It is sad to say that my 5 night stay in Tokyo has come to an end. I will be back here for one last night but it won’t be the same since it will have to be a quick and early night to do the fish market the same morning I leave to go back home. I don’t know why but as I type this I feel like this trip is coming to an end really quick even though I still have over a week left. I don’t want this trip to end, I think I'm sad that it eventually will.
There was one more thing I wanted to do in Ikebukuro before I can say that I was done with it. This is where my hotel is so it’s where I decided to start today so I didn’t have to deal with commuting just yet. I went to this area called Namja Town. It’s in Sunshine City, a building complex in Ikebukuro that is huge. The main building was once the tallest building in Japan and there is a huge mall underground and it includes Namja Town. Before I talk about Namja Town, I wanted to say that Tokyo loves their malls almost as much as New Jersey!
Now on to Namja Town. Honestly, I've been dreading writing about Namja Town. I can safely say that I have never been more confused by anything in my entire life than I was by Namja Town. Namja Town was opened by the company Namco, the makers of Pac Man. They made this place to have nothing to do with videogames and nothing to do with anything if you ask me. I don’t regret going here, this was very Japanese which means confusing for a foreigner. This place had carnival arcade games, haunted houses, a weird recreation of old Tokyo, and some other things that I don’t even know what they were to even begin explaining it.
They also had some food places. One was Ice Cream City (I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t want to live in Ice Cream City, unless your lactose intolerant in which case, it sucks to be you) and Gyoza Stadium (for those playing along at home, you should know gyoza is a dumpling, this was from an earlier blog post). Here is a picture of Ice Cream City and a tour of Gyoza Stadium as well as a quick walk I took through Namja Town so you can get a small idea of why it was so confusing. The video doesn’t do it justice but it’s better than nothing.
So to sum up, I spent 300 Yen for this and I think it was worth it. Being confused was fun, because in a day I might think it was awesome, or I might think it was horrible, it can go either way. I don’t know what Namja Town is supposed to be but heck, it’s been around for a while so they’re doing something right. Oh also, there was a recreation of an Italian villa and war themed area, yep, I don’t get it either.
After Namja Town, I find my way back to the train station and I love the Ikebukuro train station. They have an entire food court area in the train station itself serving up amazing food. I decide this is where I'm going for breakfast/lunch. It’s hard choosing one place to go because as you can tell, there are a ton!
I got so nervous that I wouldn’t find sushi in Japan that I got the pre-made stuff. They were incredibly generous with the wasabi but it was still good. I manned up and ate it! This won’t be my only sushi experience on this trip but at least if it was, I can say I had sushi in Japan, a mission I didn’t expect to be as difficult as it has so far been. The other part of my breakfast/lunch was a concoction full of salmon eggs, tobiko, some random fish I don’t know about, salmon egg, cucumbers, and rice. This was a full meal all on it’s own and was so deliciously filling for only $6. I love that you get legit food from what is basically a food court, with no Sbarro in sight. Here is a close-up of the food…
After enough time walking around, I get on the train. I’m heading to the Harajuku stop because Yoyogi Park is across from the train station and that's where I wanted to start my day. I didn’t care that it was sort of raining and very overcast, that won’t stop me! I now realize that me and the train system are best friends. I was jealous of Rob when he said he knew it so well because at the time, that seemed impossible to me but now, I don’t even use the maps to get around Tokyo.
Anyways, Yoyogi Park is where the Meiji Shrine is located. This is a shrine built in honor of a famous Japanese emperor and his wife. Like many things in Japan, it was originally destroyed in World War II but through donations and the cultural respect for the countries history, it was rebuilt. It’s a beautiful shrine and really amazing that this is right in the middle of a major city. Here is a picture from Wikipedia showing you how it’s basically like Central Park, peace and tranquility surrounded by a concrete jungle.
I took the wet but beautiful walk through Yoyogi Park to get to the shrine and here are some pictures of the walk…
At this point I had spent a lot of time at the Meiji Shrine and started heading back to Harajuku to continue with my day. On my way back I stopped at the snack counter and picked up what I thought was mochi but turned out to be a steamed bun that I love so much. Unfortunately, what was inside this steamed bun was not good, not at all. I’m not sure what it was to explain it but if you look at the picture, maybe you can tell. The outside was good, inside not so much.
