Thursday 5th May

Today was a big day. We had our booking for the Butler Cafe known as Swallowtail which was so exciting and I had no clue what to expect. From the mountains of Butler Cafe's in Tokyo, I chose this one as it had really good reviews for the food and experience. Some other places had poor food ratings and their experience wasn't to par. Also I had read some articles that were quite troubling in the way owners and management would treat their staff and with poor pay scales. 

That being said, Swallowtail is the opposite of that which is why I chose to book with them. But more on that experience later. 

We started out on our day with the usual breakfast at the hotel, then we decided to go to Akihabara for some cool anime and manga stuff. Before I booked for Swallowtail, I was unaware that shops usually open around 10-11am, well most of them. So I wish that we had more time to spend here but soon we had to be on our way to Ikebukuro so we could leisurely walk to the Butler Cafe. 

Whilst looking in Anime stores, I had a couple main things I was looking for. 1: Was a big Himouto! Umaru-Chan life size plush/pillow/anything Umaru-Chan. and 2: Anything FairyTail.

Unfortunately with my limited time in Akihabara, I didn't get to fully look around for those 2 things. But one thing I was looking forward to was Lunch at the Swallowtail and afterwards the Pokemon Mega Centre and more Anime in Ikebukuro. They even have their own Otome Map for girls that are looking for character goods and other manga/otaku related goods which was awesome. 

But first....Swallowtail.

Now, I wish I could but unfortunately you're not allowed to take ANY photos inside of the butler cafe which I can understand. They want to preserve the full experience for those visiting and for the privacy of other diners. When we got to the place there is a fancy sign which was the first photo of the post. Which then to the left lead down some stairs which the walls are all lined with vines and leaves. 

At the bottom of the staircase, a butler was waiting with the guestlist and in full butler attire, coat tails and all. We were then offered some chairs to sit as we wait for the door to open and invite us in. The decor from just this front waiting room was on point. Chandelier, nice wallpaper, fancy chairs etc. 

I was a bit nervous to say the least, as with the language barrier it might be a little difficult.

Then, the door opened and a couple of ladies left. Behind them was a kind, gentlemanly older butler of whom invited us in. Another butler was waiting and they both introduced themselves and took our coats and shopping bags to place into lockers and carried our handbags to our table.

At this point I'd like to mention if you do go to Swallowtails. Be prepared that only a couple butlers speak some english, Also you're not allowed to use your phone in the cafe/restaurant to again stop temptation to take photos. 

Back to the story. They carried our handbags and placed them into a basket next to our table and each butler pulled out a seat for each of us and seated us down. The first impression of the room was that it was very impressive. Again, chandeliers, draped sheer curtains which divided the 1 guest tables, nice wallpaper, exquisite table/chairs and all of the butlers in coattails. There were probably around 15 butlers working milling around making sure all the guests are cared for. Picture 15 Sebastians from Black Butler all with awesome anime hair. 

Once we were seated, a butler came over with English menus and explained to us how Swallowtail works and what the menus entailed. My mum chose the Victoria Afternoon Tea Set which included a choice of scone with 2 preserves/spreads; 3 finger sandwiches; a pot of tea and a choice of either the Arcana Dessert or Garden Oath, which were the premium desserts. I will go into detail later what each of the desserts were.

I, however, was a bit more hungry so I went with one of their lunch options. I had a struggle between a pasta set or something else and seeing as the pasta set didn't have a choice of the premium desserts, only the normal choices like a pastry etc, I went with Cordelia set. This included slow cooked beef cheek stew, french bread roll, side salad, pot of tea and again choice of Arcana or Garden Oath.

Whilst we were waiting for our food we took in the atmosphere. It was definitely a fancy place, it felt like we needed Victorian period dresses to fit the decor. It didn't take me long to realize everyone in the room that were diners, were ladies. And I could definitely see why. What woman, if they're into this kind of thing, wouldn't want to be served by handsome Japanese men and treated like they were royalty. Which is exactly how we felt. A little uncomfortable though as we weren't used to being so spoilt. On the table before us, there was a little bell sitting in the middle. Observing from other tables, if the guests wanted more tea poured into their cup or anything at all, even if it's needing out your bag from the basket at the foot of the table, you rang the bell.

