt to help our poor feet. It was delightfully painful, but relaxing, and after our complimentary tea we were ready for dinner. We waited for Ichiran ramen, a much recommended place where you customise your ramen. It was delicious, and that set us up for more shopping.
Andrew wanted to go to Bic Camera, a giant everything store in Shinjuku, with a Uni Qlo and Gu inside, so off we went. It had a ridiculous amount of stuff, with very strange groupings of products: pianos, curtains and phones, toys and toilets, wine and headphones and cameras. We also did some clothes shopping as both Uni Qlo and Gu had sales, so we picked up some winter things that were very cheap, and Facebook tells me it's a little cool at home.
It was getting late, so it was finally karaoke time! Shibuya is great for karaoke, so we found a cheap one ($37 for both of us for an hour and a half and all you can drink booze) and settled in. So. Much. Fun! Iron Maiden, Spice Girls, Seal, Bob Dylan, Taylor Swift, NIN, Rage Against the Machine, Florence and the Machine, Beastie Boys - it was amazeballs! Of course, the beers, grapefruit sours and jug of sake helped us along nicely. We stopped off at the 7-11 for snacks on our way home, and now we're at 1am-ish. We will be doing that again methinks :)
- Jess
Japan - Day 7 - Akihabara
We spent all of today in Akihabara, otherwise known as electric town, and it was just as eclectic as we remembered. Toy stores that are ten floors high, electronic markets filled with components and hardware, girls in costumes from maid cafes, and of course, the obligatory surprise manga that makes one feel distinctly uncomfortable. Since we were properly needing it up for the day, we began with breakfast at the Gundam cafe. It was underwhelming both in the scale of the cafe and the breakfast, which looked cool, but was tiny and not particularly satisfying.
Then we went to yodobashi, a giant retailer in the heart of Akihabara over nine floors, with golf and baseball on the roof, and toys, computers, homewards, clothing, food, cameras, sound equipment, records, AV tech, everything you find in the good guys and more. We were there for a few hours looking at everything, and we bought some camera equipment that was on sale.
For lunch we went across to the UDX restaurant row and decided on chicken don, which was delicious. The chicken is first grilled over hot coals, then deep fried with panko crumbs, served on rice and cabbage with teriyaki sauce. Feeling very full, we began to explore further into the district, and after visiting a number of toy stores, we found four Eva's on sale, so we bought all of them! It's fascinating seeing the amazing detail and variety of toys here, though the hyper sexualisation of many figures, and the simply astonishing array of hentai and yaoi boggle the mind.
The stores were beginning to close so we made one last stop at the owl cafe! I wasn't sure about this one, and I'm still not convinced that this is the life these birds should have, but it was clean and quiet, the birds seemed happy to sleep and preen on their perches, and the staff were affectionate with all of them and appeared to love their job. I was able to pet all of the owls, and a number of them were also able to be held. It was pretty awesome, and I was surprised by the variety of breeds and sizes they had, from a tawny frog mouth to a few great owls, they were just beautiful. I was expecting them to be nippy and flighty, but the ones you're allowed to hold are clearly used to the attention and very placid.
There's no time limit on the owl cafe, so it was late by the time we left. Rather than go out for dinner, since we have an apartment this time, we went to the local Lawsons and stocked up on microwaveable meals from the extensive fresh range that all supermarkets have here. Andrew had chicken katsu on rice and I had gyoza. It was surprisingly good, and ridiculously cheap, less than three dollars fifty each. If only we could get stuff that good and fresh from supermarkets at home. Now it's time for some cheap drinks and pudding for dessert.
- Jess
Then we went to yodobashi, a giant retailer in the heart of Akihabara over nine floors, with golf and baseball on the roof, and toys, computers, homewards, clothing, food, cameras, sound equipment, records, AV tech, everything you find in the good guys and more. We were there for a few hours looking at everything, and we bought some camera equipment that was on sale.