I’m getting hungry, and as I walk I see across the street the word “SUSHI” written on an awning. Clearly I'm going to make a b-line for that restaurant and either make a fool of myself trying to order sushi or succeed and overcome the language barrier. Turns out I didn’t need to, this was a conveyor belt sushi place. Rob did tell me that if I wanted sushi, odds are it would be conveyor belt sushi and I guess he was right. In the end I had 5 plates but only 4 pictures, I wonder what I forgot to snap a picture of.
Well, considering it’s still on top of my plate when I'm done with my meal counting my plates, I think that’s your answer right there. It was gross, I was not happy with this sushi experience, I need to try again. Hopefully before I come home I get another crack at Japanese sushi.
Each plate is a different color and design and therefore a different price. It’s pretty easy figuring out the prices because of a menu they give you. The best thing about conveyor belt sushi (not the taste, that's for sure!) is that you don’t need to say a word to have a meal, perfect for this gaijin!
After Harajuku, I take the walk up the street to Shibuya. This was a part of the trip I was definitely looking forward to because besides Shibuya being one of the best words ever to say out loud, it is supposed to be the pulse of Tokyo, even more than the neon city known as Shinjuku.
Shibuya is famous for having the worlds busiest intersection. I know this will sound weird but I love large crowds of people, I don’t know why but I always have. With that being said, I was super excited to see this. It was on the cover of the Lost in Translation movie poster so I can add this to the list of places I saw from the movie! I took a ground level picture to give you a sense of what is to come but you’ll have to wait for more pictures after this first one….
I wanted to stay longer and really enjoy the chaos but the sushi taste in my mouth was bothering me, I needed some new food. I head in to the Shibuya train station you see in the picture above to see if they have anything because I'm finding how good train stations are for food. I walk in and see this sign…
The next picture is the Hachikō statue in Shibuya Crossing. This is a great story and I was really happy to see this statue myself. Once again, I'll let Wikipedia explain:
As a way of remembering the professor and dog who later passed away, they created a statue of the dog. Great story and really sweet that the city of Tokyo recognized it like this.
It has also become a major meeting place in Shibuya. If you are planning on meeting someone there, you tell them you’ll meet them at the Hachikō. Don’t believe me? Look…
Now, if you don’t want to hear or see a ton about an intersection, you might want to skip the next part of my blog because I'm going to go on and on about the Shibuya Crossing and how much I love it.
Those are just some pictures of the mess, now, I'm going to give you some interactive elements including a video of me walking through the intersection, some random animated pictures I made, and a birds eye view shot of the whole thing.
I don’t think pictures or videos can do this area justice but I tried, hopefully you get a sense of what I went through and how amazing it is to be there in person.
After I finally get done with the Shibuya Crossing, I walk around the area a bit. Even Shibuya has a bit of a red light area, everywhere in Japan does. Looking at this next picture, you will see how a red light district is designed solely for men, read the signs…
Click on it if you can’t read it all, hopefully it opens up to a bigger version. If it doesn’t, trust me on this.
The next few pictures are random things I saw walking through Shibuya I felt compelled to take a picture of.
I get back to my hotel to write up the blog and I can’t focus for the life of me. I realize I NEED gyoza and green tea. I also realize that my hotel is in the middle of those alley way areas with places open till 3am on weeknights, I have to go and take advantage of this since it’s my last night in Tokyo and who knows what Kyoto night life will be like. I head out to get my gyoza brain food and here is my meal….
Oyasuminasai.
- DAK
There was one more thing I wanted to do in Ikebukuro before I can say that I was done with it. This is where my hotel is so it’s where I decided to start today so I didn’t have to deal with commuting just yet. I went to this area called Namja Town. It’s in Sunshine City, a building complex in Ikebukuro that is huge. The main building was once the tallest building in Japan and there is a huge mall underground and it includes Namja Town. Before I talk about Namja Town, I wanted to say that Tokyo loves their malls almost as much as New Jersey!
