Woke up early around 6am to prep for the Japan trip. Sleep was a bit on and off as usual due to my excitement. Got ready and prepped in the morning while I waited for my friend to get dropped off by his neighbor. LAX to HND. We managed to get there with a few hours to spare. Thankfully Global Entry was still active despite the TSA issues due to a partial government shutdown due to budget issues. We were able to take the left side escalators through to the Global Entry lines with ease. Easy peasy. 

We both had lounge access for JAL due to our premium economy seats, so we decided to give it a go. The One World lounge was located near a PF Changs inside LAX, which was easy to find with just an escalator ride up to it. The offerings were pretty decent with some breakfast foods and beverage machines. We lucked out and were able to get both breakfast and some lunch as our flight wasn't until the afternoon. It was nice to just relax and unwind a bit before the long 12hr flight.

With about an hour to spare, we headed off to our gate and got boarded. The flight itself was pretty smooth, although I have to say that the food on JAL was very subpar. Still, managed to get a bit of sleep on the flight and watched a few movies here and there.

Once we landed, we grabbed our bags from baggage claim and zipped through security with our Japan Web QR code. Once we were through, I exchanged some yen at the airport, which did have a bit of a better rate compared to Chase Bank. I texted my brother to update him on our ETA and he said he was on his way back home from the office. We managed to grab a taxi and had him rush us over to the apartment. We ended up arriving a few minutes earlier than my brother and met him up. Once we were there, we both settled in for a short bit to unpack.

We ended up going out for a dinner at a local izakaya in Ebisu to start off the trip. Afterwards, we both finished settling in and winded down for the night.

Woke up early ish due to jet lag again. But this was to our advantage since we could partake in the hotel breakfast today. We met up on the restaurant floor around 7am and enjoyed a pretty varied breakfast buffet including Western and Japanese foods. The restaurant wasn't too packed and I spotted a few locals on holiday alongside some Americans. 

After a light breakfast, we decided to walk off some of it and headed off to Namba Yasaka Shrine, which is well known due to a massive lion's head shaped shrine. We snapped a few touristy photos and then cabbed it over to Tennoji Park (aka Ten-Shiba), where they have an Osaka sign and some nice gardens. The park itself was pretty chill with lots of windy paved trails, an art museum, and Keitakuen Garden. We wandered the park for a bit until the garden opened up. The garden itself was pretty small, but very well kept and peaceful.

From Tennoji Park, Harukas 300 Observation Deck was very close by so we decided to walk over and check it out. Its a closed observation deck, but the views were quite impressive. They also had an open courtyard area with tons of tables and a small cafe. I also noticed that they had kotatsu tables and offered shabu shabu courses in the evening with reservation. It looked pretty nice and maybe something I'll have to set up for next time. We stopped by the gift shop afterwards and also admired the views from the bathroom.

Afterwards, we walked over to the Abeno Q's mall next to the observation deck to kill a bit of time before hopping in a taxi to Izakaya Toyo. There was a little bit of a line up, but we ended up being the second or third party in line. The street adjacent izakaya opened up right on the dot and we were able to get our orders in. Unfortunately, I had no idea that the owner, Toyoji Chikumoto actually retired in December 2025. So we ended up seeing one of his apprentices do the flamethrower tuna cheek slapping. It was still kinda cool to see in person and the tuna cheek with leeks was definitely the highlight of the izakaya. 

With a nice buzz from the cocktails, we ended up grabbing a taxi back to rest up before our final evening in Osaka. We hit up Shinsaibashi street to finish up some shopping and then hit up Torikizoku for some skewers and drinks. Riverside, we wandered and eventually found a Dontonbori Pirate Cruise, which took about 20 minutes. It was very chill and nice to have a different perspective of Dotonbori. After the short cruise, we hunted for a bathroom for my friend and then made our way over to Dotonbori Riverside Grill Wonder to get a few drinks and chill out. 

Afterwards, we checked out Don Quijote, which was a crazy clusterfuck of tourists. From there, we wandered Shinsaibashi Shopping Arcade and I managed to snag some cologne fron Shiro I had my eye on. Overall a great trip filled with tons of shopping, eating, and drinking. Always a fun time and the vibes are always friendlier here compared to Tokyo.

For our last day, we took advantage of the hotel breakfast again to fuel our last half day in Osaka. Afterwards, we decided to check out Sumiyoshi Taisha and Sumiyoshi Park nearby to get a sense of the local vibe. From there, we checked out of the hotel and had them hold our bags for a few hours since our shinkansen was in the afternoon. I decided to hit up Gentle Monster inside Osaka Hankyu mall and grabbed myself some new stylish shades. Definitely a nice purchase, but later on I realized that the lenses were not RX-able due to them being one large glass piece. D'oh! 