For lunch we went across to the UDX restaurant row and decided on chicken don, which was delicious. The chicken is first grilled over hot coals, then deep fried with panko crumbs, served on rice and cabbage with teriyaki sauce. Feeling very full, we began to explore further into the district, and after visiting a number of toy stores, we found four Eva's on sale, so we bought all of them! It's fascinating seeing the amazing detail and variety of toys here, though the hyper sexualisation of many figures, and the simply astonishing array of hentai and yaoi boggle the mind.
The stores were beginning to close so we made one last stop at the owl cafe! I wasn't sure about this one, and I'm still not convinced that this is the life these birds should have, but it was clean and quiet, the birds seemed happy to sleep and preen on their perches, and the staff were affectionate with all of them and appeared to love their job. I was able to pet all of the owls, and a number of them were also able to be held. It was pretty awesome, and I was surprised by the variety of breeds and sizes they had, from a tawny frog mouth to a few great owls, they were just beautiful. I was expecting them to be nippy and flighty, but the ones you're allowed to hold are clearly used to the attention and very placid.
There's no time limit on the owl cafe, so it was late by the time we left. Rather than go out for dinner, since we have an apartment this time, we went to the local Lawsons and stocked up on microwaveable meals from the extensive fresh range that all supermarkets have here. Andrew had chicken katsu on rice and I had gyoza. It was surprisingly good, and ridiculously cheap, less than three dollars fifty each. If only we could get stuff that good and fresh from supermarkets at home. Now it's time for some cheap drinks and pudding for dessert.
- Jess
Japan - Day 6 - Shimokitazawa and robots!
Omg reading robots with laser beams! But more on that later. We decided to have a low key day before our Robot Restaurant experience tonight, so we spent the day wandering around Shimokitazawa, a tiny part of Tokyo with hipster vintage clothing shops, tiny bars and restaurants, and a much more relaxed vibe. We decided to have soufflé pancakes for breakfast, so we joined a (very long) line to wait for Flippers pancakes, a new place that looked amazing. In spite of the long wait, during which we were fanned intermittently with a giant cardboard spatula, the food was worth it. Imagine pancakes an inch thick with the consistency of very light meringue crossed with sponge, with summer berries and cream. Sooooo good. Andrew had the bacon, eggs and pancake option, and the bacon was about half a centimetre thick and delicious (apparently). Andrew was beginning to feel under the weather again, so we did a slow wander through some shops, and then stopped for snow cones.
The snow cone is made by shaving a big block of ice into a cup, intermittently squeezing flavouring on, with a beautifully satisfying machine that looks like something pre-electricity. The tiny wooden building that housed the snow cones was next to a little outdoor bar, so we popped in for a beer and cocktail of iced oolong and shochu. Refreshed somewhat, we continued our meandering until it was time to head to Shinjuku for dinner and our show.
Godzilla is now a permanent feature in Shinjuku, so we went and took a few photos of him, and then had a quick tea. We had a cheap dinner of gyoza and chicken karaage, and then it was time for robots! This show was quite expensive, and we had to pre book, so our hopes were high, and it didn't disappoint.
The building itself is utterly insane both inside and out, with lights, mirrors, gold, bling, velour, crystals and absolutely no taste or restraint whatsoever. If Liberace and Trump had a mirror ball baby, you might get close to the style of decor. We were treated to some excellent live jazz saxophone and guitar while we waited, which was thoroughly incongruous with the setting, and then we went down three floors to the stage. What looked uninspiring initially quickly became an overwhelming performance that included drums, dance, giant robot women/dinosaurs/dragons/
We left with our ears ringing, and to quote the loud Americans behind us, "what did we just watch?" In need of some quiet time, we stopped at a tea and cake house, had lovely cake and coffee, and then made our way home. Andrew still wasn't feeling well, so we visited a pharmacy where the pharmacist was very insistent that the medication is not to be taken with anything else at all, with food, with water! So it should do the trick nicely. Time for tea and rice cakes. Until tomorrow, oyasumi.
