mari808

In case the title looks familiar, this is a revised version of lcuy's bath/natto query.

Thanks to Ksuke, HT and all who provided helpful info and links. I've checked them all. Several more questions:

--Natto at Narita: lots of Japanese restaurants listed on Terminal 2 4th floor. My guess is this is in the departures concourse and not accessible to new arrivals exiting customs?

--Ooedo Onsen Monogatari at Odaiba: this looks like a totally new part of Tokyo (I lived there about 20 years ago) on a new train line. Does anybody have transportation time guesstimates from Ueno station?

--Any suggestions for a sento/other type of bath near Harajuku that's open before 3pm on a Sunday? Some of those in HT's links looked good but were closed on Sunday or opened after 3pm, which is about when we have to get the train back to Narita.

--Any recs around Harajuku/Ueno or at Narita for REALLY good unagi donburi or unaju?

Thanks again!

kuranosuke

mari-chan, not too familiar with t2,but most of the restaurants and shops are only accessible after you exit the secure area.

i've done it before, but its alot of trouble to clear immigration and customs, and then to check back in through immigration for departure.

as far as unagi don/unaju, since the gang of san is in tokyo, why not go to sensoji/asakusa. lots of great unagi don restaurants there.

have a great trip.

mari808

Asakusa--that's convenient to Ueno! Hah! Doomodoomo.

W9London

Odaiba--I recall taking a tram/monorail from Shimbashi station. Can't recall the name but sounded like Yukimome or something, definitely starts with Y. It goes over an amazing loop bridge over Tokyo bay.

Narita restaurant--I found better choice on landside (ie after exiting customs if you're arriving).

mari808

That would be the Yurikamome line, nice name, never heard of it til now! Do you recall approximate time?

mari808

I think I've found possibly the perfect bath solution--Asakusa Kannon Onsen, on the left-hand side of Sensoji! Reviews look good--it's fairly old, popular with locals as well as tourists, open on Sunday from morning.

Someone else just echoed Ksuke's rec to head to that area for unagi, so I think we've found a winning combination here. The clincher is that we're probably coming in on the Keisei line to Ueno, and this should be a straight shot from Ueno on the Asakusa line.

MelissaHI

You know, I'm on the hunt for natto, but the prospect of getting some really good unagi is making my mouth water!!!

mari808

Natto too! Natto's also on the to-do list for our 5 hours in Tokyo:

--eat natto
--soak in a bath
--visit Meiji Shrine
--people-watch at neighboring Takeshita-doori, Harajuku
--eat unagi

I just haven't figured out the order yet, and part of it depends on how we feel getting off the plane and thru Immigration/Customs after an overnight flight from Saigon.

Our last resort, if we don't find natto in Tokyo, is to hit one of the Japanese restaurants in Narita Terminal 2 after we check in for our onward flight.

A friend had a brilliant suggestion: find a good supermarket, buy natto there (she recommends the kind sold in long husks), buy dry ice, pack all in a collapsible cooler bag and bring home. I like prowling thru foreign supermarkets anyway, and Japanese snacks are incredible. They make great omiyage. So to our list, let's add

--find a supermarket

bmttokyo

Melissa & Mari,

I would love to invite you both to my house including Kappa since I have natto, kimchi & hot Hikari rice or Genmai downstairs. I saw this special on TV years ago that showed the best way to eat natto..........

Put it in a bowl, put your mustard & dashi in then the secret ............. make sure you mix it clockwise for about 118 strokes or was it 218 I forget already. I've been working on that for a long time - I quit by the 20th stroke- It's slimy enough for me !!!

There should be a restaurant at the airport that should serve it- it's usually part of the Japanese Breakfast set. I hardly order it at restaurants since I always eat it at home.

The 3 pack (Y100) come in handy, they are easy to put away. I am just not sure if the Security dog will spot you before you make it through Customs. I've never tried the ones in the husk since I never bothered to check that it was natto. Must do that soon.........

Have fun !!!

lcuy

Okay, fine, bmttloyo!...invite the M&Ms and shun the rest of our group!

