5 Days in Tokyo Continued

Now for the rest of my adventure in Tokyo, as I navigated through the busy subway to all the best districts, enjoying yummy treats along the way.

Shibuya crossing

Districts
Shibuya
It is famous for the world’s busiest crossing at the Hachiko Exit (make sure to find Hachiko’s statue) of the subway. It is worth the visit, along with wandering the streets for shops during the day and bars at night.

Calico Cat Cafe

Shinjuku
This is famous the for world’s busiest subway station. But if you can navigate your way out of the underground, you will experience a sensory overload, as skyscrapers covered in neon light advertisements tower above. I went to the Calico Cat Café here, an experience I thought I would not get anywhere else (cat cafes are now opening in major cities around the world), but really I could not get out of the café and area quick enough. I also strongly recommend not visiting this area at night, as we were refused entry to many places for not being Japanese.

Shibuya side streets

Roppongi
I would have liked to see more of this area, as it seems like “new Tokyo” to me. It has a great nightlife, where foreigners are graciously accepted at its many bars.

Knife engraver at Tsukiji Fish Market

Tsukiji Fish Market
A must do in Tokyo, even though it means waking up at 4am to catch the tuna auction. This is where our concierge let us down and we did not do enough research ourselves. I was naïve in thinking this is just a big market and did not believe I had to watch out for my safety. They only admit 120 visitors at day to the tuna auction, with the line up beginning well before 5am at Kachidoki Gate. If you do not make the cut, you can grab something to eat at the little sashimi restaurants near the Main Gate and wander the outside market (best for kitchen supplies), as tourists are not allowed to enter the fish market unaccompanied by a guide before 9am. We might have broken this rule in our sleepy haze. It is important to note that this is a business area, so we kept our wits about us as we navigated around the trucks, forklifts, and scooters, especially watching out for the giant saws that cut the biggest frozen tuna we have ever seen.

Sushi breakfast at Tsukiji Fish Market

Eat
In a big city like Tokyo, it is easy to grab good food wherever you wander. We enjoyed picking up treats and snacks from the vendors at Harajuku, Asakusa, Tsukiji Fish Market, and the lower levels of any department store. But a few restaurants are worth the visit.
Gonpachi Nishiazabu: The restaurant that inspired the famous fight scene in Kill Bill offered a fun atmosphere and good quality food in Roppongi.
Ginza Tatsutano (across from Yamaha Ginza): My mother and I stopped here for lunch during our shopping trip in Ginza. Sitting at the window bar, overlooking the busy street below with warm rice bowls made our day.
Sunday Jam: Located in Harajuku, an area famous for street crepes, this is a little café to sit down and try sweet and savoury pancakes.
New York Grill: We went here on our last night in town, as a last resort for a night without dinner reservations. We had no idea that this was where Lost in Translation was filmed with the most amazing view of the city and expensive meals to match. It was a bit of a headache to find in the Park Hyatt Tokyo, but well worth it.

Gonpachi Nishiazabu

Go
The subway is the best way to get around Tokyo; you just have to stay aware for your stop and the right exit from that station. I never got lost or confused on the subway, but I did get frustrated by the multiple tickets I had to get to travel on the various subway lines owned by separate companies. When in doubt I always asked for guidance from the information booths at most stations, they were more than willing to help me (if they understood my tourist hand gestures and butchered Japanese), especially pointing me to the right exit at stations, which is probably the most important thing to keep in mind.
Taxis were not as reliable as the subway. We found ourselves going around in circles a few times with taxi drivers that did not know their way. This is a time when having someone to translate is very useful, so make sure to clarify this with your hotel concierge.

Dinner at New York Grill

5 Days in Tokyo

Asakusa side street

After our ski trip to Niseko, we all headed to Tokyo for another adventure. I have never wanted to return to a city more than I have with Tokyo. I couldn’t get enough of it, from the bustling Tsukiji Fish Market and Shibuya crossing to a tea ceremony and Imperial Palace East Gardens. Around every corner, we were captivated by what we discovered, making us crave more of this astounding city, so much so I have to divide my Tokyo travel journal into two posts.

