Our lovely hotel package came with a buffet breakfast, and since it’s a back-alley hotel that targets Japanese locals, they served mostly local Japanese cuisine. Food like gyoza, mackerel, miso soup and chicken curry being eaten for breakfast was really immersive:
The food was homemade, there was a chef behind the counter who made the food in big portions, it was more like a host family than a restaurant experience. The food was super good too, it tasted different from how it was made back home, and I enjoyed the Japanese touch to Western foods like the English sausage and scrambled eggs. There was natto there, which I tried for the first time. I do not enjoy it, it tasted and smelled like rubbing alcohol to me. It’s really unique though, how it’s made and how it’s served, the slimy texture can only be found on certain foods (not that that’s a bad thing). I tried a bit of everything, but ate a somewhat small portion to prepare my stomach for what’s coming next.
Heading out, I ventured out to Tsukiji Market a big fish market on the Hibiya Line (I got a one day Tokyo Metro pass, saves money) The Inner Market is closed to public, but walking the Outer Market was more than enough for me (and my tummy).
There were four main streets that sold all types of local food and snacks. The busy streets and loud store-owners made me feel much more comfortable on the streets and less like a tourist. Everyone was so kind, even with my incredibly broken Japanese. I ate tamagoyaki, cooked octopus, daifuku mochi and for lunch, a donburi bowl that served fresh sashimi and sea urchin.
Here’s a guy cutting some fish:
There were also some pretty incredible sightings on the streets:
After spending the morning with the fishes, I headed to Harajuku, the quirky vintage shopping area. I was really looking forward to this, I love how colourful it is, and from what I’ve seen, the fashion scene seemed spectacular.
I went to Laforet first. The department store had a variety of stores that each sold something different. There was a Sailor Moon store that sold overpriced merchandise:
I totally fell for it though. I spent my time oohing and awhing over my childhood dreams and ended up with a $30 pouch. There were stores that sold street fashion (baggy shirts, graphic tees, designer sweatpants), Lolita clothing, vintage clothing, etc. Accessories and makeup stores also targeted different people. The most interesting part to me though, were the people. They dressed in the most dramatic style, with parted pants, chains, baggy & sewn-together dresses, everyone had their own style and they were all comfortable in it. No one cared what other people thought of how they dressed or did their makeup. It was really inspiring to someone who has always been conscious of how I look to others. I shopped with more freedom, instead of choosing items on “is this trending?” and “how would others think if I wore this?” it was more of “do I feel comfortable in it” and “is it on sale”. In the end, I bought less than I usually would, as I was more meticulous on buying things I would actually like instead of things that others would.
I left Laforet and headed to Takeshita Street. It was so crowded that day, it was hard to walk. On the way, a band in a tour bus drove by and waved to the people. I have no idea who they are, but there were a lot of fans greeting them. They might have been world famous and now I can say I met a celebrities. As I entered Takeshita Street, a celebrity was exiting it. She was definitely some world famous star as she had paparazzi following her, she was greeting the fans face to face AND there was such a huge crowd following her. You can see the cameras on the edge:
The street was so long and filled with a variety of cheap stores. I definitely emptied my pockets here. I spent money on jewelry, clothing, miscellaneous items from Daiso, lots of snacks and a few pairs of chunky shoes. I was hoping to establish my own style here, and am pretty proud of my big haul. Also, new discovery: socks can make or break an outfit.
In the evening, after walking the whole street, I headed back to Kodemmacho (where our hotel is), and dropped off all my things in the hotel room. By this time, my feet and hands were sore and I was starving. On my itinerary, and on many other trips, it was recommended to go to the Kawaii Monster Restaurant, but I read many online reviews and just by passing it, I changed my mind. It was incredibly loud and the locals were telling me that it was a big waste of money. So I decided to fill my limpid, hollow log of a body with convenience store food instead, experiencing the life of a college student a year too early (affordable SHAD!) At the nearby FamilyMart, I bought a salmon onigiri and some pre-maid spaghetti and sausages. The noodles were microwaved for me and plastic utensils and a wet hand towel was provided as well, which is super nice.
In the comfort of the hotel room, I ate my dinner. The onigiri was so cool — there is a method to unwrapping the plastic. Basically, in order to keep the rice from making the seaweed moist and chewy, there is a plastic wrap separating the two layers. When it’s ready to eat, the middle is unwrapped first, and then the sides are pulled out to have a ‘fresh’ onigiri. After dinner, I took my sore body to bed and slept like a bear.
Here is my activity chart for the day:
Ivy In Japan 