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Day 1- LAX to HND
Another trip soon to be in the books. Definitely a long time coming as I typically take my trips earlier in the spring. However, I wanted to change it up a bit this year and try going in the fall for some momiji-gari (aka autumn leaf hunting). My morning started at 7am and I met up my friend at the Flyaway. Arrived at LAX around 9am and we were able to get our bags checked curbside. Easy peasy. Thankfully this time, I had my Global Entry and breezed through security. My friend and I grabbed some coffees and a breakfast sandwich before our boarding time around 10:30am.
The flight itself was fairly smooth with palatable in-flight meals. Still, I felt like the last 3-4 hours dragged on and I was anxious to hit the ground running once we landed in Japan. When we finally landed, we breezed through customs with the kiosks for fingerprints/pictures and at baggage claim, our priority checked bags were waiting for us. Nice nice. Once we were through security, our first mission was to secure a fresh IC card. Unfortunately, there were only Pasmo cards available and the line for the Welcome Suica was ridiculous. So we both quickly decided to skip that for now and hopped in elevator to the taxi stand on 1F.
For this particular trip, my friend and I decided to try Airbnb instead of a hotel as we would both have our own rooms for more privacy as well as soundproofing since my friend snores quite loudly. The drive to Meguro wasn't too long and I could admire the views of the city as our taxi smoothly went across the two lane highways to our destination. The taxi itself was about 7200 yen (~$47). Definitely cheaper than last year's taxi to Tokyo Dome Hotel in Bunkyo city.
Once we found the Airbnb, we checked out our new home for the next 16 days and unpacked. The Airbnb itself was decent and homey, but didn't have available closets as the one that it did have were being used for storing cleaning supplies unfortunately. Regardless, we settled in a bit and then decided to venture around the neighborhood and decided on a chain noodle restaurant, Fujisoba Nishi Koyama. I got a hot soba/curry rice combo while my friend got a hot soba/donburi combo. It wasn't the best quality, but definitely satiated my appetite as the first meal of our trip and it was pretty affordable too.
Afterwards, we cabbed it over to Record Bar Hellish for a few drinks. I remember seeing a streamer check the bar out and the vibe definitely looked chill. Once we arrived, it was up a steep flight of stairs to the second floor. The owner/bartender spun some records in between mixing cocktails and he even made his own mixers. Pretty admirable. We enjoyed a few cocktails and enjoyed the music while chatting with the owner and even an expat couple who came in later.
Afterwards, we wandered around the area and tried to grab some tickets for the Ramen Festa at a nearby 7-11. However, the employees seemed clueless about the tickets despite there being posters advertising the ramen festival. We decided maybe skipping the festival may be a good idea after seeing pictures of long line-ups from past events. So, we headed back to our Airbnb and wandered around the local neighborhood of Meguro. I grabbed a sushi set from a shop in the area and we also got a few snacks from Family Mart as well. Not a very eventful first night, but I'm sure it'll ramp up as the trip goes.
Day 2- Shopping spree
Woke up around 6am. Jet lag onset. Despite the lack of sleep, I decided that we could take advantage of waking up early by squeezing in two shrines before our shopping spree later today when the stores open around 11am.
First up was Sengaku-ji shrine in Minato city (aka the 47 Ronin shrine). I thought the story of the 47 Ronin was inspiring and I've always loved the history of the samurai. The shrine grounds were still being swept and set up by the shrine employees as we were one of the few visitors in the morning. The shrine was very quiet and serene despite being nestled in a local neighborhood. Seeing the grave markers of each samurai, I admired the devotion to justice and to their leader as they made the ultimate sacrifice.
Afterwards, we stopped by a Daily Yamazaki conbini for some snacks and moved on towards the second shrine of the morning, Hie Shrine. Located in Chiyoda, what sets this shrine apart from others is the stark juxtaposition of the shrines with skyscrapers in the background. You could enjoy traditional and modern architecture all in the same field of view. Pretty cool.
After soaking in the views of the shrine and city, it was time for the shop-a-thon. The next stop is Shibuya. As we walked closer and closer to Shibuya Scramble Square, I could see the massive crowds of tourists mixed in with locals trying to commute to work. It was as overwhelming as I remembered. It also felt extra crowded since Halloween was coming soon.
As we navigated and weaved through the scramble, I noticed tons of signs and billboards with "No Events for Halloween" written on them. I chuckled to myself as I had planned ahead for it and redirected our Halloween celebrations to Osaka instead. WIth the current ban on Halloween events, Shibuya and Shinjuku are also having bars close at 5pm. Definitely an overcorrection in my opinion from the Tokyo government after the Halloween debacle a few years back.
As we continued on further away from the scramble, the crowds of tourists lessened. The first stop before the shopping spree was Sakura Stage. It looked like it had some pretty nice architecture and various shops. We even spotted some interesting popup with Min-nanno and other brands. After the brief archiecture detour, we hit up a barrage of shops including Village Vanguard, Zoff, Jins, GU, Bape, Loft, Muji, Onitsuka Tiger, Rinkan, Descente, and World of Flight. My friend and I both got prescription glasses made. I chose Zoff while my friend chose Jins.
My glasses were completed in about 2 hours, while my friend's glasses required 2-3 days due the severity of his prescription haha. Still worth it if you're prescription is fairly simple and you're looking for some stylish frames.
For lunch, we stopped by a yakiniku chain called Yakiniku Like nearby. The food was pretty decent, but you could tell that it was chain restaurant quality. Also, the grill was pretty weak and struggled to cook 4 pieces of meat at once. We got scolded a bit when we tried to cook more than 4 pieces of meat at a time haha. After lunch, we headed back to rest up and then had dinner at a pizza restaurant called Savoy in Meguro. Yes, pizza in Japan. It was actually pretty good and we also had some pasta that was pretty good as well.
Day 3- Reunion
Slept a little better today, but still woke up a bite early at 7am. Jet lag got ahold of me. My friend and I had plans to finish the rest of our shopping spree today, but first we needed sustenance for the day. We decided to grab some fluffy Japanese souffle pancakes at Flipper's in Shibuya. I heard that they've already franchised in the states as well, but I still wanted to give it a try.
The lineup wasn't too bad and my friend and I were able to grab seats fairly quickly. There was a bit of an order backlog in the kitchen, so it did take quite some time for our food to arrive. However, when the pancakes did arrive, they were worth the wait. I got some milk tea pancakes with some sausage and egg, while my friend got a berry mix pancake with some bacon on the side. Both were super fluffy with a good amount of sweetness. That Asian level of sweetness. Just right.
After the carb and sugar power up, we went to Harajuku and checked out various shops including Tokyo23, A'Gem, Descente, Stussy, Beams/Beams Plus, Worm, and Otsumo Plaza. For lunch, we checked out Gyukatsu Motomura in Shibuya. It began to rain a bit as we walked toward the restaurant, but the grilled gyukatsu definitely did not disappoint! Always a crowd pleaser.
After lunch, we rested up at the Airbnb. When evening came, we hopped in a cab to Shimokitazawa to have dinner with my brother, his gf, and two of his friends at a seafood/sushi izakaya chain called Uoshin. It was nice seeing my brother and meeting his gf along with some of his friends. I definitely enjoy chatting with locals and having opportunities to practice some Japanese.
The food at the izakaya was pretty tasty and it was cool that we could order both izakaya food as well as sushi since they had both restaurants adjacently attached. After dinner, my friend and I headed back to rest up for our first day trip tomorrow.
