Visiting Japan - massive pics ahead!

[Kostas]

Beautiful seiko , love it ;)

[jw0n]

Heading off from Hakone/Gora, we headed for Lake Kawaguchiko and several other vantage points to view Mt Fuji. Unfortunately, it was a very grey day, and she was hidden in the clouds. On the flip side; driving through a random town, we spotted several sakura trees in full bloom. While the Sakura season had started early in Tokyo, here in the outskirts where it was much colder, the flowers seemed to still be on their trees. Naturally, we stopped by to take some pictures:





Mt Fuji? Expectation versus Reality:



Through the mountain passes, I spotted several cars for rent. I really wanted to give it a go, but the expensive rental prices, plus slightly damp morning made me decide not to.







Driving back to Tokyo, keeping to the speed limits was quite a chore. Usually, when I drive in a foreign country, I try my best to adhere to the limits. However, 90km/h on the highway is no easy feat; so I do the next best thing... follow the locals who "should" know where the cameras are... right?

[jw0n]

Don't know where there was a double post!

Anyway... back in Tokyo and back to our Airbnb. It is located in Waseda; a quiet town populated by many students as there is a local university there. The good thing is that our room is a 10 min walk to the station, and given the large student population, food can easily be found even late at night! Here's a view from our bedroom:





Back in Tokyo, so you can imagine more queuing for food already, heheh. And some more random pics:

Katsu Beef:


Bic Camera:


Ginza:


Roppongi Hills:


Shibuya:


Shinjuku:




Parking in Japan, making good use of space:

[jw0n]

For the gents waiting for pics of cars... Tokyo is home to many fantasies.













And perhaps one of the most exotic dealerships in Tokyo is Bingo Sports. Can you name them all?

[Andad]

Nice pix Won.

Thanks for the tour so far.

[RW16610]

Wow, they just keep getting better!! Looks like one heck of a good day you had there

[Gaijin]

Gotta love Japan.


Great pics Won!

[Vishy26]

Nice pics

[jw0n]

Ok -- now on to the food.

First stop, Nakajima in Shinjuku. It is difficult to spot this place as the restaurant goes below ground, but follow the queue and you won't miss it. This is one of the cheapest Michelin starred restaurants in Tokyo, with sardines as the hero ingredient. Sadly, I cannot appreciate this as my exposure to sardines only extends to the ones that come from inside a can.

The food isn't bad; for about ¥900, it is difficult to complain. One of the cheaper meals we've had in Tokyo. We queued for an hour, so you want to go earlier for lunch; especially since they can run out of certain popular dishes. We wanted to try the hot plate with sardines and egg, but was sold out. Worth a try in my opinion. Psst.. you can request for a second bowl of rice, at no additional cost.

[jw0n]

For ramen, we were only able to visit Ichiran in Shibuya. Do note that there are several outlets, some that I have heard have much shorter queues. We waited an hour in line, and then you place your order via vending machine. Put your money in first, then push press your orders on the machine, then wait to get seated.

Once you get seated, a little trap door ahead of you opens up and you see a pair of hands; pass your order to the chef and your food gets prepped and delivered to you. You don't get to see much; other guests are separated into their respective makeshift booths... I guess they want you to focus on the food.

Broth is on the heavy side, but that is to my liking. You even get the choose the spiciness level -- which really is just how much chilli powder. I'm Southeast Asian, so I went for MAX level; it was slightly spicy for me. Expect to pay about ¥1,500 for a bowl of noodles. You can later add additional noodles, at a separate charge.

Definitely must-go. But then there are so many fantastic ramen joints which I did not manage to try... sadness.

[jw0n]

Omu rice at You, Ginza. Basically, omelette rice; fluffly omelette on top of fried rice. And ketchup on top of it all.

When we were there for dinner, no queue at all.

Look, I love my rice and I love eggs. But for ¥1,500 for omu rice plus choice of coffee or tea, this is more than a little underwhelming. They have other food on the menu as well, but this is their signature dish! Walking out, we felt a little bit hungry as the portions are rather small.

Novelty experience, and I would pass.

[jw0n]

Let's move on to Udon - Shin Udon in Shibuya. Best udon noodles I've had in my entire life, and also one of the best meals I had in Tokyo. Oh, also the longest I've ever been made to wait for food.

Again, try to go early if you can. We arrived at 9:15pm and were only seated by 10:50pm. Although their business says they close at 12am, kitchen takes last order at 11pm. But don't worry if you're already in line, as they will still cook for you! They also ran out of beef udon, but not really a problem as the hero in this udon joint... is really their udon.

Shin Udon is a small restaurant that seats 10 or 12 pax, and each bowl is made to order, hence why they are slow. If you are a customer, stop having a conversation and move along; there are others out there waiting in line! To make things worse; as we were waiting in line, it started to drizzle. Luckily, there is a 7-Eleven around the corner; good for getting a hot coffee (to keep the hands warm).

When you order your noodles, you have the option to order extra noodles (cooked and served together with your order). No extra charge, and I went for it (because after an almost 2 hour wait, I thought I should maximize my udon intake!) but the portions are larger than almost any other udon outlet. Tempura isn't bad too; slightly under seasoned, but fresh ingredients and goes well with the udon broth (should you order the udon with broth, that is).

Just so you know, that queue (in my picture) isn't all there is; it extends further to the left. Separated, so as not to disrupt the businesses on the sides of Shin Udon.

[ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ{Adventure!)]

Amazing pictures and thanks for sharing so many details and tips!

I go to Japan about once a year and just got back from a Tokyo with my wife on our honeymoon.

I’m a firm believer that the best French toast in the world comes from Cafe Aaliya (sp?) in Shinjuku.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SearChart]

What a beautiful country, thanks for the pictures Won

[RobearH]

Awesome...I could look at pics of Japanese food and exotic cars all day. "AGERA RS WOW"

Japan is tops on my bucket list!