Welcome back. Looking forward to this.

I’ll admit, I was intimidated by the thought of traveling to Japan. Even though I’m fairly well traveled in Asia, I knew things would be different. There’s the language issue, etiquette, unfamiliar food and even with the research I did, I found myself confused by how certain things would work. So I thought it might be helpful to include some tips and observations for the first time visitor like me. Keep in mind these are from my own personal experiences so they might not be the same as other people and I’m not making any blanket statements about a country or culture.

Earthquake after effects:

I’m going to start with this because this is the first thing people asked us about when we got home. We felt no aftershocks or earthquakes the entire time we were in Japan. We experienced no power outages, or saw any signs of shortages of food or water. The only things we noticed were some efforts at saving power; many escalators and moving walkways were shut down in Tokyo and possibly some building lights were off at night, though it was hard to tell. We saw a few cracks in our hotel’s hallway and some lost plaster on the Imperial Palace’s outer wall but that’s about it. Radiation was a non-issue where we were.

Everyone was incredibly friendly, polite and seemed genuinely happy we were there. People asked us if we had been afraid to visit and when we said “no” all we got were big smiles.The loss of tourism has had a big impact. We did a ½ day tour of Tokyo (included with our package) and our guide said she would usually have up to 80 people on it. There were 12 people on the day we did it and she said there had been days with no one, or just one or two people. While there, we saw a report on CNN which said that tourism in Tokyo was still down as much as 70% in some places.

Transportation:

Subways/Metro
Tokyo: The metro system can be very confusing at first because there are multiple lines; Subway/Metro, Japan Rail Commuter lines, and private rail lines. Just because there is a train station where you are, doesn't mean it will go where you want. We had Suica cards given to us by friends to which we added value when we arrived. These are travel cards which can be bought, loaded with money and used to ride the subways and even pay for items in convenience stores and vending machines. In fact, at the end of the trip when they still had money on them, we used them to pay for drinks at a 7-11, and a beer at an airport restaurant.

To use them, just tap the card on the subway turnstile and it will let you through. Tap the card again when you leave and it will debit the card the value of the trip. Ride costs vary depending on length. We added value in an office in the station because we did not know what to do at first, but later we added money at a ticket machine in the subway. The minimum value to add is 1000 yen. Our rides averaged about 190-230 yen each.

People are very quiet on the train, most reading or sleeping. Some texting on cell phone, but not one person ever talked on their cell phones on the metro. Train cars are very clean, and there is no graffiti anywhere. No one eats or drinks on the subways (apparently this is a major faux pas).

Kyoto: The same rules apply as in Tokyo, but the system is much smaller. There are only 2 lines which cross the city. Fortunately for us, our hotel was on one of them. On one day, we bought a 600 yen daily pass which paid for itself because the minimum cost for a ride was 210 yen.

Shinkansen Trains and the JR Pass:
We opted to buy the 1 week JR Pass before leaving home. The cost was about the same as a R/T ticket from Tokyo to Kyoto, but it also allowed us to go to Nara and use the local JR commuter lines in Tokyo which we did in our last two days. See my Japan Resources post for helpful links regarding JR trains.
We bought our pass from the ANA travel office in Torrance CA and because I happened to be in the area, I picked them up, saving myself the $10 delivery charge and the worry about their arrival because we ordered them right before leaving.

You will get a voucher for the pass and then must take it to a JR office in one of the larger stations to have it activated and get your actual pass. Remember to bring your passport when you do so.
The office in the Shinjuku Station does not open until 9am. One you have your pass, treat it like gold. They are not replaceable if lost. When you have the pass activated, it’s a good idea to make seat reservations if you know when you want to travel. You can travel without reservations, just get on the train, but seats are not guaranteed without them and reservations are free with the pass.
Some cars are reserved seats only, so if you don’t have seat reservations, make sure you go to the right cars. When getting seat reservations, select sides D and E seats if you want two seats together (in ordinary, not green/1st class). A, B, and C seats are 3 across.

To use your JR Pass on the local lines just go to a manned gate and show your pass and they will let you through. It was always easy and there was never a delay.

The Shinkansen are the bullet trains. The ones called Nizomo are slightly newer and faster, but are not included in the JR pass. If you have a reservation ticket it will tell you the train, car, and seat numbers, but in Japanese. The JR agent will write it in English for you on the ticket.
Go to the track for your train (electronic signs are in Japanese and in English) and there will be signs above the track which show where each car will pull up so you know where to stand to get on.
It’s a very good idea to be there waiting because the train is not in the station long unless it originates there. Our Kyoto train to Tokyo pulled in, we were first to get on in our car, and we had not stowed our luggage completely or sat down before it began to pull away.

When the train gets up to speed it goes about 270 km/h. The ticket conductor will walk to the front of the car, bow, and then walk down the aisle asking for tickets. You will need to show your passport along with the JR pass and seat reservation tickets if you have them. Bulkhead seats at the front of the train car have larger tray tables and power outlets. Regular seats have no power, smaller tray tables which do not slide forward toward your seat.

Food on the train:
We did not see a dining car, but there are ladies who walk around with a coffee/snack cart. A very small coffee (which we bought on the morning from Tokyo to Kyoto) was 300 yen. If we’d had time, I would have looked for a Starbucks or other coffee place in Tokyo station. We did find some very good pain au chocolate at a French bakery there.

The Kyoto station has lots of food options. We bought bentos boxes in convenience store and sushi place. Upstairs where the Shinkansen depart are even more food offerings.

As you approach a station, music will play over the loudspeakers, an announcement will come on in Japanese, then in English, stating which stop and which connections can be made at that station. Be ready to get off if the train if it is continuing on after your stop.

Bicycles, cars, walking, and theft issues:
Ok, we didn't ride any bicycles but since they are a form of transportation, I thought I’d put them here. Basically, I wanted to point out that they are left on the street, not locked to pole or a bike stand. People just leave them parked on the sidewalk, but put a lock on the bike’s tire so they cannot be ridden. Everywhere. Here at home those bikes would be tossed on the back of a flat bed truck in a hot minute. But apparently there is very little theft here. Items left on subway are all turned in.

Also, if you do want to ride a bike (we saw some for rent), bikes are ridden on the sidewalk and pedestrians need to keep to the left and out of the way of the bicycles. Keep to the left on escalators and stairways as well. Cars drive on other side of the road here from US so people typically walk on the left side of the sidewalk too. Make sure you look right before stepping off the curb to cross the street!

Great report and lots of useful information, Kristina. It's reassuring to know that the country's culture is far stronger than even the most devastating of natural disasters.

Don


I used to be rizzuto

Great start! Have been waiting for this one. Did you get to eat or get a peek in at Sushi Saito?

Ahhhh the Japan learning curve for the first timer....so much to learn in their system.....and everything there has it's own system. The bikes always freak me out too. In the states they would be gone in a minute or less. We once left a shopping bag in a restaurant after a meal as we had many bags with us that day. Our waiter caught up with us two blocks down the street running and apologizing for letting us leave without our bag.....amazing.

You can also use your suica card to purchase your coffee or whatever from those cart vendors on the shinkansen and various vending machines throughout all of Japan now.

Strange that they would print a train ticket in Japanese and give to you. Most large stations such as Shinjuku or Kyoto will print your ticket out for you in English. The only time they print for me in Japanese is when you are in a small town where I guess the machines don't print in English.

Food.....can't wait for more food reviews,lol.

Aloha!

Yay! Really looking forward to your report. I think I need to now put Japan on my "go to" list! You are putting me to shame Kristina, I haven't even started my SE Asia report and been home 6 weeks, you're really on the ball here!

Kristina, I've been awaiting your report!

This introductory info is just great! Japan is on our list as well, and I'm going to save this for when we need it.

very good read, keep it coming

Thanks for the encouragement everyone!

More observations and tips:

Costs, Food, and Water:

You’ve heard all about how expensive Japan is, but if you’ve never been, you won’t believe it until you see it. One of the things which shocked us the most was how expensive the beer was in restaurants. We were told this is because it is heavily taxed. A glass of beer was 400-750 yen when sometimes some of the meals were only 900 yen. This can really add to the cost of a meal.
Starbucks is expensive; an afternoon break of a couple of coffees and a scone set us back more than $13. A bowl of noodles can be 600-1200 yen depending on location and ingredients and size. This is a far cry from the $1 bowl of pho on the street in Hanoi.
It’s easy to spend 3000-4000 on an “moderate” meal for 2 people and very expensive meals can get up into the stratosphere. Tokyo has more Michelin starred restaurants than any city in the world and in those the cost can get above 20,000 yen per person. However, if you do your homework, it is possible to eat very well for 1000-1500 yen per person.

The Japanese take their food very seriously. They respect their ingredients and sometimes it seems as if they can be borderline obsessive about certain foods. I can get behind this. Take a walk through one of the market areas in the basement of any of the big department stores or through the Tsukiji fish market and you will see what I mean. Not only is the food itself pristine but so is the packaging and the presentation.
Where else in the world will you find the most perfectly ripe melon, wrapped as an important gift and costing over $150?

We drank both tap and bottled water. We ate everything, everywhere, raw and cooked. I tend to have a weak stomach did not have one moment of tummy trouble on the entire trip. If you are uncertain how to eat something or protocol, watch your fellow diners for clues.
For example, in one udon noodle place I noticed that when finished eating, everyone put their bowl up on the counter with their glass, and then wiped down the counter in front of them with a damp towel provided at each place before departing.

Technology:

I am a fan of all types of tech gadgets and try to get the most out of what we use for travel. On this trip, we brought a netbook, both of our Android Smartphones and a Kindle. The cell phones are locked, and with our carrier (Sprint) they only have the option to make and receive voice calls in Japan at the insane rate of $2 a minute. However, they do have a wifi option, so we rented a MiFi (a mobile wifi router, more below on this) for our time in Japan.
Where ever we could get a signal on the MiFi, we could use our phones to send/receive email, browse the internet and even make calls home via the Skype app which worked VERY well. In fact, I called home using Skype credit for only 2 cents a minute.
I also used the Kindle app on my phone to read my book (without my kindle) when I was on the train or a long subway ride. The Kindle’s 3G access connected just fine in Japan, and had I wanted to, I could have used it to download books or even check email. I used the netbook to download photos every night, upload photos to FB, email, surf the web, and write up notes for my trip report.