Day 4- Yokohama
Woke up at a reasonable time this morning. My friend and I grabbed a quick conbini breakfast consisting of coffee, onigiri, and sandwiches. Then it was off to Yokohama (aka Chinatown). The 40 minute train ride wasn't too bad and we managed to arrive at the Yokohama Ramen Museum about an hour before they opened. To kill time, we briefly wandered around the neighborhood. But then I saw a massive tour bus pull up and out poured tons of Asian tourists. We backtracked and decided to line up early so we could get into the museum and avoid the long lineup. Thankfully, the line moved quickly and we were one of the first groups to get into the museum ahead of the other tourists.
The ramen museum itself was quite small and mainly on 1F with a handful of infographics and vintage ramen carts. The main attraction of the museum were the ramen shops located in B1 and B2 that sell ramen from various locations in Japan. I even saw a few locals there amongst the large group of tourists. Sadly, we couldn't share ramen bowls so my friend and I decided to divide and conquer and check out different ramen shops. I opted for a tonkotsu ramen from a shop that has been open the longest in the museum, while my friend got a spicy miso ramen from Yamagata. My ramen was quite good, but nothing mind-blowing. I could sense some tourist "trappiness" from this place.
Afterwards, we hopped on a train to get to the Minatomirai area to check out The Sky Garden for a view of Yokohama on 69F. The walk from the train station to the building was nice and full of walkalators that allowed you to enjoy the view of Yokohama bay with the ferris wheel, pirate ships, and architecture. I also saw that they had a ropeway called Yokohama Air Cabin that goes around part of the bay. Once we got up to 69F, the views of Yokohama from The Sky Garden were actually super nice and I even bought some beers to enjoy the view with.
After basking in the amazing views, we checked out a nearby shopping mall called Yokohama Plaza and then cabbed it over to Chinatown. Once we arrived, it was packed with mostly domestic Japanese tourists and not many international tourists. Each stall seemed to sell the same food including shumai, har gow, pork bao buns, and fried xialongbao. We walked the entire main street, but backtracked to give one of the stores a try. We got a few har gow, xialongbao, and duck wraps. Unfortunately, the food was pretty mediocre and disappointing. Most of it wasn't fresh and you could tell that the shops pre-cooked most of it as the food came out lukewarm. Gross. Definitely a PASS if you ever find yourself here.
After struggling to finish the stale food, we strolled over to Yokohama stadium so my friend could check out the souvenir shop. We then hopped back on the train back to the Airbnb to rest up. Before dinner, we decided to check out Daikanyama and checked out a few shops including Nanamica Mountain, Descente Blanc, Okura, and Hollywood Ranch Market, and Tsutaya bookstore. There's definitely a more chill vibe shopping in the evening. From there, we took a taxi to Chuo city and met up my brother for a nice sukiyaki dinner at Ningyocho Imahan located in a Takashimaya SC (shopping center).
The meal itself was a course meal including sukiyaki, sashimi, seasonal dishes, and dessert. The cuts of meal were A5 and melted in your mouth. Umami AF. Probably in the top 5 meals of the trip! We enjoyed a few cocktails as well in between bites of delicious wagyu. Afterwards, my friend and I headed back to the Airbnb to rest up and do some much needed laundry.
Day 5- Ginza
Started the day around 7am and did a load of laundry. It took forever, so we checked out a nearby bakery for breakfast called Nemo bakery. The bakery itself was very cozy looking and had lots of fresh pastries. I grabbed a few random ones and they all were amazing. Once my laundry was finished, my friend and I headed off in the rainy weather to check out shops in Ginza. The first stop for myself was Asics Tokyo Ginza as the shoes I brought were not doing my feet any favors. I ended up buying some Gel-Nimbus 26 and they were so cushy. They became my go-to shoe for the rest of the trip. Definitely invest in some comfy footwear! Afterwards, it was time to check out DSM, Ginza 6 mall, and Beams Ginza.
For lunch, we had some chicken ramen (tori paitan) at Ginza Kagari. They had some new additions such as truffle chicken ramen, which I had to try. It ended up just being okay as the truffles overpowered the chicken broth. Nevertheless, it hit the spot as it began to rain a bit harder outside. After lunch, we stopped by Ginza Kimuraya to see if they had any curry pan for sale as they were quite tasty last time I was here. Sadly, they were sold out and the bakery was completely overtaken by a massive swarm of women.
We hastily got out of there and grabbed a taxi back to rest up and do more laundry before meeting my brother and his gf at a yakitori spot in Ebisu called Kirin Annex. It continued to rain through the evening, but I was looking forward to some yakitori. Probably one of my favorites when it comes to Japanese cuisine. We all got a yakiniku course, which included yakiniku classics like wing, heart, skin, and a few others. Each skewer was cooked to perfection and so flavorful. But the main star of the yakiniku course was having the opportunity to try a rare cut called chouchin, which consists of chicken reproductive parts with an attached egg yolk. It looks a bit funny at first glance, but once you put it in your mouth and that yolk pops...food orgasm. Foodgasm. So delicious and one of the best pieces of the night. After the course, we added a few more additional skewers and then finished off the meal sharing an oyakodon, bamboo charcoal ramen, and soboro (ground chicken and scrambled eggs).
The meal itself was just amazing and the drink offerings were also quite good from their cocktails to the beers. Definitely #2 on my list of stuff eaten on this trip! I definitely will need to come back again on my next trip! After the meal, we finished up more laundry and I took a nice long soak in a bath while enjoying the sounds of the rain before calling it a good night.
Day 6- JR Pass
It's time to activate my gaijin power! JR Pass time. My friend and I decided to check out Shinagawa station and avoid Tokyo station in order to avoid long lines. We got a bit lost once we arrived at the station, but thankfully we found an information booth that directed us to the right spot. To my pleasant surprise, the queue wasn't too bad and we were able to get our JR passes and a few reserve seat tickets for some upcoming shinkansen trips including Osaka, Nagoya, and Hachinohe in Aomori.
Afterwards, it was onward to the Small Worlds Museum. It's a miniature museum with large scale models of various parts of Japan, artists dioramas, and even anime collabs such as Evangelion. The details on the miniature models were amazing and very well done. I also liked that each model had various buttons you could push to interact with the model and activate various functions. There was even a model with a button that said "I need to pee" and upon pushing the button, it activated one of the miniature models to start peeing haha.
What's also kinda cool is that the museum had a feature where you could get scanned and make a miniature figure of yourself. It was a bit pricey and unfortunately took a few weeks to complete so you'd get the miniature shipped to you. Kind of a bummer it took so long. They even had miniature bonsai making classes, but those took about 1hr or so to complete. Still would be worth trying if you ever find yourself here and have some time to spare. After seeing all the exhibits, we hopped on the elevator and stopped by the museum cafe for some drinks and dessert. The cafe itself was very well decorated with a big miniature model smack in the middle with seats around it. Pretty neat.
Once we were done at the museum, it was onward to Azabudai Hills. It's a fairly new multi-building complex with various shops, restaurants, and markets. The reason why it made it on the itinerary was that the architecture of the complex is quite striking visually. We admired the architecture of the various buildings and while doing so, realized how close Tokyo Tower was. On towards the Japanese Eiffel Tower! We made our way through Tokyo Tower dori and stumbled upon a park nearby to enjoy the view. We also stopped by the viral parking lot stairs Instagram spot that we visited on our last trip and naturally there was a long line of tourists waiting their turn for their photo op. Thankfully, we were both able to get those photos last trip, so we just skipped it and chuckled at the tourists.
From there, we cabbed it over to Gonpachi Nishi Azabu, the famous izakaya style restaurant that was recreated in the movie Kill Bill. The restaurant itself was a lot smaller inside, but was adorned with various Kill Bill memorabilia and merchandise. They even played various songs from Tarantino movies as we enjoyed a quick lunch there. The food was decent, but not quite memorable. Afterwards, we headed back to rest up before the evening.