I guess the other four of us will just go find a sento and cry about our rejection....
;-(

mari808

Thanks bmt--

for the secret and the thought! I'm going to try that 118-stroke technique. Natto from the store in Hawaii does seem kind of blocky when dumped out over rice.

As lcuy so poetically mentions, we will be a contingent of 6, all women, ages 20 to 60, all from Hawaii. MelissaHI, lcuy and I are Fodorites.

Now that you know our unordered itinerary for Sunday, June 8, how about joining us for some ocha and wagashi if you're free?

bmttokyo

lucy !!!

SORRY !!! I forgot that they were with you. How about you let me know your schedule & I'll see if I can meet you all at the sento. I'll probably be coming in from church then meet up with you in Asakusa.

Mari,

Ocha & Wagashi sounds great. There is this little restaurant around the corner from the temple that has unagi- there's a few of them actually - I've just passed through both. One is quiet expensive & the other one- quite reasonable.

OK.OK. OK. I'm already excited !!! Finally I might get to see Fodorites in person. Sometimes I think KT suspects you are all just my "imaginary friends".

We can find the supermarket & do your shopping........ Make sure to find the y100 store- lots of treasures big & small for a dollar, 99 shop sells a lot of food stuff from fruits & veggies, bento, drinks etc etc for Y99.

m/m ht are now in town- I'll check their sched & see if we can say hello.

MelissaHI

Imaginary friends!! bmttokyo, watch your kidneys! har har.

Oh, I'm getting excited. Unagi, natto, shopping, ....

bmttokyo

Melissa,

Oh No ! When I told KT about my date on 6/8 with my "imaginary friends", we took a look at our Ical & found out that we have to be in Yokohama that day. From your previous entries you say you need to get on the train to return to Narita by 3 PM, right? What time frame are you looking at to get to Asakusa? Let me know so I can work out my schedule.

My kids think I'm crazy for meeting up with people I "meet" on line since I have explicitly forbidden them to do so. I said you guys are safe .

MelissaHI

bmttokyo, the stories I could tell you about my meeting fodorites, some for the first time! One picked me up at the airport. Another one had her HUSBAND pick me up at the train station. I flew to Kauai to have a weekend GTG with some fodorites. My kidneys are still there....to my knowledge!!

I'm guessing that we'd arrive in Asakusa about 930 or 10 a.m., no?

bmttokyo

I've been trying to figure out the kidneys connection for the past 24 hours ....... now i get it !!! KT is still trying to figure out our schedule for the day. It's helpful to know what your ETA is. I suppose you won't have a cell phone with you when you get here. huh?

Decisions....... decisions......... maybe I can skip church for once. We'll see.

mari808

Ooh, a precise query! OK, land at 7:30, thru immig/customs 8-8:30. We'll be on VN time, woken on the flight a couple hours earlier, and I for one don't think I'll be hungry, so assuming we're in sync, on to the Keisei tokkyu or Skyliner, to Ueno by 10, transfer to Asakusa by 10:30? at which point we may be hungry.

bmt, what works better for you, earlier or later? Will ck now to see if the unagi restaurants open that early.

bmttokyo

You make your decisions then I'll work around your sched. Specially now that I'm not even sure what time I have to show up in Yokohama.

We'll keep at it.

mari808

bmttokyo, okaerinasai!

We've been firming up plans for our 5 1/2-hour Tokyo layover. Looks like we'll reach Asakusa about 10:30am on Sunday, June 8, finish our bath around noon and then head to Kawamatsu or Koyanagi for unagi.

Can you join us?

Afterward we'll shop ard Ameyokocho and then head toward Ueno or Okachimachi for depachika to fill up our cooler bags. Have to get the train from Keisei Ueno back to Narita by 3:30.

bmttokyo

I was just thinking about you guys. I was unable to find this thread as it was buried in the April entries. KT still has not committed to our schedule that day since we are being invited to be part something & have not heard from our host.

I definitely want to meet you in Asakusa & will have to play it by ear for the rest of the day since i need to be in Yokohama sometime that day. Like I said, at this point I am not sure if my call time to Yoko is in the AM or the PM. We'll keep in touch !!!