I rented from Rentafone Japan (http://www.rentafonejapan.com/) and selected their BIC Wimax pocket WiFi (aka MiFi) which was waiting for us at the front desk when we arrived at the Hilton. We took it up to the room and fired it up and…it did not get a signal. But we discovered if we put it in the window we could get enough of a signal to get it to work.
In fact, most of the time it worked quite well, allowing us to use a phone and netbook at the same time to get email, look at things online, etc. We took the MiFi out with us during the day so we could connect to our phones and use the GPS to find restaurants and look up train schedules. We used it on a slow train ride back from Nara to Kyoto with our cell phones and it helped the long ride pass much faster.
The only downsides were that the battery only lasts about 4 hours (so we just didn’t leave it on all the time) and the signal on the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto was poor and we were unable to use it in either direction. For us, the $90 we spent for 9 days was well worth the expense.

Three squats and a commode

Toilets in Japan can be anything from a squat toilet or a western style commode loaded with electronic gizmos which will do just about everything for you and to you. One thing that is almost guaranteed is that they will be sparking clean no matter whether it’s in a subway station or fancy hotel lobby.
Higher end hotels have these fancy toilets in every guest room and the most popular brand is Toto. Some places you go will have traditional Japanese squat toilets but usually one traditional western commode too.
Airport and train station restrooms seemed to always have both, as do the subways and most of the sightseeing spots, many with the type of toilet indicated on the outside of the stall. I was surprised at the fact that every subway station had multiple restrooms and they were clean, graffiti free, and had toilet paper. They are all beyond the ticket area however, so you can’t just use them from the street side.

Most of the restaurants we ate in had Toto toilets has well. I would always report back to David the quantity and quality of what was in the restroom which ranged from “Three Squats and a Commode” in the subway, to “heated seats” at the Tokyo Tower to the “Full Monty” of heated seats, wash and dry, and sound effects in the hotel lobby’s restrooms. If you are in the toilet and can’t find a mechanism or lever to flush, look for a large silver push button on the wall.
Public restrooms often have a spot in the stall to put a small child in special seat while the parent uses the facilities. Women’s restrooms also often have small, lower urinals for boy children. Smaller public restrooms are often co-ed with a urinal and a stall toilet.

Fashion:

There’s a very distinctive style going on here; shorts and short skirts with over the knee, thigh high stockings. Lots of layers of dresses over pants or tights. Younger salary men seem to favor tight suits with slim, pegged pants and pointy shoes. But those suits are all the same shade of blue as every other man on the train. Everyonehas a charm or four hanging off their cell phone. Most cell phones are in a flip phones style and we saw a few iphones and touch screens but not as many as in US.

Yay, Kristina..great start and I look forward to more!

Please include full details about the Mikayo in Kyoto!

Thank you for the great report so far! I am taking my son to Japan for our first time in June. Your information is very helpful to us.

Great report and please keep it coming!

Kristina - as always your reports are great and full of lots of useful info. I'll save this for the future too. Looking forward to more.

Thanks for the encouragement everyone!

If anyone would like to see the photos associated with the last part (including the $150 melon and some interesting fashion statements) the pictures are now up on my blog:
http://www.wired2theworld.com/2011/04/29/tips-and-observations-for-a-first-time-traveler-to-japan/

BTW, a friend told me last night these melons are typically given to terminally ill patients in the hospital. She said the family does not tell the patient they are going to die, but if you get one of these melons you know... She said she asked how the melons taste and the response was "no one knows." I always thought these were given as a gift to someone to make an impression. Anyone know?

Well I haven't had the $150 melons but have had a 2000 yen fuji apple once that was out of this world.

I think this article will answer your question:

For Japanese department stores and special vendors like Senbikiya, luxury fruit belongs to a special product categorythat exists almost exclusively for givers of gifts. Gift fruit – which can include grapes, cherries, peaches and pears – is cultivated in a special way, different from ordinary, everyday fruit.

“Japan is probably the only country in the world where you have fruit as a gift concept,” said Ushio Ooshima, a director at Senbikiya, whose main store in Nihonbashi alone sells 40 to 50 high-priced melons a day and as many as 200 a day during the mid-year and end-year gift-giving seasons. At Senbikiya, “99 percent of the purchases here are for gift,” Ooshima said. In the culture of gift giving, a melon may be offered as a special present to an important client, to a person to whom a debt of gratitude is owed, or to a sick friend as a get-well gesture.

The exceptional prices reflect exceptional methods used in growing the fruit. While an ordinary melon in a grocery stores rarely costs more than $5, the high-priced version, usually a variety of musk melon, is nurtured by special growers in specific locations, of which Shizuoka prefecture and Hokkaido are two of the best known.

In Shizuoka, west of Tokyo, melons are farmed in sophisticated green houses, complete with air-conditioners that fine-tune the temperate to optimal levels day and night. Melon vines are planted and cultivated in a soil bedding that is separated from the ground, said Tsuneo Anma, general secretary of a growers’ group based in Fukuroi city that produces the “Crown” brand of melons. Producing 3.5 million melons annually, the agricultural cooperative is the biggest specialty-melon grower in Japan.

The soil separation is necessary to regulate moisture levels. “The moisture uptake by the tree roots must be optimized to promote proper amount of photosynthesis,” Anma said. “If trees are planted in the ground, the roots will grow unregulated,” making moisture absorption difficult to control.

Growers trim the vines so that only three melons will grow on each tree. When the baby melons grow to the size of a human fist, two are chopped off to allow the most promising one to monopolize all the nourishment from the vine. That one melon is expected to mature into the juicy, beautiful and revered $100 dollar fruit.

How different does the high-priced melon taste from an ordinary one? “They are definitely different, from the scent of it to the texture of it,” said Shigeko Hoshi who lives in Tokyo and occasionally eats the expensive fruit when her family receives one as a gift. “The sweetness is exquisitely balanced with the sourness of it.”

Many Japanese consider the special melon, like the special grape, cherry or pears, to be the perfect gift, set apart by its aura of luxury and added value from what is otherwise a mass-produced organic product.

“People go, ‘What a difference does a gift melon make,”‘ Ooshima said. “People usually don’t eat the very best for themselves. They set it aside for others as a gift,” which is the very essence of Japanese gift-giving.

The ¥20,000 melon is the pick of the crop produced in the hothouses of Fukuroi.

“Less than 1 percent of the melons we grow qualify as ‘fuji,”‘ said Anma, referring to the top grading, which combines the greatest potential for taste with a perfect shape and appearance. “They need to look perfectly round with the mesh-like surface pattern impeccably even.”

While melons are the most expensive luxury fruit as a category, even fuji-grade melons can be out-priced by out-of-season fruits, Ooshima, of Senbikiya said. Cherries in winter, from Yamagata prefecture in northern Japan, can fetch a ¥50,000 price tag for just 300 grams, or 10 ounces.

Aloha!

at most the melon is worth $1.99 and throw in $3 for the wrappings..

> BTW, a friend told me last night these melons are typically given to terminally ill patients in the hospital. She said the family does not tell the patient they are going to die, but if you get one of these melons you know... She said she asked how the melons taste and the response was "no one knows." I always thought these were given as a gift to someone to make an impression. Anyone know?

Never heard of that (and I am Japanese, born and lived in Japan). Some people may say that but that's not necessarily a common explanation. Let me ask my friends in Tokyo and report here.

However fruits are often used as gifts fot the sick and for those in the hospital (they don't need to be terminally ill.).

Anyway, Kristina, glad you are back happy and writing this report.

My (perhaps most) favorite Japanese fruit is Kyoho grapes. They are also very expensive and I have not eaten much so far.

About the Shinkansen tickets, normally at any station big or small, in a city or in the countryside, they should be able to print them in English. Aynwhere they have the same computer system. Even though I'm Japanese, I have been asked if I wanted my reservation ticket in English or in Japanese because I often have Japan Rail Pass. And that happened in a small station as well. Maybe in your case the station staff simply did not know how to print in English?

kappa1- We got our tickets at the JR office in the Shinjuku station. On the way back, we got them in the Kyoto station. Both times the tickets were in Japanese and both times the person behind the desk wrote on them in English for us. That was my only experience with it, so I don't know any different.

Flight on SQ11 LAX to NRT

We left Los Angeles on a Friday afternoon and arrived in Tokyo on Saturday night. This flight was supposed to be on the new Airbus A380, but after the earthquake, Singapore decided to delay the launch for the new aircraft on that route. Instead it we were on a 777 both ways.
Because we bought the package though a travel agent we were unable to pick our seats in advance. No amount of phone calls or emails to Singapore or the travel agent could change this. I was never able to get a reason as to why this is their policy either.

Forty eight hours in advance, we were able to check in online and selected two aisle seats in middle section with an empty seat in between. But we gambled and lost and had a guy sitting between us for the entire flight.

It’s been over a decade since we’ve flown on Singapore Airlines and while they are known for Business and First, Economy is also pretty good. The seat pitch is tight, as is the recline, but there are good footrests and the food was decent (we selected the Japanese meal both directions). They even have good snacks available between meals. The wine however, was awful. The entertainment system is excellent; a 10” screen at every seat with video on demand. I watched 3 movies on the flight over and could have watched more.

We arrived around 7 PM on a Saturday night and it was very fast going through customs/immigration. There was no line at all and our bags were coming down when we arrived. As part of our package, we had tickets for the airport limobus which goes directly to the Hilton. We simply took our vouchers to one of the many “limobus” desks in the arrivals terminals and got a ticket. They told us where to go and we waited about 5 minutes for the bus to come. Our luggage was tagged and put under the bus. It took about 90 minutes to get to the hotel.

At check-in we were told we were “Upgraded” to deluxe room on 25th floor, but only seemed to be higher floor (nice view) with no extra amenities. There was no art on the walls, no robes, but it did have a very large safe, flat screen TV (the only channels in English are BBC news and CNN), and hot water kettle with teas and instant coffee (no coffee maker). The bathroom was very tight with plastic walls and decent toiletries (lots of choice) and a Toto washlet toilet (see my observations post for more about toilets in Japan).

Tip: Some mornings we used the hot water kettle to make packets of oatmeal we brought with us for breakfast because we were up so early (4:30 AM most days). The Starbucks about a block away does not open until 7:30 am. Breakfast in the hotel is 3600 yen (about $40 per person) for the buffet and was not included with our room.