Afterwards, we headed back to grab our luggage and headed off to Shin Osaka. We grabbed some ramen at Ramen Shioji inside the shinkansen gates, which wasn't too bad. After the quick meal, we grabbed some snacks for the train ride and headed back to Ebisu. Once we were back at my brother's apartment, we did some laundry and discussed dinner options. We settled on Seirinkan, a pizza spot in Nakameguro.

The spot itself was pretty interesting with a rustic vibe. There was a winding narrow staircase in the middle of the restaurant and the place itself had three floors. The main floor had the pizza oven, while the bottom and top floors had most of the tables and seats. The vibe was casual, although I spotted a few couples having dinner dates there. The pizza was pretty legit with excellent dough quality. However, I still think Savoy in Azabujuban still has my favorite pizza, the Maguro Pizza. I'll definitely have to give that a try again next time.

After dinner, we all just hung out and rested up. Travel fatigue was definitely something I need to take account of. Definitely need more days in between to rest up. My friend and I also rocked our newly purchased watches from the Osaka trip. Definitely a nice present to ourselves and to remember the trip. 

Still jet laggy still. Woke up early and decided to grab breakfast at a local spot, Woodberry Coffee Shibuya. The walk to the shop wasn't too bad through some local streets and it was right next to a local green space, Hikawanomori Park. My friend and I wandered through the little park up a flight of stairs. It was nice seeing the day to day life of students and adults making their way to school and work through the subway system. There was a sense of peace and routine in the air. I felt a bit envious that I didn't have a routine set up here yet, heh. Someday perhaps.

The coffee shop eventually opened up and to our surprise, there were already a few groups inside busily chatting away and planning out their days. The coffee shop was nice and cozy with very cute staff. My brother's friend would later joke about how it should be called "Woodbaddie Coffee." LOL. I had some avocado toast to enjoy with my morning coffee, while my friend got an acai bowl to pair with his. 

Once we were both sufficiently fueled for the morning, we headed off to our second stop, SHIBUYA. Hello Scramble, hello tourists, hello....chaos. First on our shop list was Tower Records. I was hunting for a few city pop cd's I had on my wishlist, while my friend zoomed over to the Kpop section for his stuff. Afterwards, ht was just an onslaught of stores. Bape, Rinkan, And Wander, The Matcha Tokyo, Nose Shop, New Era, TNF, Starbucks, Descente, Levi's, World of Flight, TNF, Studion D'Artisan, V.A., CDGCDGCDG, Mad Happy, Beams, Beams Records. Somewhere in the mix, we managed to squeeze in some lunch at Menya Kokoro mazesoba. It hit the spot and was very worth it. I could definitely come back.

After the long winded shopping day, we headed back via taxi back to rest up as my brother had booked us a sushi dinner at Sushi RIzaki Ebisu at 8:30pm. Thankfully, that gave my friend and I ample time to rest up and also pack for the rest of our upcoming trips to Yamagata and Sapporo.

Once dinnertime came, we all walked over and waited a few minutes outside for them to open up shop. The sushi spot was pretty full and there were two young sushi chefs there. The quality wasn't the best I've had and some of the shari was falling apart. Still, I indulged and savored each bite. I was about two highballs deep by the time the dinner ended.

From there, my brother planned on meeting up a few of his buddies at a local bar called ChaChaCha. It had an interesting vibe kinda like a snack bar or something. It was just filled with cute female bartenders. I met a few of Ray's friends there and briefly chatted with a few of them about random things. As the conversation flowed, the highballs kept coming too! I noticed the bartenders were very quick to provide refills....to my detriment. After feeling sufficiently tipsy, we all called it a night as my friend and I had a big travel day tomorrow northward to Yamagata.

Woke up and got ready to head over to Tokyo Station. Today my friend and I were both headed up north to Yamagata to check out the snow there and potentially see the 'snow monsters' that they're famous for up there. I reserved shinkansen tickets on Klook for convenience and just had to scan the QR code at one of the ticket machines to get our tickets x2 each. After getting through the ticket gate, we perused the various restaurants inside the shinkansen area and settled on a ramen spot. It was pretty decent and helped to fill our stomachs for the 2h 43m shinkansen ride.

We also grabbed some snacks, ekiben, and drinks for the trip and settled in our seats. Thankfully, the shinkansen went directly all the way to Yamagata station without any transfers. Once we arrived, we navigated our way through the station from a pedestrian walkway and walked a few blocks to our accommodations, Daiwa Roynet Hotel Yamagata Station. We were early for our check in time as per usual, so we just dropped off our bags at the hotel and hit up a nearby conbini for snacks.

From there, we decided to wander Yamagata station, which was connected to a local mall called the S Pal Mall. They had a pretty decent food court and we grabbed some zunda shakes (edamame) and checked out the local shopping vibes. I could definitely feel the small town vibes there and there weren't that many big brands that I recognized there. After killing sufficient time, we headed back to the hotel and checked in.