- Jess
The snow cone is made by shaving a big block of ice into a cup, intermittently squeezing flavouring on, with a beautifully satisfying machine that looks like something pre-electricity. The tiny wooden building that housed the snow cones was next to a little outdoor bar, so we popped in for a beer and cocktail of iced oolong and shochu. Refreshed somewhat, we continued our meandering until it was time to head to Shinjuku for dinner and our show.
Godzilla is now a permanent feature in Shinjuku, so we went and took a few photos of him, and then had a quick tea. We had a cheap dinner of gyoza and chicken karaage, and then it was time for robots! This show was quite expensive, and we had to pre book, so our hopes were high, and it didn't disappoint.
The building itself is utterly insane both inside and out, with lights, mirrors, gold, bling, velour, crystals and absolutely no taste or restraint whatsoever. If Liberace and Trump had a mirror ball baby, you might get close to the style of decor. We were treated to some excellent live jazz saxophone and guitar while we waited, which was thoroughly incongruous with the setting, and then we went down three floors to the stage. What looked uninspiring initially quickly became an overwhelming performance that included drums, dance, giant robot women/dinosaurs/dragons/
We left with our ears ringing, and to quote the loud Americans behind us, "what did we just watch?" In need of some quiet time, we stopped at a tea and cake house, had lovely cake and coffee, and then made our way home. Andrew still wasn't feeling well, so we visited a pharmacy where the pharmacist was very insistent that the medication is not to be taken with anything else at all, with food, with water! So it should do the trick nicely. Time for tea and rice cakes. Until tomorrow, oyasumi.
- Jess
Japan - Day 5 - Roppongi Hills
This time around, we were disappointed to learn that the Ghibli museum, which we loved last time, is closed while we're here. As a result, we'd accepted that there wouldn't be much in the way of Ghibli fun this time, but as luck would have it the art museum in Roppongi was hosting a Ghibli exhibition! So today we made our way to Roppongi for the some high brow loitering in galleries.
We had a quick breakfast at a Cinnabon, which was purely because of Better Call Saul, and then the waiting in lines began. It turns out that on a rainy Saturday in Tokyo, people like visiting museums. Who'd have thought, huh? So we waited in line to get a ticket. Then we were led to another line (very orderly, of course) to wait for the elevator to the 52d floor of Roppongi Hills Tower. Then when we were at floor 52, we waited in line to enter the exhibit. Then we were in the exit it, which was lovely, but also consisted of shuffling along a few feet at a time, stopping, more shuffling, an occasional jostle, and more shuffling. Then there was another line for the catbus, which I was very excited about. This meant a change in pace whilst I waited in one line, and Andrew was in another line for a photo. And then...we swapped lines! Exciting stuff. I'm being facetious, the exhibits themselves included beautiful storyboards, recreations of Miyazaki's office, stunning real world interpretations of objects and characters, and huge collections of concept art and promotional materials for all Ghibli films. It was just astonishingly busy, far in excess of what we were expecting.
We had lunch in the Sun Cafe on the same floor, after battling our way through the ridiculously crowded gift shop where we bought a number of prints and a limited edition owl Totoro, and we were lucky enough to be given a window seat (after waiting for 30 minutes in, you guessed it...) so we had a spectacular view of Tokyo tower. As a side note, I had awesome hair as I left this morning, but the humidity and rain took their toll in about 7 seconds, hence the ridiculous photos. Our food was good but weird, and Ghibli themed (somehow) and I had an entirely black hamburger that was something vegimiteey crossed with balsamic and hipster kaleness with chips. Andrew had a kind of toad in the hole with ham and bechamel smothered in cheese, with a side of what we'll call minestrone meatballs? Weird.
Our ticket also included entry to the other exhibit, My body your life, which was a fascinating and occasionally wanky collection of installations by various artists. Some of the artists were exploring the link between sound and objects, others were examining very personal interpretations of life with disability and identity, race, and valuing the 'everyday'. My favourites were the Flag of the Common People and the Button installation, which consisted of bowls of assorted buttons which visitors were asked to pick up handfuls of and throw at a target to see if one would land on a small raised target. The message was about 'impermanence' but it was just fun to engage with.