Kyoto and Shinjuku (Tokyo)? Then I would say the station staff somehow printed the reservation in Japanese and did not bother re-issue in English.

> BTW, a friend told me last night these melons are typically given to terminally ill patients in the hospital. She said the family does not tell the patient they are going to die ...

The first answer I got was from a lady friend. She has never heard of such either. Just laughed about it. She is in her early 50's and have lived all her life in Tokyo. I also did a google search in Japanese and found no suc story, although I only did a quick search. I'm curious, is your friend who told you that a Japanese ?

Not so sure about the melons theory. I've eaten gift melons friends (Japanese) have received - those friends are neither sick nor dying, nor hospitalized. The melons - look beautiful wrapped in tissue, packed in a special box. The pattern of the melon skin is flawless. The melon itself, I found too soft in texture and too sweet in taste for my liking. But, it's a gift, and not so much about the taste as the gesture and perceived value. Gifts are taken very seriously, and a gift of melon or very special mango is indeed an esteemed gift. I really don't think it has to do with terminal illness. It is, however, true, that some families do not wish to inform their loved ones of their terminal diagnosis, though that is becoming less the norm.

Yeah, I don't know about the melons, I'm only reporting what my friend said. She is half Japanese and this is what she was told by family living in Japan. I'm sure everyone has a different experience. I can only talk about my own and I just thought the whole concept of these pampered fruits was interesting.

Did I go all the way to Japan to have my first meal at a Denny's?

By the time we’d checked in and were ready to go out to eat it was about 10pm. In the immediate area surrounding the Tokyo Hilton there just aren't a lot of restaurants open very late. There are very few restaurants visible at street level, but most of the big buildings have an underground mall area with restaurants. Unfortunately, most were closing at that time. If we had known a little more, we could have walked about 8 blocks to the main Shinjuku area where there are tons of restaurants, though I doubt we would have found a lot open because many places seem to shut down around 10pm.

It's funny how we have this image in our heads about how things should be. I wanted noodles for our first meal and was determined to get them. Who would have thought I'd find them at Denny's? But that's where we ended up, jet lagged and famished, unwilling to search further.

The Denny’s near the Tokyo Hilton is open 24hrs and is only about a block from the hotel (exit hotel, turn right). To our surprise, we found a restaurant which very much looks like a Denny’s, but with a completely different menu. Gone are the Grand Slams and Chicken Fried Steak, replaced by Japanese favorites including fried pork cutlets, gyoza, and a decent bowl of ramen. In addition, they serve Asahi beer! There are big plastic menus just like in the US, but (of course) they are all in Japanese. We were thankful for the photos of each menu item (point to order works!). The menus also have a calorie count for each item, like many chain restaurants now do in the US.

Like Denny's in the US, this place had similar late night demographics. There are the teenagers crammed around a big table, eating ice cream and looking at their cell phones and video games. There's the single guy, chain smoking, reading a magazine. There are the lovers, canoodling in a booth, oblivious to the rest of the world. We were the only dazed tourists in there.

On each table is a little bell/button. Press it and it will chime, signaling the server you are ready to order. They probably won’t come until you do. Smoking is still allowed in restaurants so it’s likely even if you sit in a non-smoking restaurant, you will still smell cigarette smoke.

We both opted for a bowl of ramen and shared a large beer. While it wasn't the best ramen I’ve ever had, it was tasty, filling, and hit the spot after the long flight. Satisfied, we were able to go back to the hotel and get some sleep in preparation for a big day of sightseeing to come.

> BTW, a friend told me last night these melons are typically given to terminally ill patients in the hospital. She said the family does not tell the patient they are going to die ...

Just for the record、3 friends of mine (all Japanese living in Japan) have answered. They all answered that they have never heard of it. They come all from different area originally as below

-Above lady friend : in her 50's, lived all her life in Tokyo
-Another friend in her late 50's, born and lived half her life in Kanazawa then the rest in Tokyo
- A man in his late 50's, born and lived in Aomori (north of japan), now in Tokyo.

So I'm pretty confident that what I state on my first post is the general case. Your friend could have got it somehow wrong (or just maybe it is a VERY local custom.).

I have seen those expensive greenhouse melons on display at a fruit store in Ginza, Tokyo, but have not seen the inside of these melons until last November when I visited my mother in Taiwan.

My mother is elderly, but not in a hospital nor terminal. A family friend brought a pair of Japanese melons imported from Shizouka (静岡), Japan to visit my mother. Inside the gift box there is a pamphlet that says these dear melons are nice gift for special occasions such as birthday, promotion, graduations etc.

The melon was soft, very juicy and sweet, as KimJapan said. But considering its cost, I would not buy it for myself.

I had no idea the melon comment would generate so much discussion. As I said, I was only reporting what my friend was told. Let's all assume that's her experience and leave it at that. I'm not going to go and tell her she's wrong, but it does sound like the consensus is that it's not typical (which is why I asked about it).

Photos for my last post are now on my blog at:
http://www.wired2theworld.com/2011/05/04/did-i-fly-all-the-way-to-japan-to-have-my-first-meal-at-a-dennys/

Hi Kristina,

Great report; both the blog & photos are excellent!

I'm reading it with bitter sweet feelings as we should have been in Tokyo about the same time as you but cancelled at the 11th hour.
We had been on the fence but the decision was made just a week or so before we were due to leave as my daughter's school band was selected to play at Symphony Hall in Boston.
The performance would have cut short our trip by 3 days and as we had the option to cancel without penalty we did.

Even though we did squeeze in a quick trip to Mexico as a consolation I'm having 'trip envy' right now.

I hope we get to Japan in 2012.

Wow, Kristina... you're trip looks remarkably similar to the one we took a couple of years ago. Nice job, and I like your blog too!

Loving your report, Kristina!

Great report and photos, thanks for sharing!

Kristina, you've convinced me I need to do a blog about our upcoming trip. Nice report and a fun pictures! Looking forward to more.

Sunday in Tokyo-The 1/2 Day Tour

As part of our airline package we had a half day tour of Tokyo. I contacted the travel agency before we left, asking about the tour and they automatically booked the tour for us for the day after we arrived, without asking. Fortunately, we decided that doing this on our first morning would be the best time anyway.

This is the same tour offered by just about every travel agency and booked through Grey Line Tours. It normally costs 4,000 yen per person and includes a visit to the Tokyo Tower, the Meiji Shrine, a drive by of the National Diet building and Aksaka Guest House, and a final stop at the Imperial Palace garden. Typically we would not choose to do this type of tour, but since it was included, we thought it might be a good introduction to the city. Plus, I wanted to see if I was missing something by usually avoiding the “get on the bus and follow the tour leader” type of tour.

The pick-up time at the Hilton is at 8am. There was some confusion about our guide (one showed up, but we weren't on their list), but they took us anyway, because as I said, every company uses the same tour in the end and no one else showed up for us.

We spent almost an hour driving across town with one stop at another hotel to pick up more passengers and then a stop to change buses (split into half day and full day tour groups). This would have bothered me if we’d paid for the tour as it seemed like a huge waste of time. In the end, there were only 12 people in our group. I asked the guide if this was typical and she said no. Typically they would have 60-80 people at this time of the year, and in the past month she had days with only one or two people because of the downturn in tourism. We were extremely happy not to be on a bus with 60 other people.

Tokyo Tower

Our first stop was the Tokyo Tower, a bright red copy of the Eiffel Tower, built to house communication equipment in 1958. We were taken by elevator to one of the viewing platforms and the guide walked us around, pointing out various landmarks and buildings in the slightly hazy view. On a clear day you can see Mt Fuji from here, but it wasn't really visible to us today.
There are other things to see at the tower, including an aquarium and a floor with souvenir shops and restaurants, but we didn't see any of it. We were scheduled to have another 45 minutes there, but because the group was so small, the guide went off-script and gave of the choice of staying at the tower or visiting one of the neighboring temples. Thankfully, everyone agreed to a change.

Zojoji Temple

We walked through a section of Shiba park to the Zojoji Temple which was built by the Tokugawa family in 1393 and moved to this location in 1598.
Inside the temple grounds we saw the Daiden (the main hall) , hundreds of jizo statues placed there to commemorate and protect children who have died before their parents, and the Sangedatsu Gate (the main entrance), a massive structure by which passing through its doors one can rid themselves of greed, foolishness and hatred.
Of course, we exited through this gate and all wondered about the ramifications of exiting and not entering.

Meiji Shrine

Our next stop was the Meiji Shrine, located inside Yoyogi Park. Relatively new, it was built first in 1920 by the imperial family, destroyed by Allied bombs in WWII, and rebuilt in 1958. A long gravel road leads from where the bus parks to the gigantic tori (gate), the largest Shinto gate in world. It’s a lovely walk, shaded by large cedar trees, and along the way there is an area bordered on one side by donated wine barrels of all the great French Chateaus and on the other by brightly decorated sake barrels.

Outside shrine’s entrance, there is a water fountain fed by a natural spring and used for ritual purification before entering the inner courtyard . The guide demonstrated what to do, showing us how to rinse our hands and mouth using a bamboo dipper in the water. This was a handy piece of knowledge and experience for us and we used it on future visits to other shrines.

It was a sunny, beautiful Sunday in April and there were two weddings going on while we were there. We were told it was perfectly acceptable to photograph the wedding processions; the only place we were not allowed to take photos was inside the temple itself.

The brides were stunning in their traditional white kimonos with high heavy veils. The guide explained to us that for a traditional wedding, the bride rents the kimono for about $6000 for the day, and then rents 3 other dresses to change into during the wedding and reception. The average cost of a wedding in Japan is $57,000, supplemented mostly by cash gifts from the guests.

Inside the temple we were shown how to perform a traditional prayer; toss a coin into large wooden box on the other side of a gate, bow, pray and clap our hands. The guide also explained to us the wooden prayer plaques we saw hanging around (people buy the plaques, write their prayers on them and they are blessed by the monks). After that, we were given 30 minutes to walk around and make our way back to the bus. There is a snack shop near the parking lot with clean restrooms (and heated seats!), where we got a drink and a meat filled bun.

The drive by of National Diet building (like Capitol Hill in DC) was fairly boring as was the Aksaka Guest House which looks almost exactly like Buckingham Palace and is used for visiting dignitaries. More interesting was the running narration we got during the drive of what is going on with royal family. Our guide did not hold back on giving her opinion about how the press treats the wife of the crown prince or how things are changing for the Imperial family in general.