After settling in and unpacking, we headed out again and checked out a few local spots including Kajo Park and the Yamagata Castle Ruins. We saw a lot of locals walking their dogs and enjoying a leisurely stroll past the castle ruins that were fenced off from public access. The vibe was definitely chill and slow paced compared to Tokyo. We checked out Momoji Park as well and headed back towards the hotel. My friend and I discussed our potential plans for dinner and decided to check out a nearby izakaya to grab a few drinks and small bites. Food was decent for pub food, but nothing mind blowing. What was kinda amusing was as we were leaving, a massive crowd of Chinese tourists coming off a tour bus swarmed the restaurant. It went from a few scattered empty tables to completely packed in a matter of minutes.

After doing some research, I looked into restaurants that served Yonezawa beef restaurants as it's pretty famous in the area. Luckily, I found a sukiyaki spot that was connected to the hotel that served Yonezawa beef. My friend was craving sukiyaki, so it worked out and I was easily able to make reservations for dinner tonight at 8:15pm. We popped in there and had a great meal including some beef tartare, local sake, and the star of the show, Yonezawa beef. It definitely had a very nice balance and left me wanting more after the course. After the dinner, I noticed that they had a small gift shop with beef jerky made out of Yonezawa beef. Out of curiosity, I bought a box and was disappointed to see that it was literally just one piece. The jerky itself was okay although a bit stringy and greasy. Still, overall an enjoyable experience trying Yonezawa beef.

Woke up and decided to skip the mediocre looking hotel breakfast. Instead, we both headed out to a nearby bakery chain called Vie de France. I grabbed myself a curry pan, matcha scone, and a tamago sando. The tamago sando was pretty good while the curry pan was mediocre. Still, having fueled ourselves for the morning, we were able to score two tickets from the bus ticket kiosk with ease and lined up to take the bus to Zao Onsen Ski Resort. The plan was to just check out the place and hop on a ropeway to potentially see the 'snow monsters'. We both decided to save the snowboarding day once we were in Sapporo since the snow is a bit better up there.

The bus ride took about 40 mins going through local towns and eventually up to some windy mountain roads. Once we were up there, we could see snow all around us. While the cover was slowly melting away a bit, I think the timing of our trip was still pretty good in between the winter and spring transition period. Snow and sakura. That's the plan.

Once we arrived at the Zao Onsen stop, we walked around the local resort town and stopped by a conbini. I grabbed a drink and some kairo hand warmers. We stopped by the first ropeway, but realized that it was just a ski/snowboard lift. We were redirected to walk down the road to another ropeway that takes you to the summit to see the famous 'snow monsters.' The roundtrip ticket we had allowed you to stop at two stations as you made your way up. The views were amazing up there and there were blizzard like conditions as you made your way up due to the Siberian cross winds. Unfortunately, due to the blizzard, the visibility was near zero and a complete white out. No 'snow monsters' today. Boo.

Still, we managed to take a few pics and enjoyed a cup of hot amazake at the summit. After heading back down, we stopped by a conbini to grab some drinks and checked out some gift shops. We stopped by the bus station, but quickly realized that the buses don't come around too often and so we had about 40 minutes to kill before the next one arrived. We wandered through the small resort town and spotted a shrine up a long flight of stairs, grabbed some pudding at a local shop, and I dipped my feet in some onsen water while enjoying the views of the snowy slopes. Definitely relaxing vibes and I enjoyed the brief time there.

After killing enough time, we both headed back and hopped on the bus back to Yamagata station. From the station, we decided to take a cab to get some ramen at Ken Chan Ramen Yamagata. To our dismay, the line up was super long and the shop was about to close in 30 minutes. Disappointed, I quickly formed a Plan B and found another local ramen spot just a few blocks down we could walk to. Thankfully the wait was minimal there and we were able to get seated pretty quickly. The ramen itself was pretty good and the noodles themselves were the highlight as they were curly and chewy. Not too shabby, but I think I still prefer tonkatsu ramen over every other type.

After lunch, we cabbed it back to the hotel and asked the concierge to assist with a reservation at a local Okinawa themed restaurant we spotted earlier. Unfortunatley, they were fully booked so we decided to wander the local streets nearby and settled on a spot called Ikko sushi. We both got some nigiri sets and enjoyed some local cocktails and brews. After dinner, we stopped by a nearby Mr Donut shop and grabbed a few sweets to finish up the day. A few L's taken today, but still an enjoyable experience. After dinner, I enjoyed another drink and a hot bath to rest up as we needed to catch a flight tomorrow from Sendai Airport to New Chitose Airport in Sapporo.

Woke up early and decided to scope out a local cafe for some breakfast before we headed off to Sendai Station and then the Sendai airport. It was called Day & Coffee and there wasn't much of a line up when we arrived minus a pair of Chinese tourists. I grabbed myself a hot matcha latte and a tomato basil sandwich to enjoy. A simple meal to start off the day. Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel to check out and then caught the next train to Sendai Station. I think we ended up sitting in a reserved seat car, but luckily we were safe as the train car wasn't too packed.

