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
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
Japan - Day 4 - Yoyogi Park and surrounds
Another day, another 23,000 odd steps. Today was a beautiful one of exploring, beginning with coffee and cakes in Shibuya (The Roastery) for breakfast (again, thanks Ocky!) which was excellent, followed by wandering in and out of shops that were way too cool for us. I fell in love with a number of items, none of which I could afford, but it was fun to look anyway. For lunch we went to The Great Burger, which was excellent and very filling. The addition of cumin seeds to the coleslaw is something to remember for home.
After lunch and more wandering we popped into the famous cat cafe for about twenty minutes, the kitties were adorable, sleepy, and clearly didn't care about anything much at all. The cafe itself is delightfully decorated to give the cats plenty of opportunities to climb and play, but they were pretty much all asleep and disinterested. The cafe is opposite another famous park, so we decided to have a wander.
We spent a few hours in Yoyogi park, stopping for sake ice cream in the middle. The park itself surrounds Meiji shrine, and it was lovely to return there and pay our respects again. The beautifully lush forest was peaceful and provided a welcome rest from the bustle of the inner city.
From Yoyogi we made our way to Shinjuku with the intention of grabbing dinner at the robot restaurant, but it was fully booked, so we wandered around to try and find somewhere to eat. We finally settled on ramen and gyoza, both of which were excellent. Our feet were killing us, so we hopped on the train to Shibuya.
The l'occitane store also has a cafe overlooking the famous Shibuya crossing, so we had a dessert stop which was divine. You know when you look at a dessert menu and you just want all the things? Well, this place thought of that and had a dessert platter with all of them! Sorbet, creme brûlée, cream cake, and a 'cheese dessert' which was essentially cheesecake filling on its own. This was a perfect way to end the day, so we stopped by the 7/11 on the way back home for some jar 'o sake and came home for an early-ish night.
- Jess
After lunch and more wandering we popped into the famous cat cafe for about twenty minutes, the kitties were adorable, sleepy, and clearly didn't care about anything much at all. The cafe itself is delightfully decorated to give the cats plenty of opportunities to climb and play, but they were pretty much all asleep and disinterested. The cafe is opposite another famous park, so we decided to have a wander.
We spent a few hours in Yoyogi park, stopping for sake ice cream in the middle. The park itself surrounds Meiji shrine, and it was lovely to return there and pay our respects again. The beautifully lush forest was peaceful and provided a welcome rest from the bustle of the inner city.
From Yoyogi we made our way to Shinjuku with the intention of grabbing dinner at the robot restaurant, but it was fully booked, so we wandered around to try and find somewhere to eat. We finally settled on ramen and gyoza, both of which were excellent. Our feet were killing us, so we hopped on the train to Shibuya.
The l'occitane store also has a cafe overlooking the famous Shibuya crossing, so we had a dessert stop which was divine. You know when you look at a dessert menu and you just want all the things? Well, this place thought of that and had a dessert platter with all of them! Sorbet, creme brûlée, cream cake, and a 'cheese dessert' which was essentially cheesecake filling on its own. This was a perfect way to end the day, so we stopped by the 7/11 on the way back home for some jar 'o sake and came home for an early-ish night.
- Jess
Japan - Day 3 - Disneyland Sea
Today was all about Disney Sea, the Japanese only twin theme park to Disneyland. We dawdled this morning, waking up at 9.30am, so we arrived later than we expected too. We did, however, grab an excellent coffee from About Life Coffee (thanks Ocky!) which is literally opposite where we're staying.
After an hour or so of travelling, we entered the second happiest place on earth, Disney Sea. We were immediately struck by the differences in layout and vibe in this park compared to Disneyland. Whereas the latter is brimming with childlike enthusiasm and lurid, colourful details, this park is just a little darker in tone and presentation. There were some quite adult references in the posters and signage, the castle is themed around Leonardo Da Vinci, and the evening show was absolutely stunning, but centred significantly on Disney Villains rather than on princesses or heroes.
We had fewer rides than we expected, but we did manage to get onto four main ones: Journey to the centre of the earth, Indiana Jones, Raging Spirits, and 20,000 leagues under the sea. Wait times were long and the fast passes didn't help us much this time, so we had a few kids rides, including Jasmine's magic carpet ride, and Sinbad the Sailor. They were fun, but not quite as thrilling as we expected.