Imperial Palace Garden

Our last stop was the Imperial Palace garden. It’s very pretty, and filled with cherry blossom trees, naturalized irises, ponds, streams, and waterfalls, which were turned off to save power. There are some very colorful carp in the ponds and we saw a swan building her nest in the outer moat of the palace. The emperor still lives in the palace, so it is not open to the public except for a few days a year.

After the garden, the bus brought us to the Ginza neighborhood for a drop off around 1pm. Everyone was on their own to get back to hotel. In all, for about $50, I’m not sure if this tour would be worth the expense because many of these sites are free and can be easily seen while sightseeing on your own in the various areas of the city. On the other hand, if you are pressed for time it could be a good choice to see a lot all at once. For us, it was a nice option to have so that we did not have to think on that first morning. However, of all the places we saw, we probably would have only sought out the Meiji Shrine on our own, and while I’m very appreciative of some of the cultural information we got from the guide, we both agreed we are still not fans of the “get on the bus and follow the leader” style of travel.

Photos for this section (tons of them!) are now up on my blog:
http://www.wired2theworld.com/2011/05/09/half-day-tour-of-tokyo-can-we-learn-to-love-the-bus-and-follow-the-leader/

Kristina,
As usual a great trip report, and wonderful photos. Am anxiously awaiting the rest.

Kristina,
As usual a great trip report, and wonderful photos. Am anxiously awaiting the rest.

Nywoman-Thanks! I'm working on it. More to come!

aprillilacs- You really should try doing a blog if you feel inspired, they are a fun way to keep track of your trips. But warning, they are a lot of work (or can be if you are obsessive about it like I am).

Kristina,

Am enjoying your report and loving all the details. Don't know if I have the patience to do a blog but love yours! Can't wait for your take on Kyoto.

Aloha!

HT-Thank you so much! Your advice before we left was invaluable. In fact, I always put together my own "guidebooks" before I travel filled with info and recommendations, and a lot of your comments were in there. I kept saying to my husband "HT says..."

It takes me a long time to do these trip reports, I know, but I hope y'all stick with me because I will get it done eventually!

Kristina-My pleasure. So happy you found something I wrote of any use.

That picture you took on the tour bus of yourselves and the empty bus really showed me(a many time Japan visitor) how terrible the tourist economy is right now. That bus should have been full picking up just from the hotels located around the Hilton in Shinjuku alone. Especially sad when you think about being there during the cherry blossom season,one of the busiest tourist seasons in Japan (sigh)

We'll all be right here waiting patiently for the rest of your wonderful report. I know the Panda is still watching and he would say timely report no penalty

Aloha!

Tokyo Restaurants;
Hitsumabushi (unagi/grilled eel)

The Hitsumabushi restaurant on the 12th floor of the Ginza branch of Tokyu Hands department is the main branch of a well-known Nagoya eel restaurant. They are famous for their special Nagoya-style tamari sauce on Unagi (eel) which has been grilled over bincho charcoal.

We arrived at lunch time to find a full house and people waiting on child sized plastic chairs along the wall outside the restaurant’s front door. Uncertain what to do, I took a seat on one of the chairs and David went inside to get a menu.
The wait was brief and shortly we were seated inside on the banquette against the back wall of the restaurant’s single small room. The space is quite inviting, there is a large communal table filled with zen flower arrangements in the center.

We ordered a salad with grilled eel on top and the mid-range set meal which came with eel in “sweet” sauce, rice, miso soup, pickled vegetables, and some other unidentifiable (to us) edibles. The eel on both dishes was amazing; delicate in both flavor and texture. While I very much enjoyed the salad I would have been happy to have my own set meal so I could have more of the unagi. Lunch for two, including beer was 4800 yen.

Afterward, I stood at the window which looks into the kitchen from the hallway outside, watching the one of the cooks work the charcoal grill. He saw me with my camera and was nice enough to hold up the skewered eel for me after he had dipped it in the giant vat of sauce next to the fire.

Hitsumabushi Nagoya Bincho 5159-0231 Ginza /2-2-14, Marronnier Gate 12F. Open 11am-3, 5-10pm daily.
http://www.hitsumabushi.co.jp/menu_eng.html

*Note about finding the restaurant; it is on the 12th floor of the Ginza branch of the Tokyu Hands department store, but we didn't know this, we only had an address.
After our ½ day tour dropped us in the center of the Ginza neighborhood, we decided to have lunch there before going anywhere else.
I had some places in my notes, but no way to find them on the map. We turned on the Mifi and I went to www.bento.com where I searched for Hitumabushi from my notes and used the GPS function on the bento.com site to help us find it. It took a bit of trial and error, but eventually we found ourselves in front of Ginza Tokyu Hands store.
This is a very cool store by the way, and warrants a bit of extra time to peruse everything from nifty kitchen gear, to art supplies, to clothing.

Tokyo Restaurants;
Tsunahachi (tempura)

Our plan for dinner was to have Yakatori in an area near Shinjuku station affectionately nicknamed “piss alley.” This is actually two narrow streets packed with teeny-tiny hole-in-the-wall places. After peeking inside most of them, we finally picked one and sat down. Then we realized we didn't have nearly enough cash on us and left to find an ATM.

Unfortunately this became one of those travel experiences that can happen on any trip; the ridiculous walking in circles trying to find a machine which would take our card and give us cash. At some point it became comical and then it just became frustrating.

Inside Shinjuku station, there were ATMs, but none of the open ones worked for us. When there is usually a convenience store on every corner, tonight we could not find one 7-11 to save our lives. Finally, we gave up, looked at my notes, and decided to go to a tempura place we thought would take credit cards.

But the travel Gods were not done toying with us yet. Somehow we managed to get ourselves all turned around and lost trying to find this new place. By now we were getting hungry and cranky with each other when a nice man on the street offered help and pointed us in the right direction.

Along the way we found a Citibank ATM and got some cash then wandered more in search of restaurant. Addresses are pretty much useless unless you have a clue as to how they work (and we really did not, even with all I’d read about them). Street signs in English are difficult to find at times.

Right as I said, “we’re never going to find this place unless we happen to see a sign with the name on it in English” there it was, literally right next to where we were standing.

Upon entering the main branch of Tsunahachi in Shinjuku, you are greeted politely and asked if you want to sit in the smoking or non-smoking section. The restaurant has two floors, both with an identical layout of long counter, regular tables and a tatami mat room with low tables. The non-smoking section is upstairs and we were led to two seats at the counter, right next to the tatami mat room and where we could watch the two men behind the counter cook. The waitresses place a linen napkin over your coat on the back of your chair to keep the smell of the fryer off it which was a nice touch.

The menu is extensive and after the trials and tribulations of getting there we took the easy way out and each got a “set” which included large shrimp, squid, small shrimp, various vegetables and miso soup. Watching the cooks was a fascinating lesson in economy of motion. They are clearly professionals.

The tempura was light and greaseless; absolutely sublime. The vegetables were perfectly cooked. The shrimp were so fresh they were still moving when they were cut and prepped for the batter. Our bowl of miso soup include thumbnail sized clams in the bottom. After a slightly frustrating start to the evening, we ended it very satisfied. Dinner for two, including beer was 5290 yen.

http://www.tunahachi.co.jp/en/index.html
(note that is the correct spelling of the web site, even though the name of the restaurant has an “s” in it.They have 6 branches in Tokyo and the one we went to was the original.
3-31-8 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku.
We later learned there is one in “Hiltopia” the mall beneath the hotel we were staying in, the Tokyo Hilton.

I haven't placed Japan high on my "want to visit" list, but after reading your food descriptions (and I'm not a huge Japanese food fan) I believe I need to re-think that!

LCI- Honestly, I didn't know that much about Japanese food before planning this trip, but I am now a total convert! We ate nothing but Japanese food (even though there are plenty of other options in Tokyo) the entire trip and never got bored.

Photos from both restaurants are now on my blog:
http://www.wired2theworld.com/2011/05/18/tokyo-restaurants-hitsumabushi-and-tsunahachi/

Tokyo's Harajuku Girls and Rockabilly Boys

On our first Sunday in Tokyo, we took the metro to Harajuku station. We’d heard on Sundays that people (mostly girls) like to get dressed up in cosplay and various Lolita type costumes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_lolita) and that a nearby street, Takashita Dori might be fun to walk around. We were completely unprepared for what we found. The area around the station was just packed with people shoulder to shoulder and some of the costumes were seriously over the top. The favorite of the day seemed to be the Strawberry themed “Sweet Lolita” characters, but we also saw plenty of Gothic Lolitas and a couple sailor types.

Takashita Dori is a pedestrian only street loaded with cheap clothing shops and fast food places catering to local teens. We stopped for the popular snack of a crepe loaded with fruit and ice cream (disappointing and chewy). Savory crepes appeared popular as well. While eating our crepes we happened to see one of the areas’s well known local characters an old man in an odd outfit, complete with live fish in glass bowls hanging from his ears.

Over near the entrance to Yoyogi Park were the rockabilly boys who have portable music players blasting 50’s rock music. These guys all wear similar tight jeans, pompadour hair, pointy shoes and move to very specific stylized dance moves. There’s also a small subset wearing saddle shoes and poodle skirts.They stand in circles dancing with their group and there are 3 or 4 groups in this wide plaza area. It was hard to tell if they were competing or just doing their own thing. David said he remembers them from when he was here as a kid, and by all looks, some of these guys appeared old enough to have been here the first time David was here 25+ years ago.

Across from the park is the Olympic Stadium and the area in front was packed with thousands of Lolita dressed girls. It did look like some sort of convention was going on there, complete with admission lines to go inside the building, but it was hard to determine because few of the signs were in English.

A week later we were in this neighborhood again and hardly saw anyone dressed up so in the end we don’t know how often this happens. Friends told us when they were here last Fall, there didn’t see anyone dressed up.

Photos of those crazy kids are now on my blog:
http://www.wired2theworld.com/2011/05/24/tokyos-harajuku-girls-and-rockabilly-boys/

Kristina...

Great pictures. One question, do you know why they dress up? Some of the outfits were pretty elaborate!

One question, do you know why they dress up? Some of the outfits were pretty elaborate!

