Though we were done with Tokyo Disneyland and Disneysea proper, we still had one more sleep before venturing out to the city. We decided to have dinner at Ikspiari, the shopping area where we met up with the kids for drinks. We wandered a bit and landed at this Shabu Shabu restaurant.
Clean and bright.
A bit of Sake to start. I saved that piece of rice paper. I’m not sure why.
So, what’s the deal with Shabu Shabu? It’s basically a hot pot that they plug in at your table. We had thinly sliced Wagu style beef (of which I forgot to take a picture) that we were tasked with cooking in the broth.
Shabu Shabu Pot
Bits and bobs of condiments. I know nothing.
After all the beef has been cooked, noodles are brought to soak up the savory broth.
We finished with some tea.
The next morning we got one last look at our Tokyo Bay view.
You thought we were done with Mickey, but not so fast! You may recall that we stopped at the bakery the day before. I got our last Disney treats to have for breakfast.
Mickey Bread!
I really got this for the novelty and expected it to be dry and not worth the calories. Not so, my friends! It was amazing! Each ear had a different custard filling, one strawberry, the other chocolate. The rest of the bun was filled with a yummy vanilla custard. The bread was pudding-like and luscious. We ate every bit. We also got a Mike Wazowski Melon Bread.
Guess what? It tasted just like cantaloupe. How, Disney? How?
Now we were off! The thing I was most concerned about was navigating the immense, complex transportation system here. We managed to find the Maihama train station. First steps!
Shouldn’t be too difficult, right?
Next, we got our Suica cards. Suica or Pasmo are really the same thing. You pre-pay for your fares so that you don’t need to fuss about buying tickets every time. This goes beyond the “Charlie Card” aspect, because different lines are owned by different train companies. These cover everything. Plus you can use it as currency for other things like cab fares and vending machines. Brilliant!
Please have an English option….
We did it! Our AirBnB was located near the Shin-Okubo Station in the Shinjuku prefect of Tokyo. It took a bit to find it. Our hosts were wonderful. They actually sent us pictures of the building and walkways. We would not have been able to find it otherwise. The address and house numbers are quite complex.
Here it is!
Our apartment home for the week.
We were ’round the back.
Our apartment was nestled in the Korea Town section of Shin-Okubu. It was just perfect. We felt like we were really experiencing local life.
There were tons of little bars and restaurants.
Check out the nest of power lines.
There was a huge Don Quixote Store right around the corner. This store sells everything from Pokemon to roasted sweet whole potatoes. Really.
Our first order of business was to visit a shrine. The Meiji Jingu Shibuya Shrine was just ten minute train ride away.
Meiji Jingu entrance.
This massive Torii gate leads into the largest shrine in Tokyo.
Enormous trees lined the path leading to the Shrine.
Elaborate Lanterns
We didn’t get very far before we stumbled upon a Dango Stand. Shall we?
Dango being cooked over a coal fire.
Thanks!
This is similar to mochi in texture but it’s just solid. There was a sweet soy glaze and powdered ginger on top.
It was a lot. We should have shared.
More of the Shrine! This shrine is not hundreds of years old like you’d expect. It is dedicated to Emperor Meiji, the first emperor of modern Japan. During the Meiji Period Japan modernized and westernized to join the world’s major powers. Emperor Meiji passed away in 1912. The Shrine was built in 1920 and subsequently rebuilt after World War ll.
Emperor Meiji embraced Western culture and, in particular, wine. These barrels are donated by the wineries of Burgundy each year to honor Meiji.
Nearby the wine you’ll see a huge collection of sake barrels. These kazaridaru are a decorative display.They have been donated by sake brewers from around Japan. The Sake is used for shrine ceremonies and festivals.
Each cask is different.
Another Torii Gate
We are now at the heart of the shrine.
One should ceremoniously wash their hands first. There is a method which I forget now. Hopefully I did it right.
The entrance to the main courtyard.
Torii
Inside the courtyard.
The crowds were pretty light.
Prayers written by visitors.
We didn’t enter the Shrine itself. There is a series of bows that I didn’t feel I could manage. This is a sacred space.
A stunning light fixture.
More details.
Carvings.
The shrine opens up into a beautiful park area.
There is a museum on the property that sadly was closed for renovations.
Homotsuden (the Treasure Museum)
Signs alerting us of the closing
Iron details
We wove our way around to the exit.
The shrine is right near the Harijuku prefect. This area is known for it’s colorful fashions geared towards teens. Takeshita Street is lined with trendy shops, fashion boutiques, used clothes stores, crepe stands and fast food.
Takeshida Street Harijuku
This area was packed.