We had a delicious lunch at the Japanese restaurant, and dinner was very late from one of the Italian restaurants. The food was generally good, with the tiramisu a highlight. We ran out of time for shopping, so we didn't actually get any souvenirs! We weren't grabbed by anything in particular though, so this wasn't disappointing.
Overall today was great fun, but a little dimmed by our knowledge of the other Disney parks we've visited. Whilst it wasn't bad by any measure, it lacked a certain something in presentation and feel in comparison. Some elements, like the final show, were superior, and the animatronics were amazing, but it occasionally lacked pizzazz.
We've only just arrived home now (12.20am) so it's time for a much needed sleep, not to mention a rest for our very sore feet!
- Jess
Disneyland Sea not only sells booze, but they sell beer slushies!
My cold is pretty much gone now. Still on Codral but it's manageable. Feels like it's turning into a dry cough.
It's hot and humid here and it's as though people don't know how to dress for such weather. They all seem to still wear jackets, even though it's 30+ and humid.
- Andrew
After an hour or so of travelling, we entered the second happiest place on earth, Disney Sea. We were immediately struck by the differences in layout and vibe in this park compared to Disneyland. Whereas the latter is brimming with childlike enthusiasm and lurid, colourful details, this park is just a little darker in tone and presentation. There were some quite adult references in the posters and signage, the castle is themed around Leonardo Da Vinci, and the evening show was absolutely stunning, but centred significantly on Disney Villains rather than on princesses or heroes.
We had fewer rides than we expected, but we did manage to get onto four main ones: Journey to the centre of the earth, Indiana Jones, Raging Spirits, and 20,000 leagues under the sea. Wait times were long and the fast passes didn't help us much this time, so we had a few kids rides, including Jasmine's magic carpet ride, and Sinbad the Sailor. They were fun, but not quite as thrilling as we expected.
We had a delicious lunch at the Japanese restaurant, and dinner was very late from one of the Italian restaurants. The food was generally good, with the tiramisu a highlight. We ran out of time for shopping, so we didn't actually get any souvenirs! We weren't grabbed by anything in particular though, so this wasn't disappointing.
Overall today was great fun, but a little dimmed by our knowledge of the other Disney parks we've visited. Whilst it wasn't bad by any measure, it lacked a certain something in presentation and feel in comparison. Some elements, like the final show, were superior, and the animatronics were amazing, but it occasionally lacked pizzazz.
We've only just arrived home now (12.20am) so it's time for a much needed sleep, not to mention a rest for our very sore feet!
- Jess
Disneyland Sea not only sells booze, but they sell beer slushies!
My cold is pretty much gone now. Still on Codral but it's manageable. Feels like it's turning into a dry cough.
It's hot and humid here and it's as though people don't know how to dress for such weather. They all seem to still wear jackets, even though it's 30+ and humid.
- Andrew
Japan - The flight, day one and day two
After a long eight year wait, we are back in one of our favourite places in the world; Tokyo! This is a city that's easy to fall in love with, the beautiful gardens, amazing food, eclectic fashion, and exceptional organisation, not to mention hidden gems everywhere, mean that this time around we're excited to see all the new (and old) places to explore.
Our flight was a trying one, Andrew was horribly sick with a nasty cold, so fever, aching and a sore throat meant he did not do very well. I was fine. We arrived in Tokyo at eight pm local time, having been up since three am, and bleary eyed we cleared customs, changed trains three times, and at eleven pm finally found our hotel. We were so exhausted, we went straight to bed. Andrew dosed up on Codral and I started feeling ill too, we needed sleep.
Upon waking up, showering and packing after our one night in a hotel, we felt a bit better and began exploring. Our hotel was opposite the Emperor's Palace, so we decided to wander the gardens to begin with. They are simply stunning in Summer. Last time we were here in Winter and the grass and some plants were dormant (brown) so it was magnificent seeing flowers and trees blooming. The gardens are exquisitely manicured, and they are a tranquil oasis that made us both feel better. We had some ice-cream on the lawn, continued our walk, and came out near Tokyo central station.
Tokyo station is a labyrinth of shops, eateries, cafes and restaurants. Think old style David Jones food court but shinier. We opted for a brunch of Dashi rice bowls, which was served with pickled veggies and seafood and chicken, and it was delicious. We spent a couple of hours wandering around the station, did some clothes shopping at Uniqlo, and then went back to the hotel to pick up our bags and make our way to our AirBnB in Shibuya.