Because they are young and expressing themselves....at least that's what I used to tell my parents when I was their age. For a better explanation than I have time to type right now read this thread for a unique look at the info you seek:

http://tinyurl.com/3sx6qk3

Aloha!

LCI-Like for teenagers everywhere, I think it's just a way of fitting into a group, getting attention, and as HT says, "expressing" themselves.
HT-thanks for posting that link.

Does anyone know if this is still an every Sunday occurance? We went the next Sunday and hardly saw anyone in costume and friends who went in February said they did not see anyone either.

The crowds you had on your first Sunday in Harajuku was surely some kind of sale or event(probably a cosplay event)in the area. You were lucky to witness it. Sundays in Harajuku are crowded but not thronging unless an event is happening and from your pictures it looks like an event was taking place. Wish I could read the sign hanging across Takeshita Dori in one of your pics as it probably explains what's happening. Maybe someone who can read Japanese will tell us.

Yes, Sunday is the best day to see cosplayers in Harajuku/Yoyogi Park but keep in mind that Shinjuku(East side near Kabuki-cho)is also a good place for cosplayers to show their stuff and stores there compete for the cosplayers and the crowds they attract on Sundays. You see coplayers in Shinjuku strutting their stuff along with wedding couples in full dress parading the area stores latest bridal fashions as they parade around the blocks.

You probably noticed that a few stores on Takeshita Dori sell the clothes and accessories that every cosplayer needs and that a cosplayer needs to have a lot of money to buy these items.

Did you make it down to Omotesando and the Omotesando Hills shopping area about a block away? Kind of like the Japanese version of Rodeo Dr. It's where the parents of the cosplayers do their Sunday shopping

Aloha!

The banner is an advertising banner for Nikonikohonsha, a company that has cages, shop, video, many branches it seems. http://www.nicovideo.jp/honsha_shop is their shop. Nikoniko means smile smile, like look cute for a photo.

Great report Kristina.

A Tale of Two Breakfasts in Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish Market

Monday in Tokyo

Despite waking up in the wee hours of the morning, we got a later than expected start. Walking to Shinjuku station during the morning rush hour is like fish swimming upstream against the crush of people headed for work in the surrounding office buildings. Inside the station, where we planned to find the JR office and activate our rail passes was chaos. There was no break in the torrent of people coming up from the train and subway lines. The sheer quantity of people inside the station had my claustrophobia button kicking in. We finally found the JR office near the south entrance of the station, but it does not open until 9am so we waited, first in line. Our passes were activated by two 2 people with many stamps and signatures, and finally we had our seat reservations for Kyoto and the return.

Our plan was to go to the Tsukiji Fish market but we weren't in a hurry since I'd read that visitors we not currently allowed inside the popular early morning tuna auction. The number of visitors allowed inside has been limited for a while now, and after the earthquake some people were saying the vendors (some of whom don't like tourists in the market) had been lobbying to keep them out all together. So, while it's a good idea to get their early because the inside section of the market with the fresh fish seems to start packing it up after 10am, we didn't feel the need to get there at the crack of dawn.

The Toei Oedo metro line (the pink one on the map) goes from Shinjuku station to Tsukiji station and upon exiting, turn left and the entrance to the market is right around the corner. It's a pretty vast area and it took a little while to figure out what was going on and where things were. There are side "streets" inside the market area selling dry goods, restaurant supplies and housing some small restaurants. Here we saw the famous "Sushi Dai" restaurant with its notorious 2 hour wait. At about 9:30 am there were about 12 people waiting in line outside and all appeared to be foreigners. We decided to forgo the wait and get some food now so we picked a place a couple of doors down with no wait (which I later figured out was the equally well known Daiwa Sushi), seats at the counter and a sushi chef with a welcome smile and a small amount of helpful English.

It's funny how when I travel my notions of a typical breakfast go out the window. Perhaps it's having my body in a different time zone, but I have no problems eating raw fish or a bowl of noodles for breakfast when that's what's for breakfast where I am. The smiling man behind the counter suggested that we could share a set sushi menu so that's what we did. The set included tuna, squid, uni, unagi, halibut, miso soup and more and was just the perfect amount to get us started. Was it the best sushi I've ever had? No, but the fish was impeccably fresh and the service was quick and friendly. It was pricy at 3600 yen, that that price was comparable in other places for what we got, however less expensive sushi can be found.

We were in and out in about 20 minutes, anxious to get into the main fish market. Outside, the line of tourists at Sushi Dai had not moved at all.

A guy running a stall selling cleaning supplies across from the restaurant struck up a conversation with us. He pointed to another tiny restaurant across from him and said, “eat there, where the men in rubber boots eat.” We peeked inside and the smells were amazing. It's a noodle place and was indeed filled with guys who obviously worked in the market. We took note and set off to see the fish. First stop was a shrine inside the market.

Inside the market was still pretty frenetic, with guys whizzing around on forklifts (DO be aware and stay out of their way) but many of the vendors were starting to clean up their stalls and put away their product. I actually enjoyed watching their process of hosing down the counters, scrubbing the floors and sharpening their knives for the next day. Contrary to what I'd read, this did not appear to be only a wholesale market, I saw plenty of people who looked like ordinary local shoppers. There is also a produce section to the market and that was still in full swing as we walked through it.

The enticing smell from the noodle restaurant called us back and after walking the market we went and got 2 seats at the counter. The place is no more than 8 feet wide, counter only stretching from one street to the next. There was absolutely nothing in English (no signs or menus) and no one spoke any either, so this presented a little challenge at first. We looked around at what others were eating and David pointed to what the guy next to us was having, some type dry noodles with pork. Almost everyone else was having a noodle soup with very large clams in it. We used David’s phone with its translation app to ask for “soup with noodles with meat, no clams” for me.

David's noodles arrived first and they turned out to be cold, with a vinegar type sauce, sliced pork, cucumbers, pickled radish and a dab of yellow mustard on the plate. They were excellent. My soup came out a few minutes later and it was the one with the clams. So much for the translation app. No matter, I enjoyed it even though it was not what I’d originally asked for. The soup had a pat of butter on top adding a depth and richness to the already incredibly flavorful broth. It was loaded with slivered fresh leeks and springy yellow noodles. Even the clams were wonderful, though how could they not be there in the fish market? We were given green tea and water. The bill was 1800 yen and shown to us on a calculator.

Outside, we spoke to the guy who had recommended this place and he said the soup one typically only served in the spring and summer and is called Asari Ramen. In autumn and winter they serve Kaki Ramen (with oysters).

Bellies full from our two breakfasts we left the market for our next destination, the Asakusa neighborhood and the Senso-ji Temple....

Photos from the fish market and the two breakfasts are now up on my blog:
http://www.wired2theworld.com/2011/05/31/a-tale-of-two-breakfasts-in-tokyos-tsukiji-fish-market/

can't wait to hear the rest! wow , what a report!

A Visit to Senso-ji Temple in Tokyo

After our two breakfasts at Tsukiji market, we took the subway to the Asukasa neighborhood. We stopped in the tourism office, where we picked up a local map and were asked where we were from, which was duly recorded. They said they had not had many foreign visitors lately, though today had been a big one with 13 visitors. From there, we walked across the street to the Senso-ji temple.

Senso-ji temple is one of Tokyo’s most popular shrines, and dates back as far as AD 628 when a local fisherman found a gold statue of the goddess of mercy, Kannon, in the Sumida River and built a small shrine to her here. Like most shrines, it has a large heavy entrance, the Kaminarimon Gate, and multiple pagodas and halls inside the complex. Between the Kaminarimon Gate and the main hall, are a series of shops selling al sorts of Japanese treats, traditional clothing and souvenirs. In front of the main hall is a large incense burner where people pray over the smoke and to the left, a beautiful garden with a koi pond and Buddha statue.

We walked around for a while, taking it all in, and came across a special art show connected to the museum and the abbot’s residence. We were told this was only open to the public for a month and allowed access to the inside gardens which are normally closed. There were no photos allowed inside the museum which had many beautiful painted wooden screens, carvings and a large dragon used in processions. The exit to the museum led into the garden which was absolutly gorgeous, surrounding a pond with a traditional house on the side. We especially loved the view of the Five-Story Pagoda from inside the private garden.

Leaving the temple, we headed toward Kapabashi-dori, the “kitchenware street” which is loaded with all sorts of restaurant supply stores. Along the way we passed all sorts of other shops, including one with odd (not to them is my guess, just to us) t-shirts and some neat graffiti-style signs.

Kapabashi-dori was interesting, but we were very tired and sore from all the walking and just could not get into it at the time so I don’t have any photos specific to there.

For dinner, we headed out into the neighborhood around Shinjuku station to a restaurant called Watami. It inhabits floors 3-6 of an office building, so take the elevaor up. Watami is an Izakaya style restaurant, meaning it offers dozens of small plates which go well with beer, specifically Suntory Malt beer, the beverage of choice there. I had this place on my list because they are open late, until 3 am and on Fridays and Saturdays, until 5 am. However, we were not partying and went at a respectable 9 pm. the place is a warren of small rooms and we were seated in a “non-smoking” room with 6 tables, two of them already filled.

The first menus we received were all in Japanese, but there are pictures for everything to help you figure out what to order. Later we were brought English menus which helped a little. I noticed the prices on the two menus were different and finally figured out the one in English included tax in the menu prices.

We ordered the Suntory malt beer, of course, along with some gyoza, fried small fish (very much like smelt) and barbecued pork belly. We enjoyed it all, even though the fish were a little over-fried. I would love to come to a place like this with a big group so we could try lots of different things.

Watami, Nishi-Shinjuku 1-13-1, Kesa Bldg 3-6F. Open 5pm-3am (Fri, Sat -5am) daily. Open Sundays. http://www.bento.com/rev/3200.html

Photos are on my blog; http://www.wired2theworld.com/2011/06/05/a-visit-to-senso-ji-temple-in-tokyo/

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Taking the Bullet Train from Tokyo to Kyoto

Our reservation is on the 8am Shinkansen train from Tokyo station to Kyoto and it’s raining. Hard. On a nice day, without luggage, it’s about a 10 minute walk from the Tokyo Hilton to the Shinjuku station where we could have used our JR passes on a JR rail commuter train to connect to the Tokyo station. But today, the thought of fighting the crowd against the tide in the rain, with luggage, is just too much.