First blossoms at Happo-en

Stay
We were lucky enough to stay at the Prince Sakura Tower Tokyo, a short walk to Shinagawa station, one of the largest subway stations in Tokyo, which made it easy to get around. I already mentioned my admiration of the hotel décor and the attention to detail in this post. Did I mention we counted three different styles of bathrobes in our room? We were also lucky enough to have the buffet breakfasts every morning, which was such a nice way to start our days, especially with the green smoothies. However, the one downside of the hotel was the concierge service. We were let down a few times by the concierge who was not prepared, unable to recommend restaurants and give exact directions.

My mother and I with the Tea Master at Happo-en

See and Do
Happo-en Tea Ceremony
As soon as we arrived in Tokyo, my mother and I booked a tea ceremony. This was the best decision we made on our trip to Tokyo, as the tea ceremony offered the perfect introduction to Japanese custom and culture for a reasonable price. As soon as we arrived at Happo-en, an events venue to the rich and famous of Tokyo, we were escorted to the traditional teahouse in the Japanese Garden. Our tea master was so friendly, guiding us through the tradition of matcha (Japanese powdered green tea). We learnt so much from her that this deserves its own post (coming soon). This casual ceremony took about 30 minutes (we asked a lot of questions), and afterwards, we toured the garden, a small treasure in the heart of Tokyo. In addition to our fantastic experience, the concierge personally escorted us to the subway station nearby.

Busy streets of Ginza

Shop
Ginza
Unfortunately, my mother and I only gave ourselves an afternoon of shopping in Ginza, the Fifth Avenue of Tokyo. This was the best shopping I have ever experienced, better than London, Paris, and New York. Our first stop was Uniqlo, Japan’s version of the Gap, with a twelve-story shop, complete with on site seamstresses to personalise your purchases. Zara also blew us away, as it felt like the couture version of the popular brand, with perfectly placed garments not available anywhere else. We wish we had more time, as we only covered a few blocks in one afternoon.

Nakamise street at Asakusa

Harajuku
For boutique shopping, Harajuku is the place. Although it is famous for youth street fashion, its unique boutiques juxtapose popular brand name shops, making it my preferred shopping area.

Sensoji Shrine at Asakusa

Asakusa
Known as “old Tokyo”, it is the place to collect all those Japanese souvenirs, especially along Nakamise Street, leading up to Sensoji Temple. But the side streets, offer another dynamic. We also heard so much about Japanese department stores, that we got all our food and drink souvenirs from Matsuya Department Store (lower levels) here.

Entrance to the Imperial Palace East Gardens

Akihabara
Everything electronic is found here. I did not venture here myself, but the men I was travelling with made this their first destination in Tokyo.

Hand washing station at entrance to Meiji Shrine

Reflect
Imperial Palace East Gardens
A nice central city park with a bit of history scattered throughout. We thought we were a bit early in the year to experience the full bloom of the gardens. But the few early blossoms we caught were a nice backdrop to our walk.

Meiji Shrine

Sensoji
This is Tokyo’s most popular and oldest Buddhist temple. Located in Asakusa, it adds a colourful backdrop to the “old town”.

Prayer offerings at Meiji Shrine

Meiji Shrine
This was my favourite, as the walk through the tall tree-lined path from Harajuku set the tranquillity for the Shinto shrine. From washing our hands upon entering to reading the little prayer offerings, it was an incredibly peaceful way to end our time in Tokyo.

Sake offerings at Meiji Shrine

Skiing in Niseko, Japan

Me and Mount Youtei

My first time to Asia was a ski trip in Japan with my family this past February. It was a remarkable introduction to Asia and I cannot wait to return. Though our trip got off to a rough start, as we arrived during the once in a lifetime snowstorm to hit Tokyo, closing down the airports and roads. After a night sleeping on the airport floor (not a big deal after experiencing this at Heathrow in December 2010) and navigating the Tokyo subway during rush hour from Narita to Haneda (a two-hour journey with ski luggage), we finally made it to Niseko.

My parents and I on Grand Hirafu

Stay
Since our group was a bit large and we were arriving from various cities in Australia and Canada, we stayed at Youtei Tracks and Landmark View apartments in Hirafu, the primary ski village in Niseko. Both apartments were centrally located, within walking distance to the Grand Hirafu Ski Resort and all the ski village amenities. We stayed here for a week and were more than comfortable with the accommodation.