For dinner, we checked out Butagumi Shokudo inside the Roppongi Hills mall. The mall was sectioned off into various sections and the tonkatsu restaurant was inside the Metro Hat/Hollywood Plaza section. We got a bit lost, but were able to be redirected by the information desk employee. It was insanely gusty for some reason that night and I had to hold onto my hat on my head. We even had to help a lady whose hat flew off her head in the evening gusts.
Once we were back in the right section of the mall, we found Butagumi Shokudo nestled in between other well known restaurants such as Ginza Kagari ramen, Afuri ramen, and a few others. There was a bit of a lineup, but it moved along and we were able to order and enjoy some freshly fried tonkatsu from various parts of Japan. The crisp on the tonkatsu was delicate, rich, fatty, and full of umami. It was a bit of a heavy dinner, but definitely hit the spot.
After the greasy dinner, we rolled over to nearby Tokyo City View near the Mori Tower. Unfortunately, I didn't realize until it was too late. They PERMANTENTLY closed the rooftop sky view and the only views were indoors. Most of the pictures had bad reflections and it was difficult to get a clear picture of the evening cityscape of Tokyo. Definitely a rip off and not worth visiting. AVOID.
While the view sucked, we had a better view to enjoy. From there, we cabbed it over to our next stop of the evening. Tantra Tokyo for a Halloween themed burlesque show. My kinda views. We arrived early for the burlesque show, but were still able to get in and were given amazing front row seats for the show. Our tickets allowed us to stay 90 minutes. Each burlesque show was about 15-20 minutes and pole dancers would dance in between shows. I definitely enjoyed the theatrics and acrobatic skills of some of the pole dancers there.
We saw about 3-4 shows and the show-womanship was awesome and very well done. I did cringe a little when they asked if we wanted to buy some "funny money" to tip the dancers since it seemed like they were trying to milk the tourists for money. Still, might be worth tipping your favorite dancers if you're feeling generous. After the show, we cabbed it back to rest up before our Halloween trip to Osaka.
Day 7- Halloween in Osaka
The day has finally arrived. Halloween in Japan. Specifically, Halloween in Osaka. I also found out that some streamers I follow were going to be there, so I had some hopes that I could bump into some of them and say hi. My friend and I cabbed it to Shinagawa station and grabbed a few ekibens and snacks for the train trip. We left from Shinagawa station to Shin-Osaka station and arrived around 1pm. Thankfully our room was ready early and we got to check in early before the typical 3pm check-in time. I also got enrolled in some VIP program and was given some free drink vouchers and breakfast vouchers for our two night stay. Score.
After settling in and unpacking briefly, we checked out a few shops including Rinkan Minamihorie, Liberty Walk Osaka, MSPC, and Momotaro. My friend and I both got lucky and found some pieces at Rinkan Minamihorie that we have been hunting for. For me, it was a Summit Series TNF x Supreme jacket, while my friend got some AJ1 x Fragment sneakers for a good deal. Definitely a big W for both of us. After a successful shopping trip, we grabbed lunch at Dotonbori Imai, an udon chain that has very flavorful dashi and fresh udon noodles. We both opted for a nabe udon, which hit the spot in the cooler weather. I also was able to get a melon pan with ice cream after dinner, which I definitely wanted to try on the last trip. The bread was nice and warm in contrast with the cold strawberry ice cream. Umai.
After wandering Dotonbori for a bit, we rested up back at the hotel before going out at night for Halloween. My friend hit up some shops in Nipponbashi den den, while I rested up and planned the rest of the night. Once we were both ready, we decided to skip the costumes this trip and go more for people watching for Halloween. I heard some bars didn't allow costumed patrons and were turning them down. I definitely wanted to check out some local bars, so we decided no costumes.
Before bar hopping, we redeemed our free drink vouchers at the hotel bar. Unfortunately, they were for non-alcoholic drinks. Pfft. So we just got some teas and then headed off to the nearby Lawsons conbini to buy some Ukon no Chikara, which is a turmeric based "anti-hangover" drink you can consume before drinking to prevent hangovers. After downing them and prepping our livers, the first bar of the night was Bar Freedom Japanese Whiskey. Upon entering the shop on 2F, it was very cozy and decorated with a nice long wooden counter and one wooden booth table. The owner surprisingly spoke English very well and it turned out that he was an ex-pat from Taiwan that studied abroad. The whiskey recommendations were top notch and I gained a new appreciation for Japanese whiskey. We tried a few whiskeys distilled by Ichiro, Togouchi, and Kanosuke. They all had some subtle complexity and more importantly, gave me a nice buzz. After about four tastings, we got the check...which was about $78. A bit steep, but we did try some fancy stuff that probably ended up being around $19 per glass.
The second stop of the night was Kizuna Bar. This spot was more of a local watering hole and had a few regulars in there. My friend and I were the only foreigners in the small, cozy bar. The owner welcomed us in and even showed us some menus he made with useful Japanese phrases with English translation. By the end of the night, we learned a few new Japanese words and Osaka-ben (Osaka slang). We even tried some shots of habu (habushu) liquor from Okinawa that has a dead snake in the bottle. The bar owner was also nice and gave us various snacks in between cocktails such as yogurt with honey, chocolate, dagashi, and other random things. He even got both of us in the mood to do some drunken karaoke. After we got our bill, I did wonder if he may have overcharged us a bit as we were clearly tourists. I wasn't too sure, but I still enjoyed myself for the time we stayed there and was able to chat with some of the regulars at the bar as well as with the bar staff. Definitely worth checking out if you want to bump elbows with the locals and get a vibe of the local community.
After having a few cocktails, we both gradually made our way back to the main street of Dotonbori and enjoyed the various wild costumes passing us by. It almost felt like I was at a Japanese versino of Comic Con. So many anime cosplayers, superheroes, and other random sexy cosplays. Luckily, as we were making our way down the street, I was able to find one of my favorite streamers and got a picture with her. Mission accomplished.
After wandering Dotonbori for a bit, we headed back up to rest. While I was open to drinking and trying more bars, my friend's energy was waning and so we called it a night. Still a memorable night and Osaka Halloween is definitely a lot more friendlier and fun than Tokyo's lame "No Halloween Events." It's definitely a MUST visit if I ever find myself in Japan during this time of year.
Day 8- Kyoto omotenashi
Woke up feeling good without a hangover. Hmm maybe that Ukon no Chikara saved my ass. My friend and I started off the morning by grabbing some free breakfast at the hotel. It surprisingly wasn't too bad with a mix of Western and Japanese offerings. Definitely better than the mediocre continental breakfasts that most American hotels so graciously offer. After the free meal, we inquired about takuhaibin (luggage delivery) at the check-in desk, but apparently it was difficult to arrange for Airbnbs as they would require a local number to confirm delivery time. Bummer. Dragging luggage through train stations it is.
Afterwards, we went onwards to check out Umeda Sky observation deck to get a view of Osaka from an open air rooftop deck. The views were definitely much better in comparison to Tokyo City View in Roppongi as the view was 360 and unobstructed. Definitely worth a visit. After enjoying the view, we checked out Beams Namba near our hotel in Namba and then headed off for lunch at Wagyu Idaten. The line-up was quite long and extended upstairs, so we decided to skip it and ate at a random izakaya in Dotonbori. Bad idea. The food was very mediocre at best and might have been the worst meal of the trip. Still, we enjoyed a few cheap drinks and moved onto checking out the various stores and shops in Nipponbashi.
Once evening rolled through, for dinner, we had reservations for Tempura Endo Yasaka at 5pm in Kyoto. It was raining already as we took a cab over to the restaurant. We were the first party to arrive. The vibe of Kyoto definitely feels old school and very fancy. While I've never stayed in Kyoto, it made me rethink maybe in the future I'll have to try looking into booking a machiya ahead of time and checking out Kiyomizu Dera and other temples nearby for more of the old Japan experience. Perhaps maybe even participating in a tea ceremony.