Fortunately, the Nishi-Shinjuku subway station is connected to the hotel by an underground walkway. From there, we can take the subway to Tokyo station and connect with the Shinkansen. We allow ourselves about an hour to get from the Hilton to Tokyo station and make it with only a few minutes to spare, just enough time to buy a couple of chocolate croissants at a French bakery in the station, but not enough time to buy coffee.

For the experience of riding the Shinkansen train, see my Japan Tips and Observations post. The train is incredibly fast and the countryside whirrs by us at breakneck speed. Views from the train are a mix of farmland, small towns and light industry. Many of the houses in the smaller villages look very close together, almost like townhouses, but I also notice what looks like a lot of community garden spaces.

On arrival to Kyoto station, we take the hotel shuttle bus to the Westin Miyako Hotel. My full review of the hotel to come soon.

No Name Restaurant

After getting settled in our room, it’s time for lunch and we take the hotel’s shuttle bus to the Gion stop. We wander around a bit, taking in the sights of the old town and trying to find a tofu restaurant I’d read about. We finally find it, only to discover it closed.

We walk around some more and then we accept a hand-out for a restaurant from a young man on Shijo-dori (don’t ask me why because normally we would never do this) . The yellow sheet of paper is mostly in Japanese (which we don’t read) but also has some English on it, advertising set lunches. He leads us down an impossibly narrow alleyway to the back of the building, around a corner and into a teeny-tiny restaurant, which has 4 tables and 5 counter seats. We sit at the counter and order a lunch special set which includes both tempura and sashimi, miso soup, rice (David gets the extra special red rice). This is definitely a “mom and pop” place and I think their son was the kid on the street, but the food was very fresh and nicely presented and prepared. Lunch, with tea, was about 1575 yen per person.

They had no cards so I have no idea of the name of this place or how to explain how to find it. Now I can see that it’s not surprising that they had someone handing out fliers on the street.

Objects on the map may be farther than they appear

After lunch we look at the map and decide to walk toward Nijo Castle. There are some interesting old buildings with varying architectural styles near the river and when we try and take a short cut, we get sidetracked by a long covered shopping arcade (which we later figured out crosses the food market street).
There are all sorts of cool shops to explore here and also little temples, squeezed in between clothing stores and food shops. By the time we exit it, the weather had started to turn cold, windy and rainy.

We push on, mini umbrellas bending backwards with the force of the wind, but finally abandon the task when we realized that objects on the map may be farther than they appear.
What looked like a few blocks turned out to be more than a dozen more to go (after stopping and asking someone) and in the end, we hop on the subway back to the hotel where we arrive in time for a short nap and then a visit to the Club Lounge for cocktail hour.

Okonomiyaki Kiraku

There is free wifi in the lounge, and I use the time to investigate our dinner offerings. We wanted to try Okonomiyaki, a sort of Japanese savory pancake/pizza cooked on a flat top griddle. By chance, I’d come across the mention of a place which was supposed to be near the hotel. After more googling, I was able to pin it down, and we walked about 3 blocks downhill from the hotel to find Okonomiyaki Kiraku, at the corner of Sanjo Street and Okazakimichi St. They are open for both lunch and dinner (until midnight), closed on Mondays.

The restaurant is small, 8 seats at a counter and 4 tables, but the waitress and the guys cooking behind the griddle were friendly, generous, and patient with our attempts to order. They have an English menu which was greatly appreciated, yet I think we were the only tourists in there at the time. This place has figured out how to handle the big hotel down the street for those travelers willing to forgo the hotel restaurants in search of something different, yet maintain its own local flavor.

For our first experiences eating Okonomiyaki, I was very happy to have them cook it for me, but I understand that some places they give you the ingredients and you make it yourself.

We each ordered a “single”, mine with pork, shrimp and squid, and David’s with pork and shrimp. I also ordered some eggplant, which turned out to be two short Japanese eggplant, sliced in half and cooked on the griddle with some soy sauce and topped with shaved bonito. They arrived soft and perfectly cooked to the center, a little sweet from the caramelized soy sauce and nicely balanced with the saltiness of the shaved bonito.

Then came the Okonomiyaki, served up on the griddle in front of us to stay warm, and with a squeeze bottles of sauce (sweet soy and a mayo) to put over it. It was surprisingly filling and I can’t imagine eating a large one.

Watching the guys cook was fun; they weighed and measured everything before putting it on the grill. We watched as they made another dish, like a very thin crepe, covered with about 2 cups of sliced green onions or small leeks, and when they cooked down, covered with another crepe. This was served up to the guy at the counter next to us, who offered us a taste of his meal (it was excellent) and the line cook pointed out what it was on the menu (some sort of vegetarian dish). Along with 2 beers, 2 Okonomiyaki and the eggplant, dinner was about 3000 yen.

Photos from this day are now on my blog:
http://www.wired2theworld.com/2011/06/14/shinkansen-tokyo-to-kyoto-and-our-first-okonimiyaki/

A cold somen salad would go nice right now for lunch on this hot and humid summer day....think I'll go get one
They are served with varying ingredients in the different prefectures throughout Japan but always a favorite especially right now in the summer. I'm gonna have to buy that cookbook so we can try out your recipe!

The Japanese obsession with mayonnaise amazes me. Eggs(tomago) in every shape and form from raw to mayo are revered. Okonomiyaki is a fun and filling meal. Glad to see you got to try all the good things while you were there....Any plans on a return trip??? Next time its out of the cities and into that countryside you saw a little of zooming by on that shinkansen,lol.

How did you like the Westin Kyoto? (I know.....patience you'll get there)

Aloha!

The eggplant looks fantastic! Of course I would say that with my eggplant obbession and all!

Your pictures are great!

HT- Yes, we will definitely go back someday, just not sure when yet. I've got a couple other trips in the works. The Westin review is coming next, either later tonight or tomorrow.

LCI- You know I love my eggplant too and this was tasty!

Kyoto; Westin Miyako Hotel Review

We arrive into Kyoto station on the Shinkansen train from Tokyo and head outside to in search of the hotel’s free shuttle bus which turns out not to be clearly marked.
It’s located where all the other buses stop on a small traffic island across from the Harvey’s grocery store in the station. The bus leaves the station on the hour and the half hour. Though we did not discover this until our last day, there is a satellite concierge office inside the station which can guide you to the bus stop and store luggage if you need it.
The drive to the hotel takes almost ½ an hour in traffic, but the ride can also take as little as 15 minutes.
In the opposite direction, from the hotel to the station, the bus makes a stop in Kyoto’s Gion neighborhood, but only to let people off, and does not allow guests back on to go back to the hotel (I never quite understood this).

The Westin Miyako is a Starwood property and I had booked a standard room, using cash plus SPG points ($60 plus 4000 points per night) for 3 nights.
I have SPG Gold status and at check-in we ask about getting access to the Club Lounge and are told it is only given to Platinum level guests. When we ask about the cost of an upgrade to a club level room which would give us access to the lounge, we’re told we can have that for an additional 1500 points a night. The upgrade gives access to the lounge for breakfast, coffee throughout the day, and evening cocktails.
The lounge has free wifi and in addition, we could use our breakfast vouchers for the buffet breakfast in the main part of the hotel which is substantially better than the lounge’s continental offerings.

The Rooms:
We accept the upgrade, and head up to our room on the 5th floor. The room is nice and has a view over the valley and hills, but has a very small bathroom. We felt that for the added expense of 1500 points a night, perhaps the room should have been better than standard.
It can’t hurt to ask, right?
I’d read that Club Level rooms were on the top floors so I didn’t understand why we were on the lowest guest floor. Still, it did seem to have some of the upgraded amenities of the club level rooms (robes, pajamas, etc.) which are not included in the standard rooms. We debate for a while about what to do and decide to go ask if this is indeed a “Club Level” room.

The young woman who had checked us in was still at the front desk, and when we ask about the room, she admits it is not a Club room.
But there is also a bit of a language break down (we speak no Japanese and her English is not very strong).
What we learn is this; official “club” rooms are on floors 9 and 10 but only have views of the interior courtyard and mountains andshe knew we wanted a room with a view over the city.
In addition, Club rooms aren’t really any larger than the standard room. She thought the view was more important to us so that’s why she had given us the room on the 5th floor.

She then starts offering us other rooms, including one on a corner on a higher floor with a view and another which is a Junior Suite.
When I ask about the Junior Suite, she picks up the phone, speaks to a supervisor and then says she could offer it to us, on the 8thfloor with a view of the city. All this for the same 1500 point upgrade. It does make one wonder why it wasn’t offered from the beginning.
We say ok, sight unseen, and are taken back to our old room by a trainee with a luggage cart who moves us to the new room.

The new room is huge, with 1960’s furniture and a king-sized bed. It’s connected to a very large suite (via internal door) on one side andanother room on the other.
On one side of the entrance hallway was a dressing room with closet and vanity.
On the other side is the bathroom with a separate glassed in room for the toilet, another marble walled room with two sinks, anda third room with more marble and glass which had a walk in shower and tub. The amenities were upgraded large size Bulgari toiletries.

Besides the king sized bed, the bedroom has a writing desk, two low slung vintage chairs with a small table and a stunning view over the valley, city and small temple next door.
A wide sideboard has a large flat screen tv, coffee maker, minibar and safe. The only drawback to the room is a lack of available outlet plugs near the desk and bed for charging our electronic gizmos.
We love this room, including the 60′s vintage decor, and it just goes to show if you are polite and pleasant, it can never hurt to ask about other options at check-in.

Club Lounge:

The club lounge is located on the 10th floor and has an amazing view over the entire city. It’s fairly small, with 12-15 tables, and not much on offer in terms of the complimentary drinks and snacks of other Starwood Lounges we’ve visited.
During the evening cocktail hour, they provide each guest with a small plate of 4 canapés. That’s it for food, except for some mixed nuts, crackers andone plate with a wedge of cheese on it. There’s a small selection of beer and wine, a coffee machine, and a few different liquors for make-your-own cocktails.
We are forever spoiled by the generous offerings of the Club Lounges at the Sheraton Saigon and Panama City.

Breakfast:

Breakfast in the buffet on 2nd floor has ten times the continental offerings of the Club lounge. The buffet breakfast is normally 3600 yen and therefore made the “cost” of our room upgrade worth it for breakfast vouchers alone.