From Sendai station, we winded down to the ground floor via pedestrian walkways and took a cab over to Sendai airport. I gazed out the taxi windows at Sendai and tried to catch the local vibe of the city. Definitely less busier than Tokyo and had a laid back vibe. Once we arrived at Sendai station, we wandered the airport shops for a bit before heading to our gate. I grabbed a few locally made onigiri for the flight.

The flight itself wasn't too bad and we landed on time at New Chitose Airport. After grabbing our bags from baggage claim, we found the Rapid Airport Sapporo train and hopped on it for a 45 minute ride to the city center. From there, we were able to take a cab over to our hotel, Solaria Nishitetsu. This would be our home for the next four nights. We arrived early for check in and so did our usual bag drop off so we could do some exploring. I also had the conceirge help make us a reservation at Yiihi Ultimate Salt Aged Jingisukan in Susukino. The restaurant was supposed to have some nice views of the city along with some good lamb mutton bbq. Afterwards, we stopped by the local Seico Mart for some goodies.

We had some time to kill before our reservation, so we decided to check out some local sights like the Nikka Whiskey Sign and Bunny's Bar. Once it was time, we headed upstairs to the restaurant. We got a small corner table without a vent for the bbq smoke. Kinda disappointing, but it couldn't be helped since the reservation was a tad last minute. Still, we both enjoyed various cuts of lamb along with some fried rice and side dishes. Overall, I'd say it was a 7/10 and I definitely think that Korean bbq is top tier and will never be beaten.

After dinner, we walked around and checked out Liberty Walk Sapporo. It was kinda cool seeing a car inside the shop. Wanting something sweet, we stopped by the well known spot called The Soft Cream House for some Cremia soft serve. It was amazing and I definitely wanted to give it another try before we left back to Tokyo. From there, we walked over to Odori Park and decided to check out the Sapporo TV Tower. Things changed quite a bit from when I visited a few years back. They no longer allow tourists to walk up the stairs and Odori Park wasn't lit up when we arrived at the top. So unfortunately, the views were a bit mediocre up there with tons of glare from the reflections on the glass. 

From there, I checked out Yodobashi Camera near our hotel to continue my hunt for watches and cameras. Unfortunately, the stuff I was looking for was sold out. Afterwards, we both headed back up to rest up and to also book our snowboarding stuff for the third day of our stay in Sapporo. Travel days are always tough, so we both rested up for the evening to replenish our energy for a big shopping day tomorrow.

To start off our second day in Sapporo, we decided to check out the hotel breakfast buffet before heading off to Nijo Market to see the local seafood offerings. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the buffet had a kaisendon station along with other Japanese breakfast options and Western stuff too. Still, I managed to practice some restraint and only ate a little since I wanted to get myself a real kaisendon in Nijo Market.

From the hotel, we cabbed it over to Nijo Market and wandered the various stalls offering fresh Hokkaido snow crab, uni, ikura, and other various seafood. We settled on Ohiso, a kaisendon chain restaurant. The main one was completely packed with a bit of a waiting list. However, thankfully they had a second local just around the corner with no wait at all. Big W. My friend and I were the first ones to be seated and were able to get ourselves a kaisendon with ikura, snow crab, and uni. We also both got some grilled scallops and some sake to wash it all down. Amazing breakfast. Easily one of my top 5 meals so far of the trip. 

After the very satisfying breakfast, we wandered the market a bit more and then eventually made our way to Odori Park to walk off the double breakfast that we just had. From there, we checked out a few shops including Mega Don Quijote, Bic Camera, Bape, Beams, TNF. We also stopped by for a quick caffeine boost at a local cafe called Espresso Gang. I also had to stop by Kinotoya Bake in Pole Town in the basement shopping area. They have the best egg tarts I've ever had. I restrained myself and just got one today, but I vowed to myself I'd grab a six pack of them before the trip was over.

After some more shopping, we were getting hungry again and decided to get some soup curry at Suage. There was a little line up, but we were able to get a reservation ticket and stopped by a nearby McDonald's to get a nice hot strawberry pie while we waited. Once we were seated, we both ordered some chicken soup curry to enjoy. Overall, soup curry is okay, but not my favorite. I still prefer regular curry over rice.

After lunch, we took a cab over to the Sapporo Factory Mall to grab a few winter essentials including gloves and neck gaiter for our snowboarding trip tomorrow. The mall itself was pretty nice with an expansive food court, but was a bit difficult to navigate with multiple sections and buildings. On our way back, we decided to scope out the bus stop station for Kokusai Resort just so we don't get lost tomorrow. It was beginning to rain a bit, but was still manageable. We rested up a bit and then decided to check out the Sapporo Parco mall to check a few shops including Tower Records, Murasaki Sports, Muji, and stopped by Nana's Green Tea for some matcha lattes and a matcha cheesecake. Pretty tasty and would visit again.