Plastic food crepes.
…and more crepes.
We were in the mood for something more savory. I squealed with delight when we rounded the corner to find a Takoyaki stand!
The Gindaco
Takoyaki are octopus dumplings made from grilled batter with a chunk of boiled-octopus in the middle. Okay, I guess it doesn’t sound that great, but it is! I had some at a Japanese place in Orlando, but they had nothing on these. What’s miraculous about this is how they are made…
The cook pours a very thin batter into a cast iron grill fitted with half moon molds.
Then they use two metal chopstick to pull the batter as it cooks.
They manipulate this batter moving quickly and suddenly these perfect spheres of octopus dumplings appear!
Amazing!
The result! The dumplings are topped with bonita flakes, seaweed, mayo and a sweet sticky soy glaze.
I call it “three textures for the price of one” – a soft outer shell, gooey (boiling hot) batter inside that, with a chewy octopus center. This may have been my favorite bite of the entire trip!
We ducked into an arcade for a look around.
So close!
The Kawaii game was strong here.
I don’t know what these are but I want the one with his tushy out.
We were long over due for a beer. What we found in short supply were bars open during the day. Now, we did find plenty of lunch spots that had beer, but it is not cool to take a seat without ordering food. We picked a little Izakaya and tackled the ordering kiosk and headed in.
We’re getting a handle on things.
This is the name of the place., I think.
Ice cold beer!
Most Izakaya will have little pots of pickled things and sauces. This is complimentary. I’m not sure we would ever figure what’s supposed to go with what.
I discovered something about these tooth picks.
You snap the end of to rest your pick down after you use it. Stop leaving your tooth picks on the table, you savages!
We ordered some dumplings to share. Still not what you’re supposed to do. These were heavenly! Look how delicate!
We wandered aimlessly for awhile.
Even in the most modern parts of Tokyo you’ll find Shrines tucked in between towering buildings.
More wandering.
Hurrah! We found a real pub! An Irish bar preparing for both St. Patrick’s Day and Sakura season. Only in Japan!
A perfect, two minute pour!
We were about ready for a beer nap. We made our way back to our Korea town flat.
Vending Machines everywhere!
A peek into the Don Quixote. Stuff!
The Korean Street food in our neighborhood is more like what you’d expect at the Minnesota State Fair. In the late afternoon you’ll see eighty percent of the people on this street eating a Jongno.
Jongno Stand
Excuse me, ladies!
On the grill here is a Korean pancake.
We walked our snacks back to the room.
So this is Jongno. Cheese on a stick, rolled bread crumbs, potato bits, then Fried. Not done yet…it’s rolled in salted sugar then topped with ketchup and mustard. Holey Moley!
This soft pancake is filled with Korean Kimchee.
The verdict: Loved the pancake! It was superb! The Jongno was just too much. We only had one bite.
After our nap and some regrouping, we headed out on the town! Shinjuku to be precise.
Isn’t this just what you pictured?
Everything is big, bright and loud!
This isn’t the busiest crossing we’ll see.
Locals all headed home from work.
The Shinjuku district of Tokyo is a bustling, hectic, and very modern part of the city, however, only steps away, you can turn down Memory Lane. Sound romantic? Well, this is also known as “Piss Alley”.
Just around the corner…
Through the dark alleyway.
Piss Alley
Piss Alley started out as an illegal drinking quarter in the late 1940s, Due to the lack of restroom facilities, patrons would wander off and relieve themselves on the nearby train tracks, hence the name. In 1999, a fire destroyed the area and the whole maze needed to be rebuilt. Thankfully, it was completely replicated with the addition of bathrooms and other amenities. Someone in PR renamed it Memory lane, but the old moniker prevails!
Japanese “Salary Men” enjoying a post work beer.
This is a popular tourist attraction, however, it remain a respite for locals as well. As you walk through you see that some Izakaya will only have Japanese signage. This indicates that it’s for the locals.
No English here.
There are also Izakaya that caters more to tourists. We we lured into this one by our host. Pictures don’t really show how tiny these places are. It’s like a narrow walk-in closet. This place served Yakitori. Each skewer was about 200 yen or two dollars.
Platters of skewers are on the bar waiting to be grilled over hot coals.
Beef Yakitori.
We got some kimche on the side.
Grilled pork belly and green onion.
Things started to pile up.
He was a good salesman.
We strolled back to our cozy room.
Okay, one more beer at the pub. That’s a supposed shot of Jameson on the side. Look harder, its there.
So we made it around the city just fine! It was a busy first day and we are already smitten with this city! So much more to see ahead…