Now on to Namja Town. Honestly, I've been dreading writing about Namja Town. I can safely say that I have never been more confused by anything in my entire life than I was by Namja Town. Namja Town was opened by the company Namco, the makers of Pac Man. They made this place to have nothing to do with videogames and nothing to do with anything if you ask me. I don’t regret going here, this was very Japanese which means confusing for a foreigner. This place had carnival arcade games, haunted houses, a weird recreation of old Tokyo, and some other things that I don’t even know what they were to even begin explaining it.
They also had some food places. One was Ice Cream City (I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t want to live in Ice Cream City, unless your lactose intolerant in which case, it sucks to be you) and Gyoza Stadium (for those playing along at home, you should know gyoza is a dumpling, this was from an earlier blog post). Here is a picture of Ice Cream City and a tour of Gyoza Stadium as well as a quick walk I took through Namja Town so you can get a small idea of why it was so confusing. The video doesn’t do it justice but it’s better than nothing.
Pretty self explanatory, one of the only easy to understand parts of Namja Town.
Seriously, I've seen a lot of weird stuff so far in Japan but this is without a doubt the weirdest thing I've ever seen in my life. I have no idea what the hell was happening here!
Gyoza restaurants as far as the eye can see. I didn't count but there must've been at least 15 stores store fronts that sold the exact same items, gyozas and more gyozas. I'm not complaining, I love gyozas but one store probably would've been enough.
This was pretty cool, a tiny model recreation of a traditional Japanese house from the 70’s.
So to sum up, I spent 300 Yen for this and I think it was worth it. Being confused was fun, because in a day I might think it was awesome, or I might think it was horrible, it can go either way. I don’t know what Namja Town is supposed to be but heck, it’s been around for a while so they’re doing something right. Oh also, there was a recreation of an Italian villa and war themed area, yep, I don’t get it either.
After Namja Town, I find my way back to the train station and I love the Ikebukuro train station. They have an entire food court area in the train station itself serving up amazing food. I decide this is where I'm going for breakfast/lunch. It’s hard choosing one place to go because as you can tell, there are a ton!
I got so nervous that I wouldn’t find sushi in Japan that I got the pre-made stuff. They were incredibly generous with the wasabi but it was still good. I manned up and ate it! This won’t be my only sushi experience on this trip but at least if it was, I can say I had sushi in Japan, a mission I didn’t expect to be as difficult as it has so far been. The other part of my breakfast/lunch was a concoction full of salmon eggs, tobiko, some random fish I don’t know about, salmon egg, cucumbers, and rice. This was a full meal all on it’s own and was so deliciously filling for only $6. I love that you get legit food from what is basically a food court, with no Sbarro in sight. Here is a close-up of the food…
It tasted as good as it looks, and it looks good!
This is the Ikebukuro train station food area, yes that’s clothing in front but beyond that as far as the eye can see is all sorts of Japanese food.
Like a lot of great Japanese things, this is underground, I mean that literally, not figuratively.
After enough time walking around, I get on the train. I’m heading to the Harajuku stop because Yoyogi Park is across from the train station and that's where I wanted to start my day. I didn’t care that it was sort of raining and very overcast, that won’t stop me! I now realize that me and the train system are best friends. I was jealous of Rob when he said he knew it so well because at the time, that seemed impossible to me but now, I don’t even use the maps to get around Tokyo.
Anyways, Yoyogi Park is where the Meiji Shrine is located. This is a shrine built in honor of a famous Japanese emperor and his wife. Like many things in Japan, it was originally destroyed in World War II but through donations and the cultural respect for the countries history, it was rebuilt. It’s a beautiful shrine and really amazing that this is right in the middle of a major city. Here is a picture from Wikipedia showing you how it’s basically like Central Park, peace and tranquility surrounded by a concrete jungle.
I took the wet but beautiful walk through Yoyogi Park to get to the shrine and here are some pictures of the walk…
This is the gate to the Meiji Shrine part of Yoyogi Park.
Collections of sake on the left and barrels of French wine on the right. This was a cool emperor, he felt it was important for Japan to learn from other cultures so he dressed and ate and drank in a way someone from the West would’ve done. Because of this, he loved French food and their wines. Very progressive for an emperor.
This is the gate to the actual Shrine, I'm getting closer!