Once evening began, we discussed dinner options and settled on miso ramen at Sumire Sapporo Suskino. It was pretty cold that night and the line up was pretty long. I remember thinking to myself that this better be worth the long wait. Eventually my friend and I were able to secure our ramen meal tickets from the ticket machine and got seated at the corner of the small ramen restaurant. Once we got our ramen, I took a careful sip of the piping hot broth. UMAI. Holy shit, one of the best miso ramen I've ever had. Definitely worth the wait in the cold. My friend agreed and we enjoyed our hot ramen carefully with plenty of water to wash it all down. With our bellies full, we waddled over to a taxi stand and headed back to rest up for our snowboarding trip tomorrow.

Snow time baby! It must be over 10 years since I snowboarded last and so I was feeling a mix of excitement, eagerness, and nervousness to hit the slopes and experience some of the famous 'Ja-pow'. First, we grabbed hotel breakfast and I made sure to fuel up with some kaisendon and lots of protein. From our hotel, it was just a short walk to the nearby Keio Hotel bus stop. We spotted a bus waiting there already with a person standing there with a clipboard. We showed them our QR codes and gave our names. Easy peasey. We were able to board the bus without any issues and enjoyed the ride up to Kokusai Ski Resort. 

The bus itself made lots of stops, but we eventually made our way towards the resort. The views were awesome with snowy mountain towns and expansive frozen landscapes slowly thawing during the sunny spring transition. Once we arrived, we both hopped off and headed to the rental station on the first floor. Snowboard, binding, boots. Check. Jacket, goggles, pants. Check. There was a changing room with coin lockers around the corner. We both got changed and I slapped on my padded crash shorts to protect my bottom. I definitely wanted to make sure I wasn't super sore afterwards with all the inevitable falling that I'd be doing on the runs.

Once we were both geared up, we took a ropeway up to the top. My friend was getting nervous and wasn't confident about doing the run due to the elevation. He ended up chickening out unfortunately and I did my first run solo. It was a mix of intermediate/beginner and the run itself was pretty long. The views were awesome and I didn't have much issue with switching and carving a bit. I think I fell maybe once or twice during the first run. I eventually found my friend waiting at the bottom of the slope near the kids sledding hill. I tried to coach him to keep trying and to practice standing up in the roped off beginner area. He kept trying to stand, but was unable to get the hang of it. 

I was pretty disappointed since I was hoping to enjoy the slopes together. Still, I give my friend props for keeping at it. I did a few more runs while he kept practicing and the runs got better and faster. The snow quality itself was a mix of icy spots and some powdery spots. Not the best quality I've experienced. I remember snowboarding in Lake Tahoe one time and that still is number one for me compared to Big Bear and Mammoth.

After some tiring runs, I met up my friend and we grabbed some lunch at the local food court. We both opted for some katsu curry and I also got a butaman (steamed pork bun) to enjoy. After lunch, I did a few more runs and then called it after getting a bit tired. We returned all of our gear without any issues and waited in the upstairs lobby area until the next bus arrived. While the experience was pretty fun, I still think it could've been better if my friend was able to snowboard successfully. I'd still like to give it another try and maybe try a different resort during peak winter conditions.

I took a nap during the bus ride back and we both rested up until the evening. We decided to get dinner at a kaitenzushi restaurant, but to my shock, the waitlist was 60 parties deep. WTF. As a consolation, I found another sushi spot called Sushizen in the Daimaru Mall. The sushi there was pretty legit and the protein was definitely needed. We wandered the mall afterwards and stumbled upon an Italian restaurant, Mia Angela that had crab pasta. YUM. Definitely adding that to a MUST TRY. Afterwards, I decided to check out Yodobashi Camera again and I ended up getting a Panasonic hair dryer after reading reviews about how great they are. Once we got back to the hotel, I stayed up a bit and did some laundry that was very necessary with all the traveling we were doing. While I would have loved a nice hot bath, the hotel we were staying at didn't have one. Definitely gotta make sure for future trips that a bath tub is available!

The plan for today was to do a short day trip to Otaru, a small local town known for its canal, music box store, and local seafood market. But first, hotel breakfast. I gorged myself on kaisendon and a few other things to fuel up for the day. The first stop before Otaru was the Sapporo Beeer Museum. I wanted to go during my first trip out there, but didn't have the time unfortunately. Just a short 7 minute taxi ride over, my friend and I got there before opening and checked out the various landmarks and buildings around the museum. 

Eventually the musueum opened up promptly at 11am with a small group of tourists waiting outside. The museum itself was free admission although you could pay for guided tours. The exhibit itself was pretty small and underwhelming IMO. It eventually opened up into a beer hall where you could try different types of Sapporo Beer. My friend and I tried the Kaitakushi unfiltered beer since we had the Sapporo Classic yesterday with our sushi dinner. I didn't like the Kaitakushi one that much and preferred the Classic version more.