Soon our tea arrived followed shortly by our food. And it looked and smelled delicious. My beef stew was heavenly and rich, full of flavour. And Mum's came in the tiered high tea rack. Mum felt a bit strange when she proceeded to take the top plate off but the Butler refused and politely told her that it's ok, I will do that. 

Again, I really wish we could take photos as the presentation was amazing and so well done. It was also fun to see so many Butler's in Coat tails walking around and making sure they didn't miss a bell ring and ensuring everyone was looked after. Ringing a bell to call on someone to pour tea was a strange experience as you feel a bit bad/like you're useless as someone comes to pour your tea. One thing that I did forget to mention is that they all bow when they reach your table and when they leave which to me would get tiring real quick. But all the Butlers seemed happy and enjoyed working there which was nice. 

After our mains, it was dessert time. I ended up getting the Arcana and Mum got Garden Oath. And I was not expecting what appeared at all. It was so refined and well plated it seemed like we were on an episode of masterchef. Mum's dessert consisted of: Melon mousse with seasonal melon, a caramel pastry with flower fragrant cream, granita jelly with Catherine Rose of Orange along with a meringue, also there were cute fruits decorating the plate. 

Now with mine, it was a Rose Panna Cotta, honey jelly and aloe; a lychee mousse and sorbet and something that I would say was pretty similar to a creme brulee. And again I had fruits decorating my plate. The whole dessert was so lovely, light and refreshing I still think about it and how I doubt I would ever have a dessert like that again. 

Soon our time would be up and the bill came around. In total it came to around 7200yen which was totally worth it for 2 full meals, the experience and atmosphere. 

If anyone is looking at going to a Butler Cafe, I definitely recommend Swallowtail because it was just unreal. You can check out there website and book a table here.

After leaving the cafe/alternate universe, we went to the near by Sunshine City (I think it was called) which is a shopping centre, and I made a bee-line for the Pokemon Mega Centre. I got a few things, of which are again, going to be in the Japan Haul post. And seeing as I didn't find my Umaru yet. I decided I might have the best shot at the Flagship Animate store in Ikebukuro, which is 9 floors. 

A short walk later, and dodging people in cosplay, which was awesome to see. Just hundreds of people dressed up in their favourite anime/manga character outfit/costume was so nice. We reached the glory that is Animate. I had a good look around to no avail. Which was a bit sad. But I was still determined. Upon reaching the ground floor there was a little desk and I decided to ask the girl if she could help me. Firstly, I asked in Japanese if she spoke any English, she didn't really speak much but tried her best. I wrote down Himouto! Umaru-Chan and showed her the photo of the plush. She was so kind to me and went and searched the product code number, the name of the plush and wrote it all down for me in Japanese so I could show people what I was looking for. Which was so nice! And remember that Otome map I told you about a bit earlier? She gave one to me and highlighted all the stores she thought I should try. I don't know about you but I would not have ever got that much help from a staff member in a store in Australia. They would have just been like "Nope, we don't have it" And sent me on my way like a lost lamb. 

Anyway, after she gave me all the info I thanked her profusely and set out. I decided to try the few stores across the street from Animate. First shop was a bust, they didn't really have much stuff from shows I watch, so I moved onto the next. Nope, it wasn't in that one either. So I decided to give up...I was walking towards Mum when I saw another store and decided to give it another shot. So downstairs I went...I looked everywhere...Then, like a beacon of hope, a ray of sunshine, there it was! Right next to the cash registers....

CLICK HERE FOR DAY 1

CLICK HERE FOR DAY 2 PART 1 
CLICK HERE FOR DAY 2 PART 2 

CLICK HERE FOR DAY 3

CLICK HERE FOR DAY 4

Tuesday 3rd May 16

After that massive day going on a Day tour of Mt Fuji, Mum and I were thankful for a bit of a sleep in before heading down to that delicious breakfast buffet. It was beyond amazing, again and the orange juice invigorated my senses.