Trying on antique kimonos at Sakura

Do
Ski
We spent everyday skiing, not just at Grand Hirafu, but also at the other resorts that occupy Mount Niseko-Annupuri. Our ski passes allowed us to easily access these resorts by making our way up and down the mountain. But Hanazono and Annupuri were our favourites for their tree runs and amazing restaurants (more on that soon). We discovered that when it snows soft, light powder, which is pretty much everyday, nothing is off-limits.
Half of us brought our boots and rented skis from Rhythm Snowsports, but it took a few tries to find the right equipment, as the conditions were like nothing we had ever experienced, in a good way. Like any ski village there are ski shops on every corner, so last-minute equipment can be found here.
Onsens
One day, we took the afternoon off and headed to an onsen, a Japanese bath. Since our group had both men and women, we decided the mixed gender onsen would be best and most Westernised. How wrong we were. The Niseko Grand Hotel, a typically Japanese hotel, is the only mixed onsen, located just outside of Annupuri. Women have to wear polyester, loose, tube dresses, while the men are naked. Men and women have separate onsens, with a communal one outside. Tradition is of the utmost priority at an onsen, so my mother and I were lucky enough to meet an English-speaking Japanese woman, who explained how to wash yourself before entering the baths, which ones were hottest, and where to go. But make sure to bring change for lockers and towels if you do not want to rent theirs. Besides encountering many naked Japanese men (in the outdoor onsen) and women, it was a beautiful setting and certainly relieved our muscles.
Shop
During another afternoon, my mother and I explored the shops, as any woman would. Though there were not many shops, what was inside took hours to explore. We found antique kimonos at Sakura, which was the best quality for an affordable price. We were then able to get all the typical souvenirs from the shop above Asahikawa Ramen Tozanken. And finally collected some antique sake sets from Cocoroya, along with a few other Japanese antiques. It was an education in Japanese tradition and culture, as these shops became museums for us.

Dinner at Kabuki 2

Eat
I do not think I have ever experienced so much good food in such a small area. Every opportunity to eat was more impressive than the last, seriously. For quick meals and snacks at our apartments we would pick up food from the few small grocery shops around town, which carried the basics of Japanese and Western food. But let us start with breakfast and work our way to late night treats.

Sake menu at Bar Gyu+

Breakfast
Most mornings we made our own breakfasts in our apartments, but on lazy mornings we enjoyed good quality buffet breakfasts from Yama Dining. The croissants were as good as the ones I have had in France. My mother and I also discovered the cutest muffin shop, Mariposa, which once again were the best muffins we have ever had. My favourite was the macha (Japanese powdered green tea) and white chocolate muffin.

The ‘Fridge Door’ bar

Lunch
We would have lunch on the mountain, trying to discover all the restaurants offered. But by the end of our trip we kept returning to Hanazono 308 for my favourite ramen noodles, made fresh in front of you, and Eclat Fusion Restaurant at Annupuri for its reasonably priced luxurious buffet. This buffet was of the best quality with food from Japan and around the world, but what impressed us the most were the slippers provided to give our feet a break from ski boots. We might have spent a few hours there…

Dinner at The Barn

Dinner
Kabuki 2: Yummy traditional teppanyaki (food cooked on iron griddle).
Bang Bang: Best yakitori (grilled skewered food) in town.
Kamimura Restaurant: Five star degustation for a treat.
The Barn: A little break from Japanese food in a beautiful setting.
Drinks
Bar Gyu+: The ‘Fridge Door’ bar with the best cocktails in town.
Wild Bills: North American style ski village bar.

My boyfriend and Mount Youtei

Go
Getting to Niseko is a bit of an adventure, but worth it! We all flew into Narita Airport in Tokyo, then connected to New Chitose Airport in Sapporo. From there, we took the shuttle bus two hours to Niseko. We were told it is a beautiful drive, but we saw it at night and in a snow storm. Once in Hirafu, everything is in walking distance, but to reach the rest of the mountain, not by skiing, shuttle buses run between each town. Taxis are also available, but are very expensive. Overall, everyone is very friendly and willing to help.

Taking a break in some tree runs