Japan is amazing, you don’t need to ask people to take your picture, they ask you if you want them to take one of you. Some guy asked me if I wanted a picture and I won’t say no to looking like a nerd on the Internet!
Getting closer and closer to the actual temple.
Hey, I know this guy! Different picture that before. I say that cause I'm sure most of you just went back to see if I posted the same one twice.
I wasn’t supposed to take this picture. I found out afterwards that photographs aren’t allowed in the actual temple. Live and learn I guess.
More of the Shinto wooden wishing blocks I saw in Ueno Park.
So, I know what to do with these dippers and water, I just don’t want to disrespect anyone. You take the dipper with water, pour some in your left hand, then your right hand, then put some in your left hand and wash your mouth with it but don’t drink any. After that, you stand the dipper handle side down so the water washes the handle and you put it back. I’ll do this in Kyoto since I learned how to do this for a reason right?
The next several pictures were a separate part of the shrine, an area the emperor use to tend to his hobbies.
Fishing pond
The emperors tea house in the background.
I don’t know what kind of fish these are but they are in the fishing pond. I think fishing here is banned so these guys are safe.
Getting the azaleas ready for the springtime. I saw pictures of these when they are in full bloom and it’s beautiful.
Hopefully you can read this. It’s a description of the well I will be showing off in the next few pictures.
The line to get to the well.
People taking pictures and putting their hand in the well.
Yay, my turn! I get my pictures and put my hand in the water. It’s the most smooth running water I've ever felt. It definitely feels inspiring running your hands through it, you walk away a bit happier than you were just a few minutes earlier.
This is the walk back to the entrance. Notice the pathways are fenced off with bamboo, I really loved that for some reason.
This picture was me having fun with the macro setting on my camera. Came out pretty well if you ask me!
At this point I had spent a lot of time at the Meiji Shrine and started heading back to Harajuku to continue with my day. On my way back I stopped at the snack counter and picked up what I thought was mochi but turned out to be a steamed bun that I love so much. Unfortunately, what was inside this steamed bun was not good, not at all. I’m not sure what it was to explain it but if you look at the picture, maybe you can tell. The outside was good, inside not so much.
It looked like mochi before the lady gave it to me. Once I knew it was a steamed bun I was still ok with it, but then I bit into it and tasted this…
It went from mochi, to a steamed bun, to some mystery food I don’t think I'd get a dog to enjoy. Oh well, I tried!
I know I said I wouldn’t repeat drinks but seriously, Pocari Sweat is sooo good, I am making an exception
After this mini meal (I love mini meals, I get to eat a little of a lot instead of a lot of a little), I walked to Harajuku. You all might know this place because Gwen Stefani in all her holla back rock steady goodness, decided to expose the Harajuku girls to the world. These are girls that dress up as anime/manga characters or just dress up in a very unconventional attention getting kind of way. It’s a phenomenon and a must see on the tour of Tokyo. Well, with my luck, I spent about 4 hours in Harajuku walking everywhere I possibly could and I didn’t see one Harajuku girl! I don’t know what happened but I didn’t see them at all so as far as I'm concerned, they don’t exist. That’s how I'm coping with not seeing them, denial.
Not seeing the Harajuku girls didn’t make me enjoy Harajuku any less, it’s a really amazing area. It has some super high end shopping and Rolls Royce and Ferrari’s all over the place. It sort of like Rodeo Drive if Rodeo Drive was not only on the main streets but in back alley’s also. Where else in the world would Chanel and Louis Vutton open stores in alley ways?
This is a strip of stores and restaurants with no adults in sight. Seems like all of the Japanese youth fill this street and buy American clothing and nick-nacks. You would think the Harajuku girls would be here, nope, not so much.
They have a Daiso also!
Here is a store name you would never see in the USA…or Vatican City (too soon?).
Up-scale shopping in a back alley. That’s how you use space in an urban location, kick out the bums and open a Burberry Blue Label!
It’s tough to see in this picture but this was a store with long window from one end of the building to another. A window just big enough to put in fake butts with boy shorts on them. Yep, that's what all of that is, mannequin butts with boy shorts on.
By now you should all know that I love residential areas in Tokyo. This one is a block off of a Puma and Tumi store.