After a lot of running around Shibuya station looking for the locker our key was in, we found it and began the walk up the hill to our apartment. After overshooting it, we eventually found it and settled into the beautiful little studio that will be home for the next nine days. It's bigger than we were expecting, very quiet, and in the heart of Shibuya. By this stage it was nearly dinner time, so out we went again.
And lo and behold, we're about ten shops from a Mos Burger! The last time we were here, we discovered this unique Japanese burger joint, but back then it was like an eighties McDonald's. Now it's more like Nordburger, decked out in a Scandinavian style, but the burgers are just as good as we remembered. Dinner done, it was time to properly shop. We stopped into Uniqlo and H&M, the big ones, picking up more summer clothes. We did all nine floors of 109, the famous clothing hub, which is utterly overwhelming. Imagine if the shop Live was every store in Marion, the music was up in all of them, and they had two of three assistants constantly shouting their specials at once.
Back outside, we decided to just explore the alleys and side streets, and we spent hours shopping and wandering aimlessly. We found a parfait place for dessert, which was amazing, and after our much needed sit down, we made our way back to our apartment to post photos. In spite of the 27,000 steps, the excellent food, tea and atmosphere have made us feel infinitely better. Time for sleep before Disneyland Sea tomorrow!
- Jess
Here is a link to all a daily dump of all our photos if you're interested.
https://goo.gl/photos/3NKa74sueRTAzJog6
- Andrew
Our flight was a trying one, Andrew was horribly sick with a nasty cold, so fever, aching and a sore throat meant he did not do very well. I was fine. We arrived in Tokyo at eight pm local time, having been up since three am, and bleary eyed we cleared customs, changed trains three times, and at eleven pm finally found our hotel. We were so exhausted, we went straight to bed. Andrew dosed up on Codral and I started feeling ill too, we needed sleep.
Upon waking up, showering and packing after our one night in a hotel, we felt a bit better and began exploring. Our hotel was opposite the Emperor's Palace, so we decided to wander the gardens to begin with. They are simply stunning in Summer. Last time we were here in Winter and the grass and some plants were dormant (brown) so it was magnificent seeing flowers and trees blooming. The gardens are exquisitely manicured, and they are a tranquil oasis that made us both feel better. We had some ice-cream on the lawn, continued our walk, and came out near Tokyo central station.
Tokyo station is a labyrinth of shops, eateries, cafes and restaurants. Think old style David Jones food court but shinier. We opted for a brunch of Dashi rice bowls, which was served with pickled veggies and seafood and chicken, and it was delicious. We spent a couple of hours wandering around the station, did some clothes shopping at Uniqlo, and then went back to the hotel to pick up our bags and make our way to our AirBnB in Shibuya.
After a lot of running around Shibuya station looking for the locker our key was in, we found it and began the walk up the hill to our apartment. After overshooting it, we eventually found it and settled into the beautiful little studio that will be home for the next nine days. It's bigger than we were expecting, very quiet, and in the heart of Shibuya. By this stage it was nearly dinner time, so out we went again.
And lo and behold, we're about ten shops from a Mos Burger! The last time we were here, we discovered this unique Japanese burger joint, but back then it was like an eighties McDonald's. Now it's more like Nordburger, decked out in a Scandinavian style, but the burgers are just as good as we remembered. Dinner done, it was time to properly shop. We stopped into Uniqlo and H&M, the big ones, picking up more summer clothes. We did all nine floors of 109, the famous clothing hub, which is utterly overwhelming. Imagine if the shop Live was every store in Marion, the music was up in all of them, and they had two of three assistants constantly shouting their specials at once.
Back outside, we decided to just explore the alleys and side streets, and we spent hours shopping and wandering aimlessly. We found a parfait place for dessert, which was amazing, and after our much needed sit down, we made our way back to our apartment to post photos. In spite of the 27,000 steps, the excellent food, tea and atmosphere have made us feel infinitely better. Time for sleep before Disneyland Sea tomorrow!
- Jess
Here is a link to all a daily dump of all our photos if you're interested.
https://goo.gl/photos/3NKa74sueRTAzJog6
- Andrew
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