Today was our first full day in Shibuya and we didn't know where to start. The cool thing with our hotel is that they provide robes to walk around the hotel in, so it was pretty cool to essentially go to breakfast in our pjs without everyone staring. After getting dressed and orientated to where to go, we decided to start with Shibuya 109. This is a multi story women's fashion complex, and all the clothes, accessories were gorgeous! Japanese fashion is very different to that of Australia, or anywhere else really. Flowy materials that hang on the body beautifully is the trend at the moment. Unfortunately anyone that isn't tiny and petite would have a problem shopping at japanese owned and run boutiques due to the small sizing. As someone who isn't a size 4 and is almost 5 foot 10, getting something that suited me would be a challenge. So today wasn't really a buying day but to look a beautiful clothes. I did however buy some awesome socks that were so kawaii! They all had bows and something unique about them that makes wearing footwear just that more interesting. I shall be uploading a haul video and blog post about all the things I bought so it will be linked here when I write it.

One thing that was my eye opening shop was the Sanrio store. At the very top floor of the building, a shop of wonders that had Little Twins, Hello Kitty and GUDETAMA! I was so tempted to go Gudetama crazy but I thought I'd just be a little self controlled and buy 2 washi tapes with different Gudetama prints and some portable Gudetama chopsticks that came in a little case. 

I did have my eye on a small Gudetama cross body bag as I was carrying my leather backpack from ASOS and at that point, from carrying it all yesterday with my big DSLR camera, I decided to leave the camera at home to lessen my burden. But, the back and shoulder pain continued. I decided to file away buying that crossbody bag for later in case I saw something that would be better. 

After Shibuya 109, it was time to hit Forever 21. Personally I didn't want to buy anything from places I could fly to in Australia to buy them. My Mum decided to buy a cool denim jumpsuit and after that we were on our way to another place of wonder. Loft. 

This majestic 6 floored wonder has stolen my heart. It has everything you would ever want. I started on the basement floor which was stationary, for the first time in this store I showed some restraint and just made note of stuff that I should definitely buy before leaving Tokyo. But some of the things I did pick up on this floor were some cute Gudetama stickers (can you tell I'm obsessed?) and a couple of clay molds for my shop. I then headed up to the make up, skin care and hair care floor and again managed to restrain myself (this restraint doesn't stay for the whole trip) and Mum was over looking at some cool Japanese products for brows and the like. I was on the hunt for an eyebrow product and settled on a tinted brow gel from Canmake which I LOVE! 

And I think that's all I got for now from this wonder. The cool thing is that if you're a foreign tourist, make sure you bring your passport and you get 5% off the total cost. Always look out for signage like that because it's well worth it. Make sure too you check if there is a minimum spend. 

Even though it might not have seen like much right now, but all of this exploring has taken hours! I wish it were more exciting but it's just been me starting at packaging and figuring out products are best and what the japanese writing means. 

We were on the way to Parco when we decided to get a bite to eat at J.S Burgers Cafe. One thing we needed to get used to in Japan is that because there are so many people, you have to line up for most places. Even when you see a free table at a casual cafe, most times you can't just run up and call dibs. You have to go in and put your name down. Thankfully because it was mid afternoon, not many people were lunching and we got a table outside. The staff at the J.S Burgers Cafe were so nice and could tell I knew basically no Japanese. They were easy to talk to and I ordered a cheese burger and chilli cheese burger with ease.

One thing I forgot about Japan is that their smoking laws are different to Australia. Here is Australia, you're not allowed to smoke at a venue that serves food, inside or outside as well as anywhere from 4-5m out front of a public building. Or in some general public areas in various cities. Japan is different. They have smoking areas inside restaurants and cafes so people can smoke and eat but outside, it's pretty much fair game unless there is signage. This is relevant as it so happens the man seated next to us pulled out the longest cigarette I've ever seen and began to smoke. The only thing that made us not try and change our seats is that it was so windy in the opposite direction. So mother nature had our backs to blow all that smoke in the other direction and I didn't even smell anything related to cigarette smoke. Finally our food arrived and I was so hungry I didn't get a photo of it. But it was delicious and I loved every bite. The produce was so fresh and crisp it made me forget there was a dude smoking about a metre away.