Almost better than a residential area in a major downtown is the site of a temple and…
….a Japanese garden.
Ok, let me try explaining this. These little photo booths are EVERYWHERE. It’s only for women so I have to guess what goes on in there but I actually think girls go in there and you can put fake makeup on using the camera and photo booth to get pictures of yourself all done up. I can’t verify this but looking at the pictures on the booths, I actually think I might be right. These are so wildly popular with girls of all ages.
This is an Audi dealer, the building is so cool looking. It definitely stands out which is saying a lot in a place like Harajuku.
I’m getting hungry, and as I walk I see across the street the word “SUSHI” written on an awning. Clearly I'm going to make a b-line for that restaurant and either make a fool of myself trying to order sushi or succeed and overcome the language barrier. Turns out I didn’t need to, this was a conveyor belt sushi place. Rob did tell me that if I wanted sushi, odds are it would be conveyor belt sushi and I guess he was right. In the end I had 5 plates but only 4 pictures, I wonder what I forgot to snap a picture of.
Conveyor belt sushi! They have had one of these in the Palisades Mall for years, I never wanted to go. Now that I'm in Japan, I finally do it, was it worth it? Keep reading to find out…
I’m not sure what kind of fish this was under the salmon eggs but it was good. I love salmon eggs.
This was a whole bunch of stuff, I forgot everything it it other than the avocado but I remember liking it.
Ok this one was disgusting. The stuff next to the eggs under the pickled radishes (which weren’t bad) is garlic or something nasty. It wasn’t good and I smothered it in shoyu just to swallow it.
Before I ate this one, it looked good. A little roe and cucumber, how can you go wrong?
Well, considering it’s still on top of my plate when I'm done with my meal counting my plates, I think that’s your answer right there. It was gross, I was not happy with this sushi experience, I need to try again. Hopefully before I come home I get another crack at Japanese sushi.
Each plate is a different color and design and therefore a different price. It’s pretty easy figuring out the prices because of a menu they give you. The best thing about conveyor belt sushi (not the taste, that's for sure!) is that you don’t need to say a word to have a meal, perfect for this gaijin!
After Harajuku, I take the walk up the street to Shibuya. This was a part of the trip I was definitely looking forward to because besides Shibuya being one of the best words ever to say out loud, it is supposed to be the pulse of Tokyo, even more than the neon city known as Shinjuku.
Shibuya is famous for having the worlds busiest intersection. I know this will sound weird but I love large crowds of people, I don’t know why but I always have. With that being said, I was super excited to see this. It was on the cover of the Lost in Translation movie poster so I can add this to the list of places I saw from the movie! I took a ground level picture to give you a sense of what is to come but you’ll have to wait for more pictures after this first one….
I wanted to stay longer and really enjoy the chaos but the sushi taste in my mouth was bothering me, I needed some new food. I head in to the Shibuya train station you see in the picture above to see if they have anything because I'm finding how good train stations are for food. I walk in and see this sign…
Who in there right mind wouldn’t go somewhere called the Tokyu Food Show (yes, it’s spelled Tokyu, not sure why)?
This is an even bigger food market than the one I love in Ikebukuro. I am so happy, the food is endless and the energy is electric!
It’s not just pre-made foods, they have a lot of fresh stuff that people can get before they hop on the train and head home for the night.
Samples! As if I need more reason to love this place! This was some sort of teriyaki chicken, it was delicious, most free things are.
Sushi art! I honestly have no idea how they do this.
I end up going to this place because I was craving some yakitori and the great thing about Japan is when you are craving something, there is always a place close and open to get it from.
So, the yakitori that I thought was chicken end up being chicken liver. Still good but man, when you aren’t expecting liver and you get it, you freak out a bit. The ball on the left was almost like a Japanese falafel. It was really good!
I got some mochi! The outside was great but the gods aren’t happy with me because inside is the same nonsense that was in the steamed bun from earlier. Boo to food you can’t see the inside of before you eat it! The sign probably said something to describe what’s in it but it’s in Japanese so, well, yea.
