Wednesday 6th July 2016

Today, was a nice relaxing day...after Mount Fuji, we were both exhausted! However, we didn't have an overly hard time getting up which was a surprise. I was excited to get up and explore more of Tokyo and just mosey around looking at the never ending cute stuff Japan has to offer. 

I had a particular place in mind to take Simon for breakfast/lunch because it was all you can eat for an unbelievable price and it wasn't a Japanese dish we had yet whilst in Japan. It was Okonomiyaki at Sakura Tei, in Harajuku.

We set off in a new path to get to Harajuku street, taking the back roads and taking in the new sights and atmosphere. You wouldn't really know until you go but the backstreets of Tokyo really give off a small city vibe when you walk down. There aren't as many pedestrians so it really feels like you're in a totally different city. Also the interesting buildings you come by is also a plus, with their architecture and decor.

After about 20-30mins of walking, we got to Harajuku Street. Which is a haven, one thing about Japan, is that no matter how little the nook or cranny is, you will find a whole new set of stores, or cafes. Which adds to the wonder of Tokyo. It's not all just ground floor too, there are stores underground, in multifloors. There is no end. It was a little bit of a walk to Sakura Tei, which took us down narrow paths. 

Thanks to google maps though it wasn't too hard to find. If you were winging it that would be a different story, we would probably still be looking for it. 

So after arriving we were seated and given menus. Of course, we decided to get the Lunch special which is all you can eat okonomiyaki with 1 drink for 1060 Yen. This gives you 90 mins to order as much as you want (as long as you eat it. Wasting food will enforce a surcharge). With the grill turned on in front of us, and the ordering of our first flavours we were set! If you've never made it before, that's all good as there are clear instructions in English to make sure you perfect your skills. 

There was a Chinese couple on the table next to us and boy they were going H.A.M! They were eating 2 meals, and had 6 different things cooking on the grill at the same time. They were tiny as well. I have no clue how they could have kept eating because, I only had 2.5 and I was stuffed. Same with Simon, he even had to finish my other half and he was gone as well. We had to tap out. 

One hilarious thing though is that at the side of the restaurant is another narrow pathway and we heard booming American accented voices. And low and behold, it was the same Americans on our Mt Fuji trip...what are the odds?? more than 40 million people in Tokyo and we are to run into them again the very next day of the tour. That blew our minds, our very full of okonomiyaki minds. 

After we were full we left Sakura Tei and went out to take in more of Harajuku's awesomeness. There was a lot to see. And we ended up finding this amazing Crystal shop. So much want was had in that store...too many amazing pieces, and the biggest crystal I've ever seen!

Afterwards, we went and looked at Meiji Jingue shrine where Simon wrote on a votive for his wishes. Then walked high and low through Harajuku and Shibuya. Today was a really chill time as it was nice to not be on a schedule. We ended up looking around in Parco in Shibuya 

And for dinner we stuck with what we knew best and wanted most which was....Gyoza! So it was back to Gyozarou in Harajuku for dumplings, lemon sours and great atmosphere. This is where we ended the night before walking back home and ready for the next day.

Thursday 7th July 2016

Today was our last day in Tokyo before we come back for the flights in about a week. and there was one place I had on my mind to go before we left. And that was Saizeriya. Which is an italian chain restaurant where everything is insanely cheap. It of course isn't 5 star authentic Italian but it was tasty and for about $4 for pasta...why not?? I especially loved the Drinks bar, where you pay 190 yen for all you can drink. I definitely wish there was a place in Australia like this where it's cheap, yummy and just insanely cheap. Alas, I will only have the memories of Japan. Thankfully one of the stores was very close to our apartment, which on this day it was BOILING! I mean like you felt like you were frying and in a pot of boiling water at the same time due to the humidity. Fun times.