The beer hall was adjacent to a small gift shop, which had a few nice things including beer mugs and various trinkets. I abstained as I was concerned about the mug breaking during my return back to Tokyo. Afterwards, I had planned on checking out a sushi spot, but the tour of the museum was pretty quick and we were both still stuffed from the hotel breakfast. So we both decided to head off to Otaru sooner than planned. Taking a local train over there, the views were nice of the coastline and we could still see snow covering parts of the shoreline.

Once we arrived, we exited Otaru Station instead of Shin-Otaru station so we could check out Sankaku Market. It was a very narrow alleyway with lots of small seafood restaurants tucked away along with various vendors selling fresh seafood. We exited that area pretty quickly because it was very claustrophobic and jam packed with tourists. After escaping the crowd, we leisurely walked down towards the Otaru canal and walked around one of the side streets. We ended up stopping at an Otaru Beer brewery to grab a few drinks and small bites, grabbed some sweets at LeTao, and checked out Otaru Denuki Koji area to check out the various shops there.

We also made a brief stop at the Otaru Music Box Museum, which was again jam packed with tourists. God, I forgot how busy sakura season is. Definitely gonna avoid spring time for the next trip. After we finished up browsing the shops there, we took the train back to rest up before dinner. For the evening, we decided to check out the Daimaru basement food court to grab some small bites. I got myself a nigiri set while my friend got some yakisoba and karaage. We checked in for our flight tomorrow from Sapporo To Haneda back to Tokyo. Time was flying and I was beginning to dread the end of the trip and to go back home to LA.

Anyway, for dinner we settled on getting some more miso ramen, but this time one with some seafood in it. We settled on checking out the Ganso Sapporo Ramen Alley and found a small shop called Teshikaga Ramen that had a crab butter miso ramen. It hit the spot, but definitely was not as good as Sumire. There were a few other ramen spots that were well known in the alleyway, but unfortuantely they were closed today. Still with our bellies full of noodles and miso broth, we decided to end our final night with some Nikka whiskey cocktails at Nikka Bar nearby. The atmosphere was very elegant and upscale. I definitely felt a little under dressed, but was still able to enjoy a few handcrafted cocktails there. With a nice buzz to call it a night, thus ended our final day in Sapporo. Definitely fun times, but I'd want to return during the snow festival next time as there's more stuff to do and see.

Final morning in Sapporo. Had to start the day off by hitting up Ohiso again for that delicious kaisendon. We cabbed it over and were actually able to get seated at the main Ohiso restaurant as it wasn't too crowded on a Thursday morning. My friend and I switched things up a bit and got a different kaisendon consisting of scallops, snow crab, and ikura. We also shared a few pieces of otoro sashmi as well. It was all so buttery and a flavor explosion. Great way to start off the last day here in Sapporo.

We headed back to the hotel to pack up and check out. Since our flight back to Tokyo wasn't until the evening, we had plenty of time to finish sightseeing. We decided to hit up Sapporo Art Park, which was about a 45 minute train ride and bus ride to get there. While it was a bit of a trek to get there, the park was pretty nice and nestled within a little forest with a liberal arts college nearby. Unfortunately, it wasn't the season for the scuplture garden and so it was completely closed. Still, my friend and I were able to wander around the art park perimeter and enjoy some of the left over snow from the lingering winter.

Afterwards, we rushed back to the bus stop to make our way back to Sapporo Station. We checked out a few souvenir shops in Sapporo station and then headed back to Sapporo Station. We still had a lot of time before our flight, so we decided to check out Mia Angela for that crab pasta. I got a cream sauce based snow crab pasta, while my friend got a soft shell crab marinara pasta. We also got a marinara pizza to share. The portion was a bit small, but tasted amazing. That Italian and Sapporo seafood fusion was awesome. After that satisfying meal, we got one last Cremia soft serve to finish off lunch.

Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel to pick up our luggage. From there, we took the Rapid Airport train to CTS, New Chitose Airport. It was a packed train and thankfully I was able to secure a little corner of the train and sat on my rolling luggage for the 47 minute train ride. 

I saw a Korean couple struggling as they stood for the entire train ride. Definitely gotta consider doing a reserved seat for the Rapid Airport train next time to improve comfort. Once we finally arrived at the airport, we took our time and browsed some of the various restaurants and shops within the airport. The sheer selection was quite expansive and I definitely was a bit overwhelmed. Pro tip, arrive at New Chitose Airport super early to take advantage of some of the amazing restaurants and shops there.

After checking out a few shops, we headed through security and headed to our gate. I unfortunately got stuck with a middle seat, but luckily got sat next to two Japanese businessmen who kept to themselves. Once we landed, I was a bit relieved that the heavy travel days were over. It was quite exhausting squeezing Yamagata and Sapporo back to back, but we had to do it since my brother had a friend staying with him during that time. Still, it was a memorable trip and I enjoyed Sapporo a lot. As for Yamagata, I'll probably skip it unless I end up staying at Zao Onsen overnight. 