The Japanese breakfast options outshine the western offerings and I find myself eating cold poached tofu with ginger and soy sauce every morning, along with some picked vegetables. There are three kinds of rice (red rice being very popular and local here in Kyoto), miso soup and congee.
In addition to the Japanese choices, there’s yogurt and fruit and all the traditional starches; French toast, hash browns and pastries and it’s easy to try small bits of everything. It’s a little eclectic but it works for me. The bacon seems very undercooked for American tastes as are the scrambled eggs, though eggs cooked to order and omelettes are available.
There are also salad and cold cut offerings and I notice many of the Japanese guests having the salads along with the Japanese choices.

In the end, we enjoyed our stay in this hotel.
I realize the vintage (some might say “not updated” ) decor of the room might not be for everyone, but we liked it, and since the bathroom had been updated, we thought it was quite nice. The location is a bit far from the center, but the subway stop next door is convenient as well as is the free shuttle bus.

The hotel is right across the street from the “Philisopher’s Path,” a winding path along a canal lined with cherry trees and several temples and has its own nature trail behind it which supposedly has good bird watching opportunities. Unfortunately, due to time and weather, we were only able to see one of the temples in the neighborhood, but probably could have spent an entire day wandering just the nature trail and the Philosopher’s Path.
Finally, there are several small, inexpensive restaurants in the area and the front desk has a map with all their locations.

Photos at:http://www.wired2theworld.com/2011/06/16/kyoto-westin-miyako-hotel-review/

Thanks for the review and fab pics. Good deal on the upgrade! We always ask for an upgrade when checking in at a hotel in Japan. We use Hyatt's(Diamond status) mostly but when there are none around I look for an SPG hotel to utilize our points and status.

Have walked by the Westin many times but never went in. I've always wondered about that hotel seeing the varying reviews on TA. Now I have one I can trust.

We have walked the Philosophers Path three times in different seasons and I do love that neighborhood feel of the area around the Westin. Every time we walk the PP I try and let my mind wander back to the 18th century and try to imagine how it looked then. Easier to do in Kyoto than most cities in Japan as lots of older buildings, structures and shrines still remain intact. The location is what always puts me off of staying there and now that we have experienced the Hyatt Kyoto it will be hard to change.....maybe this fall,lol.

Aloha!

Kyoto’s Nishiki Market Street

If you’re interested in food, when researching Kyoto, it’s almost impossible not to come across references to Nishiki street. This market is often referred to as an “alley” but really, it’s quite clean and comfortable because it’s located one of the covered arcade streets running parallel to Shijo St between Teramachi St and Takakura St.

While the surrounding streets are also covered arcades (which is great in inclement weather like we had), those streets are bursting with clothing shops, souvenir stands and restaurants. Nishiki is all about the food; it’s filled with market stalls catering to every kind of Japanese specialty imaginable, many of them unique to Kyoto. There are all manner and variety of pickled vegetables, fresh tofu and yuba (tofu skin), fish mongers and butchers. There are a couple of well known knife shops here though our budget prohibited any purchase.

If you visit, go when hungry. I wish I’d realized this, but we’re full from the big breakfast at the Westin and thus do not try any of the goodies on offer. There are fried things on sticks (always a good thing if you ask me), sashimi on a stick, samples of dozens of different pickled vegetables, and even sweets to try.

In one of the shops is a machine making bonito flakes like the ones which covered our eggplant dish the night before. I am still kicking myself for not buying a package to bring home.

Daimaru Depachicka (Food Hall)

At the end of Nishiki street we hit Takakura street and turn left, intending to make our way to a subway stop and then to Nijo Castle. Along the way we pass Daimaru Department Store and duck inside to find a restroom. Suddenly we are in another wonderland of food, not exactly unique to Japan, but certainly more common here than in the US; the department store food hall.

In Japan this is called a depachika, and according to the book "Food Sake Tokyo" the word comes from “the words for department store (depa-to) and basement (chika).” This is no mall food court, oh no. Imagine a high end grocery store surrounded by food counters with every possible prepared and raw food, packaged in impossibly beautiful presentations.

There is a grocery store section filled with imported foods, wines, cheeses, and snacks of all kinds. There’s a butcher where you can buy thinly sliced beef, ready for shabu-shabu. Of course there’s a bakery filled with French pastries, many different kinds of bento boxes, sushi and sashimi, fried items, and beautiful fresh salads. Anything you might want. This is also where we found the $150 melon, perfect, fragrant strawberries and individually wrapped mangos.

What we do not see here are places to sit and eat the food one buys at the counters. There are a couple of places selling hot food with a few tables, but from what I understand it’s expected that all the food is takeaway to be eaten at home. I’ve also read that, except for picnics in the park, eating on the street and out in public is just not done.

In the end, I am struck dumb with awe and overwhelmed by choice. There are samples galore and we try gyoza, and flavored vinegars and donuts.
Sigh, can I just move in here for a few weeks?
We wander for almost an hour and in the end, we choose not to buy our lunch here because we don’t want to carry it around with us at the castle and we don’t know if we’ll be able to eat inside the castle grounds. This is a big mistake and I will later have (many) pangs of regret (and hunger).

Many photos of the food on today's blog post at http://www.wired2theworld.com/2011/06/21/kyotos-nishiki-market-and-daimaru-depachicka-food-hall/

A Visit To Kyoto’s Nijo Castle

After our morning filled with food, we finally make it onto the subway and exit across the street from Nijo Castle where we’d attempted to walk to the day before in driving wind and rain.

Tip: we bought a 600 yen subway day pass. This is a good value because the least expensive trip is 210 yen so anything after 3 rides in a day is bonus.

Nijo castle is surrounded by high walls and betrays little of what lays inside. The castle complex was built by Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu in the late 16th century. Like most of the ancient structures we’ve seen, this is a series of wooden buildings set on elevated platforms connected by covered halls and walkways.

Inside, everything is serene and there are extensive gardens. The cherry blossoms are still in bloom here. The main buildings which were used for living and political functions are filled with beautiful murals as well as some odd life-size model reproductions of the shogun and his “people.”

After touring the living and administrative quarters of the shogun, we are approached by a group of school kids on a tour. They are from a town in the Southern part of the country and ask if they can interview us. They read questions to us from a sheet of paper, asking us how we like Japan, where we’ve traveled and when they find out David is a teacher they’re thrilled. We wish them well, tell them to keep practicing, and move on into the gardens.

The gardens surrounding the castle are quite extensive, and include a very serene small lake and many pathways lined with cherry trees which are still filled with blossoms.

We wander through the gardens after touring the palace, and I’m now wishing I’d bought lunch in the depachica as there are places to sit along the way. Instead, we find ourselves outside the palace after lunchtime with no idea of where to go for something good to eat. Searching bento.com using my phone and the MiFi unfortunately yields nothing of interest in the immediate neighborhood.

We get back on the subway and then off again at one of the larger stations to see if we could find something inside the station. Unfortunately, this turns out to be an error in judgement and a waste of time. In the end, we buy a few sandwiches and some Crispy Creme donuts from shops inside the station (after wandering for 20 minutes in search of something better) and take them back to the hotel. While the egg salad sandwiches are actually pretty good, I am kicking myself for not getting something at the Daimaru Depachicka with all its beautiful offerings.

Lots and lots of photos of Nijo Castle and the gardens at:
http://www.wired2theworld.com/2011/07/04/a-visit-to-kyotos-nijo-castle/

More to come tomorrow; Nanzen-Ji Temple.

Nanzen-Ji Temple and Dinner at Asuka

Across the street from the Keage Subway station and the Westin Miyako Hotel, is an arched entrance to a brick lined tunnel with leads to the Southern end of the Philosopher’s Walk. This pathway follows a canal lined with cherry trees and temples.

We arrive in the late afternoon as the weather is turning overcast and chilly so we stick to the closest temple to the Southern entrance which is also one of the most popular, Nanzen-Ji. If we had more time and better weather, we would have loved to spend the day checking out all the temples along the path.

While we never actually saw the canal as it’s North of nanzen-Ji temple, there was water running everywhere; along the sides of the road, out of private gardens, most of it probably coming from the nearby aquaduct (more on that below).

Walking up to the main gate of the temple, a gigantic two story structure, we see three young women in kimonos taking pictures of eachother. I offer to take their picture of the three of them together with their camera and then ask if I can take one with mine. They happily oblige.

The temple itself appears closed to the public, but the abbot’s quarters are open for a fee of 500 yen per person. We have to leave our shoes at the front while we walk through the compound on elevated wooden walkways. There are numerous serene gardens and we saw several grounds keepers cleaning and pruning with what looked like tweezers and scissors!

Outside the temple is a Meiji era aquaduct dating back to 1890 which still carries water in it today.

After such a long day of walking around, for dinner we opt to keep it close to the hotel (after, of course, enjoying pre-dinner drinks in the hotel’s club lounge). Down the road, very near Okonomiyaki Kiraku, is a small family run udon noodle and tempura house called Asuka. Inside, there is a counter and 4 tables all on raised platforms with mats to sit on. If you go, please remove your shoes as is the norm here (unfortunately, some Italian tourists sitting next to us did not get the memo on this and were oblivious to the custom).

I order the udon with shrimp tempura and David gets a set menu with tempura, miso soup, rice and pickles. The udon soup is flavorful with perfectly cooked noodles, but next time I will opt to keep the tempura on the side as the tempura coating gets too soft, too fast, for my taste when it’s put directly in the soup.

Asuka, near the corner of Sanjo and Jungumichi Streets, Open 11am-11pm, closed Mondays. Our dinner for two, including a small sake, was 2400 yen.

Many photos at:
http://www.wired2theworld.com/2011/07/10/nanzen-ji-temple-and-dinner-at-asuka/

So much wonderful information here, Kristina! I'm just catching up with you again and also appreciate the Westin review as well as all the temples and food. One of these days, we'll get to Japan and I'm accumulating lots of information.

Thanks Kathie! I think you'd like it even though it's so different from South East Asia. I can honestly say I enjoyed myself more than I expected and would really like to return to see other parts of the country.

Ancient temples? Check. World’s largest bronze Buddha? Check. Sacred deer roaming the streets who will eat our of your hand? Che...whoa...what?

