I love riding the Yamanote line. Any of the stops on it offer adventure. But of course I think everyone knows that...The best thing? Melon bread. Preferably the stuff with the cantaloupe cream in the middle. It's amazing. That an Melon Milk. The kind that comes in a can, is orange in flavor, and is made with Hokkaido milk. It's the best - but any melon milk will do.

My new things: Mets grapefruit juice in aluminum can, Calpis water, shinjuku at night, Ginza stores. Thanks everyone!!!

shikansen ice cream - the fat content is very high and it's amazingly good

fruit flavored ice cream in the grocery stores ... I still remember, the pear ice cream literally tasted like a frozen pear bursting in your mouth

wandering around on my own in Tokyo - I passed a little kid's baseball game and as a little boy swung and missed, they shouted "strike!"

wandering around on my own in Tokyo - seeing a sign that said "Rooftop garden" so I climbed up. Stunning garden, I follow it all the way up to the building - there was a sign that said "Toyota" and there was a door ... and a security camera -- I waved at it and smiled sheepishly, and then got the heck out of there!

little bottles of sake

the amazing Japanese treats ... so many, oh so good

the wonderful Japanese people who show so much kindness and friendship

I enjoyed treating my children to Fujiya's desserts after shopping for a few hours in Ginza.

Those little sweets that are just rice paper with bean paste in the middle. You look at them & think there's nothing there, but the flavor is so great!

Finding tiny little shops on side streets, wlking in & hearing "irrashiamase!" and just smiling & nodding the whole time you're in the shop - feeling like a bobble-head by the time you walk out.

The way that every single purchase is wrapped oh-so-carefully, so that everything you buy feels like a present for yourself.

Finding a great deal - or a silly thing - in a hundred yen store & thinking "but it's less than a buck!" And even though you don't need it, buying it anyway.

Green tea - hot, cold, or in ice cream!

This is my favourite city- Tokyo.

-Vending machines!!!!!!!!!
They are everywhere.

-Rubbish bins sectioned into three.

-Pretty nightlights along Ginza

mister donut - best doughnuts in the world!!!

Yet one more food item to add to the already wonderful list: The most amazing unagi (eel) in a really old restaurant in Asakusa that we stumbled upon while wandering around the neighborhood.

The unagi was grilled over charcoals (not heated in a toaster oven as in most restaurants in the US). The slices of grilled eels were served embedded in rice cooked in a personal size bamboo steamer flavored with tiny strips of nori (seawood) and sesame seeds. And to top it all, the wasabi was a real root that you had to grate yourself on a small plate with small raised bumps. The real thing is mildly sweet and not nasal assaulting as the greenish pasty imitation made out of horseradish you get in most restaurants in N. America. All the flavors and fragrance came together to make one of the most unforgettable meals! What a find and the 45 minutes wait for a (shared) table in this tiny restaurant was so worth it!

JC98, that sounds WONDERFUL! Didn't you just get back from Alaska as well?

birder, no I didn't go to Japan right after my Alaska trip. I wish! Just reminiscing about the past--a trip we took 2 years back.

JC98,
Can you tell us any more about this restaraunt? A name would be great. I'd love to try it while in Tokyo..

Spellbound, I wish I knew the name or where exactly that restaurant is! So sorry! We just stumbled upon it while wandering in Asakusa after visiting the Sensoji temple. It must not be too far from the temple then. We saw people waiting outside, so that's why we decided to check it out. The restaurant was very small and non-descript, with some old newspaper clippings about it on the window. I think it has been around for a long time.

Hope you'll be able to find it or something comparable in Japan.

Also, you might be interested in checking out the restaurants of the Iron Chefs. We're a fan of the show, and we got to try out Chef Chen Kinichi (the Chinese iron chef)'s restaurant. It was some of the tastiest Chinese food we'd ever had.

Good luck!

My favourite things seem to come mainly from shops in Ginza... perfumed sachets in kimono fabrics at Kyukyodo (upstairs), Itoya stationery stores, kimono Barbie dolls (actually had different Japanese names) at Toy Park Hakuhinkan. Kimono and chinaware floors at Matsuya department store where we found a set of small dishes and some exquisite lacquerware.

On the food front, real Soba restaurants with fresh noodles and grate-your-own wasabi roots, Koo's tea chains which is like an everything-green tea version of Starbucks. Yummy green tea shakes with tapioca and black treacle syrup.

Takano Fruit Parlor, several cafes in Tokyo, 3 in Shinjuku St. area. Somewhat expensive but exquisite fruit, in a parfait or with waffles, etc, always the ripest, always with seasonal specialties, melon, mango, pear, peach, etc. It's a treat on every visit to Tokyo.

Taking picture club pictures.

Well, after a trip two years ago finally found an excuse to go back to Tokyo... Anyone have any updates to this thread of great experiences in Tokyo?

I miss Toshimaen niwa no yu onsen in nerima

Mango:

Just came across this thread when answering another. It's easy for me to say something short and sweet about our favorite little things in Tokyo (or in Kyoto, etc.)
...the courtesy displayed by all...the gentleness...the politeness...these make Japan a great place for a westerner to visit.

Stu T.

returned to TKY about 2 weeks ago from a 5 week vacation. always quite difficult for me to return........
thanks so much for reminding me of my few favorite things........

I like cherry blossom watching (sorry, it's a cliche) and eating exquisite traditional Japanese meals with cute dishes garnished with pink cherry blossom petals.

I also enjoying visiting bookstores (for both used and new books) with an awesome interior design collection. I found more out-of-print American and European design magazines in Tokyo and in all of NYC, LA and SF.