I’m baaack!
And Japan was every bit as awesome (even more so) as I remembered/hoped it would be!
I was traveling for nearly 3 weeks, so naturally I have a boatload of pictures, a boatload of laundry, and more than just a little jet lag! I’m not gonna even tell you what time it is right now as I write this because in a few short hours when it posts I know I’m not gonna wanna be reminded I was still awake!
So grab a cup of tea (or in real Japanese fashion, a beer!) and check out my first week in Tokyo:
Armed with my plane ticket, passport, and a little light reading material I hopped on that very plane, and 11 short hours later was reunited with one of my best (and oldest) friends in the world, Nami!
And when I say old, I obviously mean our friendship (20 years!) Crazy right?
It was raining and Nami had to work for half the day, so I amused myself wandering around Harajuku/Shibuya and admiring umbrellas. At the first hint of rain all the stores put out umbrella bags and some restaurants even have umbrella lock-ups to keep your umbrella safe (and their floors dry) while you eat. This level of organization makes me giddy.
I decided to get out of the rain and amuse myself in Tokyu Hands for a while. I had a coffee in their super cute cafe surrounded by succulents and took advantage of the free wifi. Tokyu Hands is a 7 story behemoth “creative lifestyle” store which stocks everything from cute camping gear, to face wash, to washi tape. There are entire floors devoted to stationery, DIY, housewares, and pet accessories to name just a few categories. It’s heaven.
I spent the next day with Nami’s adorable parents eating unagi (eel) at Oedo, a restaurant that serves only unagi. We also ate gelato and sakura mochi in our travels. It was a delicious day.
And just in case you want to see how unagi is served at an unagi restaurant:
It sits pretty on a bed of rice in a little laquer box! Disclaimer: I may or may not already have a mouthful of unagi at this point!
Saturday was my BIG eating day and Sukiyabashi Jiro did not disappoint! It was by far the best sushi (not to mention some of the best food) I’ve ever eaten, and of course I discovered new favorites! The experience merits it’s own post, but for now the edible art you’re looking at is chutoro and kuruma ebi. And it was amazing.
After lunch we did some shopping in Ginza (how crazy is it that they close the streets to cars on weekends?) and had coffee/dessert at La Duree. Yep- sushi followed by macarons pretty much makes this my favorite food day EVER. And how pretty are those strawberry desserts?
On Sunday we went on a little road trip to Chiba to go Strawberry Picking! Along the way we stopped and ate ice-cream at the cleanest rest-stop I’ve ever laid eyes on, visited the Pacific, and happened upon an awesome Taiko performance. We finished the night off at a local izakaya with lots of delicious small plates (sashimi, tempura, croquettes, french fries, yakitori, etc..) and lots of beer.
And that was my first week in Tokyo!
Just let me know if you have questions or want to know more about anything specific, otherwise I’ll just continue recapping week by week, with longer posts dedicated only to those experiences I found extra bonkers amazing!
Sukiyabashi Jiro! Calico Cat Cafe! Nikko! Tokyu Hands! I’m looking at you!
Another big thank you to all our guest posters who kept you company while I was away!
I’m so happy to be back and excited to share more of my trip with you guys!
It’s been forever…
What have you been up to?