Taking refuge in Saizeriya was nice and it was a comfortable experience. The only thing is that when you arrive you put your name down, number of people and smoking and nonsmoking...With that issue...it's all written in Japanese and I didn't know what the character for smoking and non smoking were. But there wasn't really a line so we kind of bluffed our way through that process. Today was the day of Shibuya anime stores, tokyu hands and just general Shibuya wanderings. We had an awesome time in the basement of Mandarake, which is heaven for any Manga, character goods collector (from many different years/fandoms) and books, CDs, DVDs...everything. Going down the stairs is very trippy...like a cave rave so anyone who is epileptic or sensitive to flashing lights and blinking coloured lights...I recommend taking the elevator instead. After a browse through there, we went up to the 3rd floor where Animate is housed. It's not the biggest Animate by any means but again, if you like Manga, magazines, and other character goods, it's a nice stop to check out. 

Another must go to is Loft...it's basically like a department store but more of the little things (stationary, craft, makeup, nails, accessories, gifts, homewares, kitchen stuff etc). It was definitely one of my fave stores, along with Tokyu Hands...This store...it's crazy. It's set out in 8 or so floors but their set out in mid floors, so there is floor 5a, 5b or 5c. Meaning that if you take the stairs on the left down it takes you from 5a to 5c, but if you go right, it can take you down to 5b. A bit confusing right? It's not too hard to get a hang of, especially because they have a handy map on every subfloor.

Anyway...talk about shopping because this place has EVERYTHING! Wood works, leather crafting, jewellery making, stationary, framing, science stuff, clothes, tech, accessories, pets, decor...everything!

We definitely spent a huge chunk of time here, and I did a bit of damage getting some crafting supplies. At this point it was getting dark and we had only had that pasta all day. So again it was time to scour the streets looking for a place to eat. After a lot of searching we decided to give this place a go that was down some stairs near the Pet shop in Shibuya. And boy, it was pretty inexpensive, the food looked amazing and we ordered a lot! Karaage, pizza, dumplings, katsu curry...many many foods. The only sort of downside is that the whole place is smoking. So there is no designated non-smoking dining area. It didn't really bother us or the family with kids sitting next to us. I don't know if Japanese cigarettes are less strong smelling, or the place just had really good ventilation exhausts, but soon you could barely acknowledge it was a smoking establishment. If you're sensitive to smoke and such though, I probably wouldn't recommend it just in case. 

But the food arrived and it was delicious, there was literally none of our dishes we could fault. And we did get a fair few dishes. It was a great time and we were just full enough...which means DESSERT TIME!!!! We weren't really in the mood for the convenience store ice creams, so I decided to take us to the L'Occitane Cafe where we had some coffee and creme brulee while we watched the Shibuya scramble crossing. It was pretty interesting to people watch from up there as you see the Promo men trying to get good looking women hooked so they can do their spiel. Then we saw a line of Go Karts, and people driving dressed as Mario, bowzer and Luigi, which was funny.

 With that sight still imprinted in our brains, the Creme Brulee arrived. And boy it looked delish!

It was as good as I had hoped...and for the fact that the two desserts and coffee was more expensive than all that dinner...it had better be. We shoveled down our desserts and sipped the coffee and not before long, it was getting a bit late. Even though just looking out the window, you'd think it was only 7pm with the amount of people still out and about. So we bid the fantastic staff goodbye and began that familiar walk back to the apartment. But before taking a photo of Japan's famous Square and unique shaped watermelon. 

 Until the next post

xxT

Total steps walked this day : 13, 667

Day 2 - 2nd of July 2016

Early start to the day today as we were going to meet at Hamamatsucho Station. We had no clue what we were going to have for breakfast and miso, rice and fish wasn't what we were craving that day for breakie. So we looked to the beacon of the Golden Arches and decided to go to Mcdonalds for breakfast. Which was, in itself, an interesting experience. They had so many different options and you can choose what you want to go along with the burger/muffin, like hashbrown, apple pie, chips, salad..etc and your drink. 

I was a basic b*tch and got a sausage and egg mcmuffin, hash brown and an ice coffee. Simon on the other hand, just looked at the menu and got overwhelmed he chose something that looked like a bacon and egg mcmuffin, but it ain't. LOL.

It was this. 

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.