Tokyo layover: bath and unagi on a Sunday
 

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!

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.:-)

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

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).

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

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.

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

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

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 !!!

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....
;-(

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?

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.

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

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

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 .

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 !!!

Yikes. Hope you can make it to lunch!

something else to add to natto. my portugese friend eats natto with okra.

bmttokyo--

We are leaving 2 days from now and will have sporadic Internet access after that. Lcuy has better access; do you have her email?

Hoping you can join us--we have some special mac nuts for you!

HI Lucy, Melissa & Mari-chan !!!

I've been wondering about you guys since we finally heard from our hosts just the other day. I have to be in Yokosuka by 4 PM- that's 1 1/2 hrs away from Asakusa.

So is the schedule's still the same? I can meet you in the Sensoji Temple under the big lantern at 10:30. I think the sento is just down the street from there. I guess I'll just have to find 6 ladies together right?

I don't have lucy's email address. Can we PM here through Fodor's ? Let me know.

I would have had natto, kimuchi & okra with gohan this morning except that KT has been in the Aomori area for the past several days so I had to take Voctoria out to brekkie. Had to settle for Jonathan's breakfast setto. ;D

HOPEFULLY, if I can get daily access, you can track our trip and leave messages here, too:
http://urbanmixplate.honadvblogs.com

If we land ard 7:30am, is 10:30 good for Sensoji? Shall we say 10:15-10:30?

You can't miss us. Six women w/ bags under our eyes, hakujin, nikkei and shinajin. Plus we'll be flashing the special mac nuts.

The terminal of the Yurikamome line to Odaiba is at Shinbashi/Shimbashi. It runs at regular intervals, so there's no worries about timing. It's a short walk from the JR and metro stations.

Melissa,
Did you take all those beautiful food photos? They were gorgeous !!! It's past 11PM & we just got home from a class. Will read your blog later but I think the lobster has my name written all over it.

I'll keep in touch. OK? I don't think I'll miss you- I'll keep an eye on the can of HI Mac. 10:15 it is then.

I'm so excited !!!

Yes, I take those photos with my Canon Sureshot--recommended by Monica Pileggi! Feel free to leave comments in the box. BTW, that lobster was soooooo good.

Mellisa,

They are great looking photos. Maybe I should reitre this Olympus I have which I still have not mastered at all.

You're so so cleaver- how did you hyperlink my name to my Frodo's - sorry I meant Fodor's entries?

See you soon !
B

Mari & team,
Have a safe trip. See you soon !
bmt2

bmttokyo, I have no idea how I did that! Anyway, I hope you are reading my blog and keeping track of our adventures. The only downside is that I am currently not able to access my blog site to post more. Am VERY behind.....

Mmmm talking Unagi make me hungry...
I will find a Japaneese Restaurant soon....
At least I know now if I stopover in Narita, I will stop by to Terminal 2 4th floor.

M,
I just got back from Kyoto with KT to celebrate 20 yrs of bliss (sigh!). Got to read your entries so far. KT& I lived in Singapore about 25 years ago. Decided to bring our kids there several years ago then again 2 summers ago. I have wonderful memories of omiyage shopping at Mustafa's except the Indian Punjabi I was eyeing was close to $300, Not exactly in my budget. Found something at Tekka Market for $30 that I was happy with.

I'll keep abreast of your movements. Call time keeps on changing for me again- need to do a sound check by 330 PM they say. Which means that for now, I will have to leave Asakusa by 130PM. Maybe I'm good till after lunch then I leave.

We'll see. I'm really very flexible. At least KT know he has to leave without me now.

KT knows -- it's past my bedtime.

Hi BMT! just checking back in. Also thanks for commenting on the blog! it was indeed on Orchard Road!

Thanks for your Straits Kitchen recco= my cousin just emailed that she is on her way to an Optometric convention in S'pore next week. She asked for restos & I pointed her to your blog.

Call time seems to be getting earlier & earlier- need to get clearance to get to the Base so will do sento. Depending on how we're doing with time, maybe I'll be able to join you for lunch. So, 1030AM under the big red lantern in Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, looking for 6 gaijins who will be blending in with the crowd, right?

Keep in touch.

My downstairs tenant who is from Osaka eats natto with raw egg!!!!

so do i. i also eat the egg over a steaming bowl of hot rice. along with some pickled veggies, like cucumber, nasu, and takuwan. delicious.

kuranosuke,

ahhhhh raw egg in the morning, is that how you maintain that Sylvester Stallone like physique??? lol