Once we arrived back at my brother's place, we settled in and did some laundry. We all decided on getting some soba for dinner and checked out a spot called Matsugen Soba. The food there was pretty legit and hit the spot since we had a lot of rich and fatty food in Sapporo. Afterwards, we checked out the local market for some goodies and also hit the conbini as usual. I also enjoyed some sakura as a few of the local trees were nearly in full bloom for the looming spring season. A much needed rest followed and we called it a night.

Started off the day back in Tokyo by checking out Woodberry Coffee again for breakfast. I got a cafe latte and eggs benedict, while my friend got a matcha latte and an acai bowl again. It was a very satisfying breakfast that wasn't too heavy. Plus, the waitresses there were quite easy on the eyes..."Woodbaddie Coffee" indeed, haha. We then headed to get some goodies from the nearby Tsruha drugstore and snacks at Family Mart. 

From there, we headed off to Omotesando. Originally, we wanted to check out a Beams Shinagawa pop-up, but we were on a bit of a time crunch and headed directly over to Omotesando, where we met one of my friend's friends for a sushi lunch at Ikina Sushi Dokoro Abe Aoyama. The sushi there was interesting as the shari (sushi rice) seemed to have been made with brown or red vinegared rice. It wasn't my fav and so the sushi lunch was just okay.

Still, it was nice to meet a new local friend and chat about our recent trip out to Yamagata and Sapporo. From there, we checked out a few shops in Omotesando including Humanmade, VA, Ganzo Honten, and Shiro. I ended up buying a nice leather wallet from Ganzo to use for future Japan travels. It was a bit of a splurge, but I wanted something nice to use that was exclusively made in Japan. It was definitely very high quality leather and I'm eager to use it over time and get the leater nice and worn in. I also grabbed a bit more cologne at Shiro just in case I run out before my next Japan trip.

Afterwards, it was back to Ginza. There was some unfinished business we both had. First off was Gentle Monster as I wanted to get RX lenses put into the sunglasses I purchased in Osaka. I showed them the model that I purchased, but unfortunately they couldn't RX it due to the nature of the single piece lens it had. Major bummer. From there, we hit up a few watch shops including Seiko Dream Square, Grand Seiko Boutique Flagship, and Seiko House Ginza.

The offerings were okay, but nothing caught our eye unfortunately. I think BB America Garage in Osaka had a more interesting selection. We took a little break afterwards and lined up for Cloud Matcha, but the line was just ridiculous. Damn these viral spots are just overwhelmed with tourists. Luckily, I scouted out a nearby matcha shop as a Plan B called Zen Punk Matcha that I saw on social media. They whisked the matcha in front of you to give you a bit of a show and poured the matcha lattes in front of you, which was nice. A bit of a performance and the taste was pretty good. After a few sips, I ended up finishing the entire drink in seconds. Delicious.

With matcha running through our systems, we zipped over to check out a museum exhibit I saw on some Instagram reels featuring an artist, Hajime Sorayama that featured a lot of cyberpunk feminine robots under a style called "superrealism." The exhibit was located inside the Creative Museum Tokyo and was pretty awesome. The exhibit featured large prints, paintings, and sculptures. We also checked out the gift shop afterwards, but nothing really caught my eye. It would've been cool if they sold mini figures or sculptures, but they just had tacky trinkets and clothing.

After the exhibit, we checked out a nearby Porter store for my friend who was interested in getting a Japanese crafted wallet of his own. There unfortuantely wasn't much of a selection so he ended up not getting anything this time. From there, we headed back to rest up and discuss dinner plans. We decided on hitting up one of our prior spots, Niigata Sanpotei ramen for some hot and sour soup ramen (aka sanratanmen or suratanmen). There wasn't much of a wait and we were able to get the corner seat just like on our last visit.

 Unfortunately, their complimentary pickle jar they had previously was no longer there and you had to order them separately for a fee. I also ordered a few shumai along with the ramen and everything was fire. I did cough a bit due to some of the spice, but I couldn't stop myself from eating. Definitely always hits the spot every damn time. Afterwards, we walked over to Nakameguro and saw the swarms of tourists and locals checking out the illuminated cherry blossoms in the evening. There were traffic cops everywhere to direct the flow of traffic. It was a bit of a clusterfuck, but I managed to snap a quick pic.

We walked away from the chaos of Nakameguro River and made our way towards Don Quijote Nakameguro to grab some stuff. I ended up getting some hygiene products and goodies for myself, friends, and family. I also found some fruit shaped ice cream there for my friend and I. It hit the spot and was a good way to end the day.

First things first, a conbini run was in order to get one final Famichiki. I ended up doing the tried and trusted tamago sando and Famichiki hack along with a matcha latte. DEE-FRICKEN-LICIOUS. we both had to hit up the Beams popup shop in Shinagawa station. I saw that they had some cool exclusive merch including a tote, tshirt, and hat. My friend and I briefly chatted with some of the shop employees about our recent trip, which was nice. Good to chit chat with the locals and get some of that omotenashi (anticipatory hospitality) vibe.