The next installment from Japan is now up on my blog and covers a day trip to Nara.
http://www.wired2theworld.com/2011/08/03/nara-japan-sacred-deer-todai-ji-temple-and-lunch-in-a-bus-station/

There is a new post on my blog today on visiting the Fushimi Inari shrine outside of Kyoto to walk the mountain path and see the 1000 torii (prayer gates).

http://www.wired2theworld.com/2011/08/08/fushimi-inari-shrine/

I'm continuing to enjoy your blog--interesting posts, and very nice pictures. We too went to Fushimi Inari Shrine on our recent trip--had been looking forward to it for a long time and were not disappointed. The weather was rainy, unlike the beautiful sunshine you had, but the photo ops were still stunning. Nice to see your pictures with the orange torii contrasting with the brilliant blue sky. We got to the lake as well (loved the small shrines up there, which were serene in the rain) and then turned back. We had arrived at Kyoto train station too early to check in to our hotel and had stashed our bags in a locker while we took the short local train ride to Inari. I agree that it would make a fabulous full-day visit.

I also see you captured a young woman wearing over-the-knee socks with her short dress (a Tokyo escapee?). Wonder if that fashion trend will ever reach New York.

My own pictures of the shrine are on my share site at http://aprillilacsphotos.shutterfly.com. I really like your blog because you can combine the commentary with the pictures. I'm going to emulate you on our around-the-world trip (4 months, starting the end of this month). Thanks!

aprillilacs- Thanks for the nice comment. Good luck on your RTW trip! I highly recommend starting a blog if you want a way to combine text and photos, it's really fun!

Just wanted to add a "thank you" to everyone who has continued to follow along with this report. I know it's taking me a very long time to complete, but real life intrudes and I'm too much of a perfectionist to just slap it up there and be done with it. But soon, very soon, it will be finished because I'm off to Italy in the fall and I must be done before then!

Still here and loving your report. You saw a lot for a first trip.....so much more to see but Italy awaits.

Planning on being in Kyushu this fall....Nagasaki....onsens....Hakata....onsen....Kyoto.....onsen....eating and soaking our way through the fall season....can't wait

Aloha!

Thanks a lot for making me stay up later than I should. Very good report, you put the rest of us to shame! xx

Sometimes eating in the wrong place can result in delicious serendipity. Today's new post is all about that and more.

http://www.wired2theworld.com/2011/08/15/tokyos-ramen-jiro-a-delicious-happy-accident/

A Saturday in Tokyo at Ueno Park and Ameyoko Market

We all hope for unscripted moments when we travel, don’t we? It’s those precious minutes when you actually get to interact with someone who lives in the place you have traveled halfway around the world to visit, someone who isn’t paid to interact with you (like a hotel employee, tour guide or waiter).

These experiences seem fewer and farther between now that we have up-to-the-minute travel blogs to point the way, yelp reviews to tell us where to eat, and smart phones to guide us on the go. Still, those authentic moments can and do still happen, when you least expect it. And that’s how we found ourselves sharing beer and yakitori with a group of guys at a little stand inside the Ameyoko Market in Tokyo.

We had spent the morning in Ueno Park visiting the Tokyo National Museum, which while partly closed due to the March 11 earthquake, was still worth the visit to see the beautiful historical kimonos, art, and archaeological finds (swords, pottery, jewelery, etc.) of Japan. It was raining so we didn’t feel like walking through the huge park to visit any of the other sights there; various pagodas and shrines, a lake, and several other museums. We did however, pause to take a picture of this life-sized blue whale outside the National Science Museum. A comprehensive visit to this park could easily take several days in better weather.

The Ameyoko Market is across the street from the South end of the Ueno train station and runs underneath the elevated train tracks. There are two larger pedestrian streets which run parallel to the train tracks and several smaller alleys which crisscross underneath. Legend has it this was a place where black market items could be found, especially after WWII. Now it’s filled with everything from discount clothing, to fresh fish and fruit, to small food stalls.

Ameyoko Market continued...

We were strolling though the market when we found ourselves stopped in our tracks by the smell of grilling meat. The mouth watering smell was coming from a little yakitori restaurant called Daitoryo smack in the center of the market underneath the train tracks. We stood there, looking to see what they had and if there was a place to sit, but the signs (hundreds of them) were in Japanese and every seat was taken.

Then, the moment.

There was a small group of guys sitting at the tables in front of the restaurant and one of them said, “sit here!” We did as we were told, ordered a couple of beers, and were presented with a menu in English.

Of the five sitting at the table, one of the older gentlemen (in the red jacket) spoke English because he had spent time in the US, and through him, everyone offered advice on what to order.

We ordered grilled peppers (not really spicy even though they looked like jalapenos), grilled chicken, beef, and tofu. We also ordered eggplant which came out pickled and later, some extra beef and chicken because they were really, really tasty. We did not try any off the offal offerings because David is not a fan of what he calls the “nasty bits.” One of the older guys seemed surprised that we liked tofu. They were also surprised that I was drinking a beer which gave me the impression that Japanese women don’t tend to drink beer.

The two younger guys sitting at the table were bikers and both wearing motorcycle jackets. One of them had a serious crush on our waitress. The three older guys at the table were hard core regulars, drinking whiskey and smoking cigarettes while eating. The five were not friends, but knew each other as regulars at the restaurant.

While we ate they asked us dozens of questions about where we had traveled, what we thought of Japan, and if we had been scared to come after the earthquake and tsunami. We told them where we had been, how much we adored Japan and no, we weren’t scared. The gentleman in gray sitting next to me, who smoked like a chimney (the Hi-Lites were his), offered to buy us a second round of beers. I declined but David did not which pleased him. They asked what we did for a living and how old we were (and very nicely acted surprised when they found out my age).

Our lunch was about 3000 yen. These guys were genuinely welcoming and sharing a table with them was a treat. As we walked away, we looked at each other and said, “Did that just happen?”

In the evening we headed out to the bright neon lights of Shinjuku. We wandered, checking out the electronics store and looking at menus of a couple of dozen restaurants, eventually stopping at a place called “Standing Sushi Bar.” It’s about a block away from Watami Izakaya, on the same side of the street. The restaurant is a tiny place with only a bar at which yes, you must stand (no stools to sit on). But the prices are reasonable, the sushi chefs friendly, and the fish is fresh. We ate our fill for about 1500 yen (though David said he could have eaten more once he saw the bill).

Lots of photos at http://www.wired2theworld.com/2011/08/31/tokyos-ameyoko-market-and-yakitori-with-the-local-crew/

Thank-you so much. I'm headed to Kyoto in November and welcome your generous travelogue.

It's only taken me 5 months to finish writing about an 8 day trip, but here we go...

On our last day in Tokyo we have about half a day before we have to leave for the airport for a 7pm flight back to Los Angeles. The hotel has allowed us a (slightly) late checkout at 2pm, so we set out to do a little last minute shopping and sightseeing.

The first goal is to find a baseball hat with a Tokyo team logo on it for a friend which turns out to be much harder than it seems. We ask the concierge who, after a bit of research tells us we need to go to an official store at the Tokyo Dome where they sell licensed baseball gear.

Around the Shinkjuku train station there are a few sporting goods stores, but indeed, they only sell plain baseball caps. Using our JR passes, we take the train from Shinjuku station to the Tokyo Dome stop, about a half hour ride.

Once there, we find a couple of shops selling a very limited selection of hats which are (to me) crazy-expensive (about $45). David buys one for his friend but thankfully forgoes the one for himself.

On the way back to the train, we pass a street vendor with a cart selling cream filled pastries called obanyaki. We stopped and bought one, really having no idea what it would be like, but it was amazing! Warm, soft and filled with a slightly sweet pastry cream, you can’t go wrong there. He was also selling some filled with red bean paste.

Back onto the train where we went to the Harajuku stop, only to discover that even though it is Sunday, there were almost no people walking around in costume. From there, we took another walk down Takashita Dori and were going to head down to the Oriental Bazaar store, but decided we did not have time. Instead, we found a guy on the corner of Omote-Sando and Meiji-Dori selling vintage kimonos and robes. I bought a vinatge haori, which is hip length with hanging kimono style sleeves and typically worn like a jacket over a kimono.

The one I chose is a very simple and elegant black, with delicate embroidery on the back and lined a pink and white patterned silk, perfect as a dressy cover up on a night out. David chose a traditional cotton yakuta robe in blue and brown. As I paid, I realized that we were spending every last bit of our yen. Thankfully, we already had our tickets for the return airport bus. The only problem was going to be lunch…

We solved the cash dilemma on way back to the hotel, by stopping in one of the department store food halls connected to Shinjuku station to buy an assortment for lunch back in the room; freshly cooked gyoza and sushi made to order. Thankfully, we were able to pay for it with a credit card.

The bus for the airport departs the hotel once an hour, but because of possible traffic they recommend you leave very early. Needless to say, we arrived very early (around 3:30pm) for our 7pm departure. We sat in the departure hall where there’s some really cool murals and held on to our rented Mifi for the last couple of hours, then dropped it into mail box.

Our plane was not full and we were able to switch seats with the guy next to the window in my row so that David and I had 3 seats for the 2 of us. I slept more than expected and we arrived back in LA in a record 9 hours flight time.

To sum up the trip in six words; we cannot wait to go back.

Photos at: http://www.wired2theworld.com/2011/09/16/tokyo-dome-last-minute-shopping-food-hall-lunch/

What a fantastic trip with a report to match it, thanks for taking the time, literally

Our first trip to Japan in 2004 was a three day filler on our way back from Thailand and Hong Kong. We had three days in Tokyo that trip but all I could think about when we got home was when will I return. You have written so much here of what you first saw and felt in Japan yet there is so much more to see. As I mentioned before its nice to get out into the countryside and experience a ryokan with hot spring stay or two. That would be a great start. You really delve into what some would call the real Japan with a ryokan stay because its so steep in authentic customs and settings. Every prefecture has it's different customs,foods,crafts and all are so clean,safe,orderly,efficient yet simple,friendly and for the most part signs in English. All ready to be experienced and explored. Not to mention all of the World Heritage sites within Japan, temples, hot springs, scenery, food food and more food,lol.

I sense from your writing that you have been bitten by the same bug I was back in 04 and will return soon......I am. Thanks again!!!

Aloha!

Great report, Kristina, thanks for continuing to post!

And ht, my first trip to Japan was in 2004 as well! You are lucky, I guess, that you live a bit closer than I do....