Once it was closer to our reservation time, we were seated inside the small L-shaped restaurant. The omotenashi was on max level as they poured our drinks and tried to ensure that all our requests were met promptly. The tempura itself was quite tasty and even had some fancy stuff like truffle tempura, caviar, deep fried uni, and other things. The meal ended with a donburi and some desserts. Overall, the service was impeccable, but I did feel it was a bit stuffy and the atmosphere didn't match my vibe. Still, I enjoyed the meal but would likely consider a more casual spot that has more bang for your buck. Not a top 5 meal, but I'd say top 10 for this trip.
After our meal, I originally planned for us to check out Satsukiyama Park for a nice view of a tori gate overlooking Kyoto, but it was still raining quite a bit. So we headed back to the train and returned to our hotel. We rested up a bit and then decided to go back out later to try Tsurutontan, an udon noodle chain restaurant. Sadly, the lineup was pretty long in the rain and so we retreated to a nearby Torikizoku yakitori chain restaurant instead. We grabbed a few skewers and drinks to satiate our late night appetite. The drinks were surprisingly good and I loved the "otoko ume" sour drink. It seems to be a mix of salted plum with soda water. Very refreshing to drink with a unique flavor profile that's salty, plummy, and a bit floral too. After a few late night skewers and drinks, we called it a night.
Day 9- Nagoya and nostalgia
Checked out and had the hotel hold our luggage until 3pm. I had plans to meet up an old college buddy of mine out in Nagoya around 5pm, so we had plenty of time to kill before hopping on the shinkansen. The main goal of the day was to go back and line up for Wagyu Idaten for their wagyu don. I had to know if all the Tiktok and Instagram reels were hyping this spot or if it was legit good. My buddy and I lined up around 10:30am. Unsurprisingly we were the first ones in line. Over time, the line began to slowly grow and grow. The shop opened their doors at 11am and we climbed up the stairs to grab a number ticket. There's a small waiting room decorated with a full set of samurai armor. Badass. Once the restaurant officially opened at 11:30am, we got a corner seat on the left and watched the chefs prepare the wagyu donburi as orders began to trickle in. I opted for the fancy wagyu donburi with various seasonal veggies on it while my friend got the wagyu/sukiyaki don.
Our wagyu dons came in very fancy wooden lacquered boxes and the presentation was impeccable. Upon lifting up the box's lid, it was visually stunning. Fortunately, the taste was also quite stunning and delicious as each slice of wagyu was very lightly seared to render some of the fat. Super tender and every bite was amazing. We also got some wagyu nigiri that came in a fancy wood lacquered box filled with smoke. It definitely made everyone in the restaurant turn their heads. It definitely was over the top and unnecessary, but I enjoyed the attention the smoky box of wagyu nigiri garnered from the restaurant. This place definitely knows how to market their food well. Top 3 meal of the trip for sure and the best meal in Osaka. Even better than the fancy tempura spot in Kyoto I dare say.
Afterwards, we checked out Bic Camera nearby and then decided to check out Osaka Castle. I was worried about the rain, but we decided to go for it. As we walked, it steadily rained, but was manageable with our umbrellas. Osaka castle was STILL crowded in the rain and the lineups to enter were way too long. So we just took a few pictures from outside and retreated to a nearby cafe/souvenir shop for a coffee and souvenir shop break. Once we were ready to go back in the rain, to my horror, the rain became torrential. It was causing mild flooding on the walkways and the wind blew the rain in all directions. By the time we got a cab, both of our shoes were completely soaked. We both had to buy a fresh pair of socks from Family Mart before we attempted to dry off a bit back at the hotel lobby. RIP my friend's new shoes haha. While we both tried to dry off, I ordered a Japanese tea and snack set to enjoy while we rested a bit.
After we were as dry as we were ever gonna be, we picked up our bags from the hotel luggage storage and headed out to Shin-Osaka station to Nagoya station. Upon arriving at the shinkansen ticket gate, to our horror, the intense rain had caused nearly ALL of the shinkansen to be delayed anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours! I texted my friend in Nagoya in a panic, but he reassured me that the shinkansen will likely resume soon when the rain subsides and the delays were likely an over cautionary delay. Reassured a little, I managed to find the next train and we hopped on towards Nagoya.
Once we finally arrived at Nagoya station, it was time to store our luggages in a coin locker before meeting my college buddy at a yakiniku restaurant for dinner. To my horror for the second time, most of the large coin lockers were taken! We scrambled to find an available coin locker, but gave up and decided to just meet up my friend with luggage in hand. We managed to get a cab after a long queue and met my friend at the yakiniku restaurant, Kotei Grilled Beef. Thankfully we made it only a few minutes past our reservation and were still able to get seated. As for our luggage, we were able to store some of the luggage at a nearby conbini, while the restaurant was able to hold my luggage.
The yakiniku spot seemed to have a bit of a kbbq vibe as they had typical cuts of meat like LA kalbi, pork belly, and even Korean banchan like kimchi, pickled radish, and kimchi cucumbers. It was a tabehodai (all you can eat) for 2 hours, which the three of us definitely took complete advantage of. By the end of the meal, I was stuffed but still had room for a few more drinks. After the meal and long conversations about the god ol' college days, we checked out a nearby international bar called Kendra Land.
It was a fairly small international bar with staff that spoke English and a DJ who spun mostly American music. Still, it was nice to get a chance to vibe with the locals and chat in English with various ex-pats and foreign tourists. I definitely wished I could have stayed longer, but unfortunately my friend was in the process of moving to a new place. Reluctantly, I said my goodbyes to my old college friend and we discussed future trips including perhaps meeting in Thailand or some other country. My friend and I hopped back on the shinkansen back to Shinagawa station and then cabbed it back to the Airbnb. We arrived back at the Airbnb close to 1am and promptly knocked out after that.
Day 10- Kamakura
Started off the day by deciding to go back to Shinagawa station with my friend as my JR pass had been acting up and locking me out at the ticket gates. Thankfully, the wait wasn't too long and they were able to print me a new pass on the spot! Arigato. With my fresh new JR pass in hand, we decided to check out Oedo Antique Market first before our day trip to Kamakura near the coast. I heard good things about the market and how you could find some cool local trinkets.
Unfortunately, it was very small and mostly home good stuff like pottery, furniture, jewelry, and other random houseware. Bummer. As a little consolation, we grabbed some coffees at Brooklyn Roasting Company and then headed off to check out the Beams Plus Marunouchi Jazz Festival. I remember one of the Beams employees talking about the festival during one of our shopping spree days and wanted to stop by for it. I also saw that they had a special anniversary limited edition leather letterman jacket at the shop as well. Once we arrived, there was a little Ralph Lauren coffee truck and a small crowd enjoying the live jazz band in the middle of the promenade. It was a nice little break from the city vibe and I enjoyed a bit of the performance. We stopped by the Beams Marunouchi store to find that letterman jacket, but to my horror, the jacket was over $1000! Yikes. Joto takai ne? That definitely was a pass for me.
Afterwards, it was off to a day trip to Kamakura. The train ride was 1hr 30 mins and definitely dragged on for a bit. Thankfully we didn't have to switch trains and just rode it all the way. Once we arrived in Kamakura, we followed the main road filled with tourists towards Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine. It was insanely crowded with a mix of locals and tourists. We snapped a few pics and decided to head back to the station onwards to the coast. From the main station, we took a local Enoden train to Cape Imamuragasaki.