The next picture is the Hachikō statue in Shibuya Crossing. This is a great story and I was really happy to see this statue myself. Once again, I'll let Wikipedia explain:
In 1924, Hachikō was brought to Tokyo by his owner, Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo. During his owner's life Hachikō saw him out from the front door and greeted him at the end of the day at the nearby Shibuya Station. The pair continued their daily routine until May 1925, when Professor Ueno did not return on the usual train one evening. The professor had suffered a heart attack at the university that day. He died and never returned to the train station where his friend was waiting.Hatchiko was loyal and every day for the nine years he waited sitting there amongst the towns folk
Hachikō was given away after his master's death, but he routinely escaped, showing up again and again at his old home. Eventually, Hachikō apparently realized that Professor Ueno no longer lived at the house. So he went to look for his master at the train station where he had accompanied him so many times before. Each day, Hachikō waited for Professor Ueno to return. And each day he did not see his friend among the commuters at the station.
As a way of remembering the professor and dog who later passed away, they created a statue of the dog. Great story and really sweet that the city of Tokyo recognized it like this.
It has also become a major meeting place in Shibuya. If you are planning on meeting someone there, you tell them you’ll meet them at the Hachikō. Don’t believe me? Look…
See, you didn't believe me!
Now, if you don’t want to hear or see a ton about an intersection, you might want to skip the next part of my blog because I'm going to go on and on about the Shibuya Crossing and how much I love it.
Those are just some pictures of the mess, now, I'm going to give you some interactive elements including a video of me walking through the intersection, some random animated pictures I made, and a birds eye view shot of the whole thing.
Here is a before and after so you can see it while the people are waiting and when the dam is lifted and people lose all sense of space.
The Starbucks that is located here is the popular place to watch the intersection from up above. I took advantage and took a video of the entire process.
This is the worlds busiest intersection and that's not just a made up title, this place is awesome. I must've walked through this intersection 20 times before I finally left. It's sooo much fun!
I don’t think pictures or videos can do this area justice but I tried, hopefully you get a sense of what I went through and how amazing it is to be there in person.
After I finally get done with the Shibuya Crossing, I walk around the area a bit. Even Shibuya has a bit of a red light area, everywhere in Japan does. Looking at this next picture, you will see how a red light district is designed solely for men, read the signs…
Click on it if you can’t read it all, hopefully it opens up to a bigger version. If it doesn’t, trust me on this.
The next few pictures are random things I saw walking through Shibuya I felt compelled to take a picture of.
Gastronomic Deep Fry, oh man, that sounds just perfect! GDF 4 life!
Yay, more tri-forces! This time on a restaurant. So that’s twice now, once at a temple, and once on a restaurant. Things happen in 3’s people!
Yes, I took this because it has DAK in the title, and I'm a sucker for my initials. Anyone who doesn’t know that doesn’t know me.
And that does it for Shibuya. I hopped on the train for an early night to work on the blog. On the way home on the train I saw someone who seemed to be a bit too Shibuya-ed out…
I think you can spot her, and no, she's not the one with the surgical mask on.
I get back to my hotel to write up the blog and I can’t focus for the life of me. I realize I NEED gyoza and green tea. I also realize that my hotel is in the middle of those alley way areas with places open till 3am on weeknights, I have to go and take advantage of this since it’s my last night in Tokyo and who knows what Kyoto night life will be like. I head out to get my gyoza brain food and here is my meal….
Gyoza up top, yummy miso on the right, and awesome fried rice on the left. Man, I can get used to this!
Here is the restaurant, to the left is a brothel. Hey, I never said these alley ways were clean. Safe, but not very clean.
And that wraps up day 5. I swear, one of these days my blogs will get shorter in length and not constantly longer. I swear I thought this blog would be short but once I start typing, I can’t stop it. I really do type like I talk and like with my mouth, I can’t get my hands to shut up.
This is a sad night though, it’s my last night in Tokyo before I go Kyoto. I know Kyoto will be amazing but I love Tokyo. I fell in love with it immediately and it will be really really tough leaving it. Oh well, I guess I knew this was going to happen.
I don’t know what the Internet situation will be like at the next hotel. I am hoping I have it in the room so I can continue the blog but I am saying there is a chance I won’t. I hope that doesn’t happen because I want to keep this blog going and without Internet, I can’t Wish me luck!
Oyasuminasai.
- DAK