After seeing both exhibits, we did some shopping and I found an awesome leather jacket on sale at Zara, and we stopped to share a choux pastry ice cream (delicious) before continuing shopping in Roppongi. We visited Don Quixote, an everything shop over six floors which sells pretty much everything you can think of (yes, even that) from groceries to electronics to darts, wigs, high end Gucci bags, thousand dollar cognac and cheap toe socks. It was hilarious.
We had a nice cheap dinner at a serve yourself udon place which was lovely, and then went into Harajuku for doughnuts from Good Town Donuts and coffee to end the night. I had a hibiscus one and Andrew had a blood orange one. They were amazing, and we will definitely go back at some point for more. We decided to walk back home from there and now we're chilling with Premium Yebisu #126, Royal Milk Tea and pancake cream cake.
- Jess
We had a quick breakfast at a Cinnabon, which was purely because of Better Call Saul, and then the waiting in lines began. It turns out that on a rainy Saturday in Tokyo, people like visiting museums. Who'd have thought, huh? So we waited in line to get a ticket. Then we were led to another line (very orderly, of course) to wait for the elevator to the 52d floor of Roppongi Hills Tower. Then when we were at floor 52, we waited in line to enter the exhibit. Then we were in the exit it, which was lovely, but also consisted of shuffling along a few feet at a time, stopping, more shuffling, an occasional jostle, and more shuffling. Then there was another line for the catbus, which I was very excited about. This meant a change in pace whilst I waited in one line, and Andrew was in another line for a photo. And then...we swapped lines! Exciting stuff. I'm being facetious, the exhibits themselves included beautiful storyboards, recreations of Miyazaki's office, stunning real world interpretations of objects and characters, and huge collections of concept art and promotional materials for all Ghibli films. It was just astonishingly busy, far in excess of what we were expecting.
We had lunch in the Sun Cafe on the same floor, after battling our way through the ridiculously crowded gift shop where we bought a number of prints and a limited edition owl Totoro, and we were lucky enough to be given a window seat (after waiting for 30 minutes in, you guessed it...) so we had a spectacular view of Tokyo tower. As a side note, I had awesome hair as I left this morning, but the humidity and rain took their toll in about 7 seconds, hence the ridiculous photos. Our food was good but weird, and Ghibli themed (somehow) and I had an entirely black hamburger that was something vegimiteey crossed with balsamic and hipster kaleness with chips. Andrew had a kind of toad in the hole with ham and bechamel smothered in cheese, with a side of what we'll call minestrone meatballs? Weird.
Our ticket also included entry to the other exhibit, My body your life, which was a fascinating and occasionally wanky collection of installations by various artists. Some of the artists were exploring the link between sound and objects, others were examining very personal interpretations of life with disability and identity, race, and valuing the 'everyday'. My favourites were the Flag of the Common People and the Button installation, which consisted of bowls of assorted buttons which visitors were asked to pick up handfuls of and throw at a target to see if one would land on a small raised target. The message was about 'impermanence' but it was just fun to engage with.
After seeing both exhibits, we did some shopping and I found an awesome leather jacket on sale at Zara, and we stopped to share a choux pastry ice cream (delicious) before continuing shopping in Roppongi. We visited Don Quixote, an everything shop over six floors which sells pretty much everything you can think of (yes, even that) from groceries to electronics to darts, wigs, high end Gucci bags, thousand dollar cognac and cheap toe socks. It was hilarious.
We had a nice cheap dinner at a serve yourself udon place which was lovely, and then went into Harajuku for doughnuts from Good Town Donuts and coffee to end the night. I had a hibiscus one and Andrew had a blood orange one. They were amazing, and we will definitely go back at some point for more. We decided to walk back home from there and now we're chilling with Premium Yebisu #126, Royal Milk Tea and pancake cream cake.
- Jess
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