The local train was PACKED to the brim. Human sardine situation. I was relieved once we got off at our stop and could finally breathe fresh air. We walked toward Cape Imamuragasaki and checked out the coastline and strolled towards Shichirigahama beach. The seaside landscape was a welcome change from all the cityscapes. After admiring the scenery, we headed uphill towards a local curry spot called Sangosho. To our dismay, the lines were crazy and there weren't many other options for restaurants in the area. However, we were able to see a small local town festival with kids singing karaoke and vendors on the street selling various wares and local alcohol. Disappointingly and hungrily, we headed back down to the Enoden train back to the main station. From there, we grabbed a late lunch at Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu. It was pretty good, but I'd have to say that Gyukatsu Motomura is still my favorite when it comes to gyukatsu.
After the late lunch, we took the long train ride back home and rested up after the long day. Once our energy levels were sufficient, we wandered the local neighborhood again and explored the area a bit more for a potential dinner spot. We ended up settling on a spot called Chinese Ramen Yoshu Shonin Musashi Koyama. It looked very inviting and had lots of people inside dining in a casual setting. Plus, the fake food models in the glass cabinets outside of the restaurant looked quite appetizing too. We grabbed a table with my limited Japanese and I settled on a shrimp dumpling ramen, while my friend got a tonkotsu ramen and we got some gyoza to share. The meal was simple, but well done. What was also nice about the restaurant was that you could choose the noodle type for your ramen and it seems like they're all made fresh in house.
We enojyed the food, but during the middle of the meal, there was a brief sudden power outage! It was a bit unexpected, but thankfully the power popped back on after a minute or two. Guess that's the local experience with the dated power grid! After enjoying our meal, we strolled through the neighborhood a bit more and then headed back to pack up for our trip to North Japan tomorrow.
Day 11- Aomori
North Japan bound. Grabbed a taxi and headed off to Tokyo station. Grabbed some ekibens as usual for the shinkansen trip and headed off to Hachinohe station. I also made sure to grab a few highballs as well to enjoy in our en suite bath later. While I reserved a shuttle pickup to and from the station, we both arrived a bit earlier than scheduled and decided to bypass the shuttle and take a taxi directly to the ryokan to drop our bags off and explore the area. Gazing out the window from the taxi, we passed by multiple farm fields and rural countryside. You definitely could feel the slow paced vibe of Aomori. I could also imagine all the fields covered in snow as Aomori has one of the highest levels of snowfall in the world.
Once we arrived at the ryokan, we did some of the check-in paperwork early and dropped our bags off to explore the surrounding area. The ryokan was nestled in small forested area with other ryokans nearby as well. As we walked toward the local Misawa station, it was quite calm and quiet with very few people around. You could definitely appreciate the serenity and peacefulness of North Japan, in stark contrast to the organized chaos of Tokyo. From Misawa station, we headed off to the Nebuta Wa Rasse Museum, which was about a 1hr 30 min train ride. The ride itself was slow, but smooth as most of the passengers settled in and took a nap until the last stop, Aomori station. Upon arrival, the rain began to pickup a bit more and both of us were starting to regret not bringing our umbrellas...
Still, we were able to quickly find shelter in the nearby Nebuta Wa Rasse Museum, which was only a block or two away from Aomori station. We purchased our tickets on 2F and checked out the museum exhibits. Shockingly, the museum is quite small despite housing a handful of massive nebuta (floats) that typically are paraded during summer festivals in Aomori. We both still enjoyed gazing at the grandeur of each handmade nebuta and also got to see a traditional dance performance by a local troupe with taiko drummers inside the museum.
The museum spilled into a gift shop at the end of the exhibit, which had a lot of interesting goodies. I definitely tried to abstain, but in the end, gave in and bought a t-shirt to commemorate the trip up North. After the short museum trip, we sprinted across the wooden boardwalk through the downpour toward A Factory, which had various souvenirs, omiyage, drinks, and food stalls catering to local Aomori cuisine. We definitely had to grab some apple pies and apple cider as Aomori is known for their apples. My friend even said that the apple pie may have even been the best he's ever had. Quite high praise for sure.
We saw that they were selling umbrellas at the store and considered purchasing two, but in the end decided against it and just made our way through the rain back to the station nearby. After the long train ride back, we finally made it back to the ryokan fairly dry and checked in. We ended up with a corner Azumashi (Japanese style) room with en suite cypress wood bath. Relaxing vibes. We took turns enjoying the cypress bath and definitely felt rejuvenated afterwards. Later in the evening, it was time for the included buffet dinner. We hopped in the elevator and headed to 1F and walked around the well decorated floor strewn with paper apple lanterns and other various apple themed decor.
There was an expansive gift shop on the left and to the right was a tap. For liquor you might ask? Nope. Apple juice on tap. It was quite refreshing with a balanced sweetness and we both enjoyed a few cups before moving on down the well lit corridor to the buffet restaurant. There was a bit of a line up, but the queue moved swiftly and efficiently. We got our table fairly quickly and were now ready to feast! They had various food stations including salad, soups, tempura station, grill station, seafood station, and an udon station. There was a good mix of Western and Japanese foods. They even had a small bar where you could order drinks...but to my disappointment, the drinks were an additional charge to your room. Sneaky. We ordered just two drinks with dinner and put away multiple plates of food including dessert.
The highlights for me were the tempura station and seafood/ramen station. Definitely a must try. I loved the garlic shoot tempura with wasabi salt and the scallop ramen. After stuff ourselves, we did some omiyage shopping at the gift shop before heading back to relax and digest. Later in the evening, we popped back out on 1F and grabbed a drink at the bar. We unfortunately couldn't see the nebuta performance held nightly since the reservations were closed already, but we still enjoyed a late night drink before retiring for the night.
I always enjoy ryokan stays during the middle of my trip as it helps me to reset physically and mentally from jetlag as well as from the general fatigue of travel. It definitely was an "azumashi" stay (Aomori dialect for comfortable).
Day 12- Sushi subarashi
Woke up with little sleep as my friend was snoring quite aggressively. Shoganai as they say. Might need to insist on separate rooms next time! We headed off for the breakfast buffet and I was expecting a meager spread. Boy was I wrong. There were so many breakfast options from Western to Japanese and even included apple curry and other more brunch-y options. I also loved that they had a kaisendon station and I definitely ate my fill of ikura, tuna, and hamachi. Gochisosama deshita. After a hearty breakfast, we went back to rest for a bit before heading off to Komakionsen Shibusawa park next door.
On our walk over there, we could see that they offered horse drawn carriage rides to guests. I also saw less glamorous horse drawn box cars as well for multiple guests. Just a short stroll into the park, there was a foot bath that overlooked a moderately sized pond. I liked that they even had a cabinet with towels to dry off your feet afterwards. Very mindful. After enjoying the foot bath for a bit, I dried off and we checked out the rest of the park that included a shrine across the pond. It was pretty disappointing only seeing a handful of trees with fall foliage. Damn you, global warming. The forecast seems to be late November for full fall foliage. Sad. Nevertheless, the park was quite nice and peaceful with very few people. We wandered around and saw some preserved Japanese traditional houses, shrines, and bridges before beginning to make our way back to the ryokan.
Once we returned, we packed up, checked out, and took a cab over to Hachinohe station directly. We also had some leftover ekibens from earlier in the trip that self-heat and so we enjoyed those on the shinkansen ride back to Tokyo. Once we got back, we did some laundry and lounged around before dinner with my brother later. For dinner, my brother had made reservations for us and his gf at a local sushi spot in Azabujuban. I'm gonna have to gatekeep the restaurant's name as it's quite difficult to get into and mainly invite/referral only.