Whilst I was eating I had a huge realisation that I had seen this burger place before. And I had! It was the place that Dan and Phil had their burgers when they visited Japan about a year ago. Great, I was subconsciously taking myself to places youtubers had gone. If you want to watch their vid CLICK HERE.

Anyway, afterwards we went to various shops like UNIQLO where mum bought some flowy pants that look like a maxi skirt...CUTE! At the top of the Parco was where my dreams were realised. As I had my first encounter with Sailor Moon merchandise and I was so happy! I grabbed a Sailor Jupiter Star Make Up Power pen along with placing some Yen into a Himouto! Umaru-chan capsule machine. The first time wasn't so successful as I got a pin of all 4 of the girls but I wanted the Himouto version of Umaru. And the second time was the charm. I couldn't wait to pin them to my Fairy Tail backpack back at home.

And she was so shopped out and tired that I thought I'd take her back to the hotel where she can chill and I might pop out again. We got back to the hotel and Mum informed me she was too tired to go out to dinner and would probably get some free Ramen later that night. At this point it was about 4-4:30pm and our feet were dead so I rested a bit at the hotel before setting out again.

This time I was alone. The very first time since being here and I had Otaku on the brain, I wanted Manga, and Anime character goods! I googled Mandarake and Animate, and they were so close so I set off! a helpful tip to those travelling that I found out is that, once your phone has loaded the map, you don't need the internet to check your location and progress. I managed to find the obscure building and made my way to Animate! 

It. was. amazing. It had manga, left right and centre as well as a lot of character goods from various different animes. I was a bit disapointed to find out that they mostly had merch from anime that had just come out in the last year. But I was so glad to get a little Himouto! Umaru-Chan mystery packet. It was a little key chain that was a mystery as to which character it has from the show, until you open it. It ended up being Ebina-chan and I wasn't disappointed. She was adorable. From there I took the elevator down to the basement as thankfully Mandarake and Animate are in the same building. Before I got in the elevator, there are many different capsule machines from different themes such as sailor moon to other animes that I have no clue what they were. I couldn't resist and got a couple sailor moon capsules. One was a badge mirror compact and the other was a Sailor Mercury wand magnet. Mandarake was an interesting store. Nothing like I had imagined but I soon found out that not all of them were like this, the one in Shibuya was so cool. In this Basement shop, half of it literally felt like a basement. It was full of Anime movies and dvds and rows and rows of figures and merchandise. Some of them new releases and others were older collectible releases. I didn't end up buying anything but it was an awesome store to experience. After here, I had another goal in mind...Gudetama. That's right, I wanted that bag. I had only brought one carry bag with me and that was my backpack. And although it was good, because I kept having to swing it off to one shoulder to grab my wallet or put something in the back, my left shoulder joint felt like I had dislocated it. 

After walking for a bit I found my way back to Shibuya 109 back up to the Sanrio shop and purchased that coveted bag. At this point the time was about 7:30pm and I was so hungry. I had stopped in front of an arcade with claw machines to figure out what to eat when a man came running up and started to hit on me. Believe me I was flattered but I am a taken lady. Which I mentioned in passing about my Boyfriend back home. Thankfully he was a polite young man and begged me good night and enjoyable time in Tokyo. 

Now back to food. Even though we were in Japan, we hadn't experienced eating out in a proper Tokyo restaurant, which I didn't want to do alone. So I ended up getting an Indian curry take away to go back and eat at the hotel. Nothing was more strange to me than seeing and hearing an Indian man speaking Japanese. It was a different experience and one I enjoyed to see people in different lights. The man was helpful with assisting me with using their vending machine to order and I received my food quickly and was on my way. Thankfully I didn't have any other men running up to me and asking me out as I only had food on the mind a being polite probably wouldn't have been my first instinct, (You can ask my boyfriend and he would tell you not to mess with me when I'm hungry).

Speaking of which, when I got back to the room, I facebook video called him and talked about my day while I ate my Butter Chicken, Naan bread and rice. To be honest, it isn't as good as the amazing Indian food back home, but I would has it has been altered to suit the Japanese palate.

Mum did end up getting her Ramen later that night and we also discovered near the vending machine in the hotel, they have different pillows of various hardness and style. We grabbed a couple and made it back to the room for Beddy byes.