After securing the goods, we headed off to Shibuya to attempt to eat at a viral spot called Hikiniku to Come for hamburg. Unfortunately, there was a bit of a line up and they only accepted reservations. I checked online, but they were fully booked for months. FML. I had a backup spot bookmarked for mazesoba called Aburasoba Ramen Chops Shibuya and so we ate there instead. The food there was so so unfortunately, but they did give big portions, which helped fill us up. Afterwards, I checked out Muji while my friend hit up Loft again. 

While I was about to shop at Muji, I totally forgot that I left my Beams shopping bag at the mazesoba restaurant and so we had to backtrack to get it back. Luckily, the bag was just sitting there untouched. PHEW. Thank goodness. If this was LA, it'd be long gone. After securing the goods AGAIN, I went back to Muji to grab a few items and then we both headed back to Akihabara.

We checked out a few shops including Habikoro Toys Radio Kaikan, Gachapon Hall, General Store Railyard, and a few other spots. Afterwards, it was back to the apartment to rest up and to start Tetris-ing all the stuff we bought into our luggage while maintaining weight limits.

Later in the evening, my brother invited my friend and I to do hanami at Yoyogi Park and then get some yakitori for dinner at a spot called Tori Tsuta afterwards. We grabbed a bunch of drinks and a few more at a nearby market before cabbing it over there. We could see the massive crowds of people as we got closer and closer to Yoyogi Park. We eventually found my brother's friends and started to crack some beers and cocktails. It was nice chatting with some of the locals and enjoying the cherry blossoms. While they weren't in full bloom yet still, it was nice to just chill out and enjoy the last night in Tokyo. My friend and I also checked in for our flight for tomorrow back to LAX.

I ended up drinking a bit too much too fast and got a bit too tipsy. While I managed to keep my composure, my stomach started to disagree with me as the night progressed. I ended up being only able to eat a few skewers at Tori Tsuta, before rushing back to the apartment to rest up. While I was a bit bummed out about not being able to stay for the entire dinner, I needed the rest. Definitely gotta avoid those sugary cocktails next time and stick with beer at the start.

FINAL DAY. Fight the tears. I wanted to make the most out of the last day and vowed to hit up at least one of the viral spots that my friend and I were not able to visit due to massive line ups. Today, our target was Age.3 for some deep fried sandos. First, we fueled up by grabbing one final Famichiki. I ended up doing a maple butter pancake conbini hack and that definitely hit the spot.

Afterwards, we cabbed it over to Age.3 in Harajuku instead of the one in Ginza. To our surprise, the shop was open a bit early and we were able to grab two sandwiches each with ease. I heard that they only sell about a 100 sandos per day. I opted for two of the most popular ones, the tamago sando and the creme brulee sando. The egg sando was awesome and definitely S tier compared to the conbini ones. The deep fried bread was also a nice touch and crispy. As for the creme brulee, the cream was amazing and I could see why it was one of the top sellers. Overall, very delicious albeit quite rich. I also got some canned apple juice to wash it all down.

With one viral spot checked off, we decided to check out a new venue that recently opened up called MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives. It was some sort of cultural and art museum with some interesting architecture. They had some lectures going on, a tatami floor exhibition area, and a nice rooftop garden with plenty of seating, a cafe, and a long foot bath where you could dip your feet into that was solar powered. There were some nice views of the shinkansen and local trains from the rooftop. A nice way to end our final day and to enjoy the cityscape one last time.

From there, we cabbed it over to Chidorigafuchi Park to check out the sakura one last time. It was a clusterfuck as expected, but we managed to see a few sakura trees in bloom. The sakura season was definitely a bit late this year and full bloom ended up not happening until early April. If I ever do sakura season again, I'd definitely wanna hit up Showa Kinen Olympic park again to ride a bike under the trees. After escaping the crowds, we headed over to Tokyo station to check out Trainiart for some train souvenirs for my friend.

Unfortuantely, we ended up getting a bit lost and gave up on that search. From there, we headed back to the apartment to grab our luggage and called an Uber to head to Haneda Airport. It was definitely bittersweet leaving, but I was kinda looking forward to getting back to my bed, my computer, my car, and even the gym, haha. We got to the airport early enough and got some dinner at Ariso Sushi as our final meal in Japan.

After dinner, we headed through security and did some last minute shopping for omiyage snacks, drinks, and stuff. I realized later that there's a Lawsons and 7-11 before security. As for after security, there's only a 7-11 near gate 108. Definitely gotta secure the conbini goods ahead of time before security next time. We hung out near the gate for a bit and eventually got boarded early due to our premium economy priortiy seating. The flight itself was very comfortable and I got a good amount of rest before we landed in LAX. Home sweet home.