We cabbed it over and once we found the spot, my friend and I were able to grab our reserved seats inside and ordered a drink while waiting for my brother and his gf to arrive. The restaurant itself was very intimate with a maximum capacity of 8 seats. While it can be intimidating as you're so close to the chef, the sushi chef here was quite affable and easy to chat with even in English. I also appreciated that he used different Japanese lacquerware and dishes to present each piece of nigiri. Presentation and aesthetics were on point in addition to flavor. We also enjoyed various types of sake to pair with the sushi. The whole omakase took nearly 2 hours or so, which was mind blowing to me. The time just evaporated away as we all enjoyed the delicious and carefully crafted sushi by the chef. No joke, it probably was the best sushi I've ever had in my entire life.
Each piece was amazing and full of flavors I don't think I've ever experienced before. Subarashi. Eventually the other customers left as we were finishing up our omakase course, which was quite filling. Once they left, the sushi chef seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as he could now just enjoy the company of my brother and the rest of our party. It was kinda awesome just chatting with the chef casually while enjoying the dining experience.
After our nearly 2 hour long omakase, we said our thanks and goodbyes. The chef and entire staff even followed us out and bowed to us in unison as a thank you for our patronage. My brother was a bit shocked as he said he's never seen the chef do that ever. An honor for sure. After that amazing dinner, we stopped by a local bar, AlNiCan Rhodes Bar just around the corner to grab an after dinner drink to chat and digest. It was a small bar, typical of Tokyo, but had some great American oldies music blasting from the two massive speakers mounted above the bar. An amazing day for sure full of relaxing vibes and mind blowing food. Definitely a day to remember.
Day 13- The Symphony
Almost over. I could feel the dread of my vacation's terminus looming closer. I tried to clear the bad thought from my mind and my friend and I decided to check out a Japanese garden to start off our day. Relaxation is the vibe as the trip nears its end. My friend and I were trying to decide between Rikugien vs Hamarikyu Garden and we ended up settling on the latter as it was a bit closer. Although, Rikugien garden would have been cool if the foliage was up.
We cabbed it over and upon arriving at the entrance of Hamarikyu Garden, it wasn't much to look at since it was fall and most flowers weren't in bloom with exception of a few found deeper into the park. However, my disappointment slowly dissipated the further we walked into the garden as the views and landscape began to open up more and became more impressive. You could see views of the nearby bays, ports, skyscrapers, and bridges strewn across some ponds. It was nice to just enjoy the morning views and appreciate both nature and the modern cityscape.
After the leisurely stroll, it was time to finish up the rest of our shopping trip. First up on the to do list was for my friend to pickup his prescription glasses from Jins. Afterwards, we hit up SHIPS and Stormy Skate Shop. For lunch, we tried to line up for Menchiraishi in Harajuku for some Japanese Italian udon carbonara. However, to my shock, as we lined up at what we thought was the end of the line, a confused employee redirected us across the street where the line continued....and he eventually lead us to the real end of the line. it was a 1-2 hour wait....WTF. We both paused for a second to consider waiting in line...but then abandoned the menus that were handed to us and headed off to a nearby Ichiran ramen chain restaurant.
Luckily, the line wasn't too long and we were able to get seats fairly quickly. We both customized our ramen on paper slips, but once we received our ramen bowls, I felt like that they screwed it up and simply ignored our requests. A bit disappointing and definitely turned me off from ever going back to Ichiran again. It's a bit of a tourist trap spot for ramen and it's mediocre at best. After a somewhat disappointing lunch, we checked out Liberty Walk Tokyo, Beams Plus Harajuku, Mega Donki Shibuya, and Bic Camera Shibuya. Most of the earlier shops didn't have much, while Mega Donki was just swarming with tourists. Definitely AVOID next time. Way too chaotic. At Bic Camera, I purchased some Bose Quietcomfort Ultra earbuds tax free, which was a nice score and much needed as I left my earbuds back at home.
Afterwards, it was back to rest up a bit before our nomihodai (all you can drink) booze cruise across Tokyo Bay in the evening around 7pm. We cabbed it over just to avoid getting lost through the train stations and arrived right at The Symphony counter. We checked in and redeemed our QR code for physical tickets. We hung around the waiting room until it was announced that it was time to board on the TV monitor. Once we boarded, we were escorted to the 4th floor of the cruise ship, where we could enjoy the nomihodai for about 1hr 30 mins with expansive views of Tokyo Bay and the surrounding architecture. The nomihodai included a small array of appetizers including Japanese pickles, shumai, and other small hors d'oeuvres. As we enjoyed our snacks and drinks, we also saw that they had a sushi counter with a sushi chef. Hmm, might need to give that a try next time or maybe try a dinner cruise.
After downing a few drinks and finish our apps, we headed out to the deck on the 4th floor and snapped a bunch of pics of Tokyo Tower, Skytree, Rainbow Bridge, and other various cityscapes from the cruise ship. It was quite windy that night and the cold air definitely seemed to signal that winter was near. We moved back into the warmth of the indoors and grabbed a few more drinks. I was feeling nice and buzzed and was definitely enjoying the cruise. As the cruise ship got closer to docking, the views got nicer and nicer as we got closer to the iconic landmarks of Tokyo.
Once the cruise ended, we disembarked and immediately hopped in a taxi to meet my brother at a local izakaya for dinner. It was a pretty busy local izakaya and so we had to wait a few minutes for a table to open up. We grabbed a few more drinks and some small plates to share. Afterwards, we headed off to another izakaya and met up with one of my brother's expat friend and his gf. We chatted about our trip, work stuff, and other random things while enjoying some drinks and sharing some more small plates.
Afterwards, my brother's friend and his gf called it a night and cabbed it back home. As for the three of us remaining, we decided to check out Record Bar Hellish again to grab a few more drinks to end the night. Near the end of the night, my friend headed back to the Airbnb, while I had a chat with my brother. We had a nice conversation about the future, family, and possibly moving to Japan to make a living. It definitely gave me some food for thought to consider deeply. I definitely don't want to languish in regret and might just need to finally dust off some dreams I've shelved away in the deep recesses of my mind. Perhaps it's time for some drastic changes in the near future...
Day 14- Lost and Shibuya Sky
Continuing the chill vibes, it was time to finish up a bit more shopping, eating, and drinking. We started off our morning by checking out our local neighborhood Nemo bakery again. This time, we ate inside and the staff were kind enough to heat up the various pastries we ordered along with our coffees. It was nice enjoying local bakery goodies amongst the locals. I definitely began to daydream about living in Japan and visiting a local bakery to study Japanese, haha. Afterwards, we headed off to check out an Instagram spot that has been made popular by some anime, Hijiri bridge. It's a specific spot where you can see three trains going through at the same time if you get the timing just right. It's a very photogenic spot where we spotted other photographers set up with their cameras hoping to secure that perfect shot.
We stayed for about 30 minutes and were able to capture some great shots there. I definitely miss photography and should try to get my friends back into it. Still, nothing beats travel photography. After getting some Insta-worthy stuff, we headed off to nearby Kanda Matsuya for soba. On the way there, we stumbled up a small little shrine of Confucius called Yushima Seido. It was kinda cool discovering it randomly as we were heading off for lunch.
It's an iconic spot that's been serving soba for a while. The lineup wasn't too bad as we lined up a few minutes before they opened up. The restaurant itself was big enough for most people in the line to secure a seat. We both got cold soba with tempura. Once we got our food, aesthetics were on point, but as for flavor...I have to be honest and say that it wasn't that great. The soba broth was way too salty for my taste unfortunately. Perhaps the locals don't mind it or are used to it, but I had a tough time choking down the noodles with all that sodium. It made me consider revisiting my old soba spot in Ebisu next time. Still, with our bellies full we headed off to Akihabara to check out some shops around the area. I took a much needed break at Cafe Mocha for a Vienna coffee and had a little smoke break. It was nice to just sink into a couch and pump my lungs and stomach with stimulants amongst some locals. Afterwards, my friend and I hopped on a train at the nearby station and headed back to the Airbnb to rest up a bit.
For the evening, I wanted to check out Lost Bar by Chris Broad and brought my book in case he was there to have it signed. We arrived in the evening around 5pm and there was a bit of a lineup. The wait was about 30 minutes or so, but we eventually were able to get in and got a table near the expansive windows overlooking the adjacent GU store across the street. Sadly, Mr Affable wasn't there, but I still enjoyed all the decorations and aesthetics of the bar. I also loved that it was more "gaijin" friendly as all the staff spoke English well. I had a "Go F#@k Yourself" cocktail and a "Like A Magic Mule." Both drinks were great and quite STIFF! I mean really stiff! I think I caught a buzz just after one. I think if I had three, I'd be a drunken mess and bump into tables, haha.
We also got some wasabi beef chips to share to soak up a bit of the alcohol and then promptly got the check. We navigated through crowd semi-sober onward to Shibuya Sky. We both got a little lost trying to find the damn elevator for it, but managed to use the Shibuya Sky signs to eventually find our way. Thankfully we made it only about 5 minutes past our ticket admission time, but were still able to get in without any issues. Apparently the tickets were sold out for the day too. We were ushered into an elevator that took us to the coin locker floor, where you had to stow away any loose items such as hats, bags, and other things that could be blown away by the strong gusts on the rooftop.
The evening wind chill was quite intense and after maybe 10 minutes, I definitely was over it. While the night views were nice up on the roof, the visibility was quite poor and the wind chill definitely made me want to finish taking pictures and leave quickly. Once we retreated back inside, there were some pretty interesting sculpture installations, a sovenir shop, a DJ and a bar. We decided to bypass the bar and planned to check out a nearby izakaya instead. As we made our way to the elevators to leave, I was expecting it to drop us off on the ground floor. However, instead, the elevator doors opened into a mall food court. Wow, how deceitful. I had to laugh at how silly it was. Sneaky.
We skipped all the food court temptations and eventually made it out of that 13 story mall. It felt like an eternity going down multiple escalators as the elevators were moving at a snail's pace. We eventually escaped and made our way to Hakuritabai Hanbey in Shibuya, a Showa era izakaya chain restaurant. I liked the old vintage posters that were plastered all over the restaurant and the chill local vibe as people downed their cheap cocktails and beers, smoked cigarettes, and wolfed down cheap izakaya classics like potato salad, karaage, and gyoza. Afterwards, we headed back to the Airbnb to rest up a bit before going back out later for dinner at Il Boccalone, an Italian restaurant that was recommended by my brother's gf.
Once we got there, I definitely felt a bit underdressed as there were a lot of businessman in suits having full on business meetings. Nevertheless, we managed to secure a table without a reservation and the food quality was pretty decent. We ordered some pastas and appetizers to share. Overall, it was well done, but I still think that I've had better Italian cuisine in LA. I think my brother is right in thinking that LA has the best mix of diverse cuisines that are done authentically and well. The only other state that could rival LA as a food city would be NYC perhaps. After dinner, it was time to get back to rest up as we have a nearly all-day guided tour for Mount Fuji tomorrow.
Day 15- Shy and bald Mount Fuji
The iconic Mount Fuji. With its recognizable snow cap...oh wait, there's no snow cap in October 2024! Fuji-san is bald! Apparently, it's the first time in a long time since Mount Fuji didn't have a snowcap in October. First, no fall foliage and now, no snow cap on Mount Fuji. Global warming at it again. Le sigh. My friend and I headed off to Tokyo station at the meeting point for our guided tour via bus that I booked through Klook. It was interesting to see a pretty diverse tour group with a mix of Southeast Asians, Brits, and Americans. I also realized how Klook acts as an intermediary as our tour guide seemed to be working for a Chinese touring company, yet also spoke a bit of English as well. It was a bit disorganized at the start trying to find our tour guide, but we eventually we were able to successfully locate her and navigated our way to the tour bus to our assigned seats.
Once the tour group was on the bus, it was time to buckle up and brace ourselves for a long ride to our first stop of the tour, Lake Yamanaka -ko (-ko means lake). It was a bit of a journey to get there, but the bus ride was pretty smooth and we could admire the scenery of Yamanashi prefecture on the way. Once we arrived at Lake Yamanaka, it didn't have much to check out other than a Swan boat you could pay extra to ride, a small downtown with a few shops, and a small park adjacent to the lakeshore. My friend and I decided to skip the boat ride and explored the lakeshore and nearby surrounding areas. There sadly wasn't much foliage as expected, but I managed to get a few shots of what was there. Still better than nothing I guess. We stopped by a nearby souvenir shop as our time here was coming to a close and I got a few gachapon toys. From there, the next stop was Oshino Hakkai village.
Oshino Hakkai wasn't too far from the lake, but it was just completely swarmed by tourists. There were loads of tour buses in the parking lot and we were allotted about an hour to get lunch and check out the small village. There were various souvenir shops, food stalls, and various traditional Japanese village architecture. It felt very much like a tourist trap, which was a bit of a letdown. Still, my friend and I made do and we tried some of the street food such as dango before stopping at a restaurant that was serving "Hōtō", which is a noodle soup with miso base from Yamanshi prefecture. We both had our eyes on the clock as we were cutting it kinda close as the food took quite some time to arrive. Once the food arrived, my friend scarfed it down and ended up with a minor lip burn, while I did singe my tongue a bit from the hot soup. It definitely was "hot-oh" lol. We managed to finish up our rushed lunch just in time and headed back on the bus.
The next stop was Oishi Park for...ice cream. What? Yea, apparently they had Cremia ice cream from Hokkaido and some decent views of Mount Fuji...if it wasn't cloudy. Unfortunately, Fuji-san was a bit shy today and was covered in clouds from the top to middle. It cleared up slightly as time passed, but still wasn't a perfectly clear shot. We both did end in indulging in some Cremia soft serve ice cream, which was quite tasty to be fair due to its high quality dairy with higher fat content.
The final stop of the tour was Arakurayama Sengen Park, which has about 400 steps to the top to reach Chureito Pagoda. It's an iconic photography spot featured in many travel guide books. My friend and I were preparing for the climb and made sure we had allotted enough time to reach the top and get down as well on time. Once we arrived, we were one of the few that made it to the top first. The first half of the stair climb wasn't too bad, but became steeper as you went. I could see lots of tourists, especially the older ones struggling at the halfway point. Once I reached the top, it was super crowded with tourists trying to get the perfect shot and there was even a line forming to get the perfect shot.
I managed to take a few pics from the side and then we both made our way back down towards Shimoyoshida station. I stumbled across a Print Latte cafe nearby and ended up getting a cafe latte with a print of Chureito Pagoda on the foam. Kinda cool as it was very detailed and of course, edible. Afterwards, we all got back on the bus and it was a long trip back to Tokyo station. Overall, the tour was decent, but I felt like it was a bit rushed and some of the stops were just too much of a tourist trap and difficult to find a spot to enjoy to yourself.
It was also a shame that the tour skipped the Maple Corridor as global warming was still causing most of the trees to remain green. Shoganai again. Maybe I'll consider a trip in late November after Thanksgiving or early December next time to try and catch the foliage as well as enjoy winter illuminations in the city. Hmm, that could be a good idea.
Once we were back in the city, we cabbed it back to relax briefly before heading off again to grab dinner at a bistro called Raramuri with my brother and his gf. We ordered various dishes ranging from tataki to steak to pasta. All the food were small shareable plates and was a pretty good start to the night. Afterwards, we checked out Ebisu yokocho to try and grab a table there. It was PACKED full of locals. Most of the crowd was younger and you could definitely feel the "nanpa" (picking up women) vibe from all the shouting, laughing, and conversations all across the cramped yokocho.
As we passed through, I was a bit relieved when we reached the end and exited. We waited outside for a moment to meet up one of my brother's gf's friends. Once we were all assembled, we headed off to a modern looking izakaya nearby for a few drinks and small plates to share. We chatted about our trip and plans for our last day before calling it a night after enjoying a few drinks. My brother and his crew continued onward into the night as we hopped in a cab back to the Airbnb. I was glad I had some self-restraint as I still needed to pack for our flight back home as well as check-in for my flight. Best not to leave things last minute. Before ending the night, we took one last Family Mart stop before calling it a night there.
Day 16- Odaiba
SO MUCH SADNESS. Last day of the trip. Looking back it was a good one. Definitely had a lot more interaction with locals and socialized and met so many interesting people in addition to having some mind blowing meals and tons of good shopping.
The morning started with grabbing a cab to a Big Echo karaoke chain, where I managed to set up luggage storage via the Ecbo app since we had to check out of our Airbnb by 10am and our flight was at 9pm. We managed to check the bags into storage easily and were now free to finish up our final day of the trip. Definitely recommend the Ecbo app if you're staying locally or at an Airbnb and in need of luggage storage.
Afterwards, we hopped in a taxi and headed off to get some hot and sour soup ramen that my brother recommended at a spot called Niigata Sanpo-tei Tokyo Lab in Nakameguro. We got there quite early and were first in line. The line grew rapidly as locals hopped in line to also enjoy some hot and sour soup ramen or perhaps the mapo tofu ramen. We secured a corner seat at the end of the counter and quickly ordered two hot and sour soup ramen. The bowls arrived piping hot and jam packed full of flavor. It was so comforting and the strong flavors combined with the chewy ramen noodles were a perfect fusion. Definitely will cure any hangover. Oishi katta!
After that satisfying meal, we checked out a coffee shop we passed by earlier called Omnibus Coffee. It had a bit of a lineup earlier and so being curious, I did some quick research about the spot. Apparently, it was on some top 30 best coffee list in Tokyo and they sourced their coffee beans from all over including Rwanda, Ethiopia, Honduras, and other coffee bean producing countries. Influenced by my Google search, I decided to grab a caffe latte, while my friend got an Americano. The caffe latte was on point and perfectly balanced with just the right levels of acidity, creaminess, and a hint of sweetness. Pretty good and would recommend if you're a big coffee snob.
With the caffeine running through our system, we headed off to the main stop of the day, Odaiba. I remember taking a local train on a past trip that overlooked Tokyo bay as it passed through it, but this time, I think we may have taken the wrong train at the wrong station. Still, we managed to make it across the walkway and across the street to reach Odaiba and Tokyo bay. The weather was sunny and temperate. Of course, the last day had great weather...SMH. Still, the views from Odaiba were awesome and immaculate. We stopped by Diver City mall so my friend could check out the Unicorn Gundam statue for the first time. It definitely looks cool in the daytime and you could see more detail when compared to at night when it's all lit up.
We checked out the mall and got a few things. I ended up finding the Nike SB shoes I was looking for, but unfortunately had to pay the tax as I didn't have my passport on me. We also stopped by a sporting goods store and got a few more trinkets. In a bit of an anxious state about my passport, we decided to head back to the Big Echo so I could check my bags for it. Luckily, I found it in my backpack without too much searching. Phew. Mini panic attack averted. I definitely need to be more organized and also pack more minimally for the next trip!
After the anxiety subsided, we met up my brother for a quick coffee before we headed to the airport. We chatted about our trip and plans for next year. My friend is considering coming back in the spring for a baseball game, while I may consider returning to Japan in May or April during the transition of Spring to Summer. My brother also discussed returning home for Thanksgiving, which would be nice since it has been a while since we all shared a family meal together. We said our goodbyes after chatting and enjoying some coffee for a bit and then tried to hail a cab.
At first, it was quite difficult to hail one via Uber, but we ended up just hailing the first one we saw and breathed a sigh of relief as we were headed to Haneda airport. It's definitely a big hassle trying to navigate 3 large luggage bags through the crowded streets. Ugh, never again! Hotel > Airbnb. Once we arrived at the airport, we both hastily checked in our bags. One of them ended up being 49.34 lbs lol! Super clutch and just under the maximum 50 lb allowance! Once our bags were secure, we headed up the escalator to check out the expansive food court inside Haneda Airport Terminal 3. We settled on a curry spot called Port-Side Kitchen and ordered some curry/hamburg steak combo plates. The food definitely hit the spot and was very comforting. Definitely a nice spot for a pretty decent meal before you go through security.
Once we finished up, we headed through security, which moved fairly quickly. Once we were through, we headed off to our gate and stopped by some nearby omiyage/souvenir shops. I grabbed a bunch of cookies and snacks for coworkers and friends. I was surprised that I had room leftover and could have bought more. Looking back, I perhaps should've bought more variety and maybe grabbed a carton of smokes and a bottle of whiskey or sake. Maybe next time!
We hung out at the gate until boarding time and passed the time by chatting with a few Americans from Florida on the same flight. We chatted about our itineraries and exchanged various recommendations. Once boarding time came, things got delayed for about 10-15 minutes for some reason. There also seemed to have been a mix up with boarding groups as I ended up boarding earlier than my friend even though he checked into the flight earlier than I did. Naturally, he was pretty peeved about that as he boarded with the last group. The irritation also affected me when I realized that ANA didn't have any overhead air nozzles for cooling and only had cabin AC! My sweaty American ass needs a fan! Definitely will need to considering bringing my own personal fan if I do choose to fly with ANA in the future. Still, despite the temperature issues, the flight itself was pretty pleasant with better food, more leg room, and comfortable seats in comparison to United airlines.
The flight breezed by and I was able to get a bit of sleep on the flight. Once we landed, things went pretty smoothly with Global Entry and we were able to get our bags from baggage claim pretty quickly. Once, I got back home, I definitely was crying on the inside. Missing Japan already. The post-vacation depression began to set in. I definitely felt motivated to learn Japanese and find some way to make a living out there. Dream to reality. Time to put some things into action. Got some big resolutions and goals to strive for next year. Hope things work itself in my favor and all the stars align. Til we eat, drink, and meet again Nihon...Mata ne!
Reflections
Having returned back home and worked a full week of work, there was a lotta stuff to deal with work-wise! That's usually how it goes after vacation, I guess. I also was able to see my friends and pickleball crew again and chat with them briefly about my amazing trip. It felt good coming back and sharing some parts of my trip with them. I know they'll never be able to fully appreciate how amazing the trip was for me, but I hope someday some of them will be able to join me on a future trip. I'd love to show them why I love Japan so much and how it has so many amazing things from the nature, food, culture, and the people.
I still feel motivated to learn Japanese and to figure out a way I could live out there in the future. Will definitely need to do some research and first learn the language. That's the first hurdle. The second would be to consider the same job sector or perhaps delving into a sector I've never worked in before. Whichever is more lucrative and enjoyable, I guess. Hoping my research will unearth some interesting opportunities.
Think my jetlag has fully been cleared after about a week now. Despite the work headaches, at least I have the holidays to look forward to. Good food, family time, and perhaps a bit of shopping here and there. Looking forward to finish off the year strong and in a better place...but I'm also eager to get the new year started with fresh goals in mind to hopefully reach the finish line...to one day live and work in Japan. Onegaishimasu! Time to stock up on maneki neko statues and daruma dolls!
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