Day 3: Tokyo (Shibuya, Roppongi)

Ooooops, I forgot I was suppose to keep blogging about my trip. I got lazy, and I didn't really think people want to bother with reading my boring blog. So I kind of forgot about it. Anyways, we took alot of photos during the trip but I can't possibly talk about every single one of them. Maybe I'll try to find time and post some on my facebook page. I have to stop being so lazy.

Shibuya - "overwhelming" is the word I'd use to describe the place. It's packed with people, you often feel claustrophobic (sp?). But the food and shopping is great. We actually didn't buy much during our stay in Tokyo, but we really enjoyed alot of the window shopping. Shibuya is filled with brand named shops as well as many local, hidden treasures. When I did my travel research, I basically pinpoint the major areas one must visit on the area map. We'd try to hit all the major areas and then we'd be adventurous and wander off. We figured that as long as we could find our way back to the subway station, we're good. It was really fun to wander off to all these small, hidden shops and eateries!

We've arrived Shibuya! Thank you to the cute school girl who took this picture for us. She bowed 10 times after I thanked her. o_O


We didn't know there was a Bape store in Shibuya... apparently it was just opened in late Fall of 2007. The store entrance had a huge glass conveyor(?) belt that you walk on as you step into the store, and all their collector shoes on the belt would run under your feet. We also listened to alot of NERD (Yea!), Pharrell and Teriyaki Boyz in the store. It was awesome. Woo.

Mr.C likes his Bapes.


After many hours on our feet at Shibuya, we had to stop for lunch. Best sashimi I've had yet, and it wasn't expensive (that says alot, because I'm cheap haha). As a matter of fact, I don't think "crappy" sashimi... or any crappy food in general, exist in Japan. The Japanese take pride in the food they make and the service they provide.


Shibuya Station (Koen-Dori exit) - this is the busiest station in Japan! I wasn't able to capture how "busy" the station is. I think I snapped this just after the crosswalk light turned red... most people already crossed the street. Imagine 5x the crowd in the picture. Oh my goat.


Shibuya was really fun, and we didn't want to leave. But, we had to get going because there was just far too many places we had to visit during our short stay in Tokyo. We left Shibuya around 4pm and got to Roppongi.

Tokyo Midtown! Crazy architecture both inside and outside. It has business towers, shopping district, convention centres. I wish I knew how to use the camera better (it was a borrowed camera) so I could capture the architecture better. Some of the shots turned out crappy because I had the wrong setting and my hands were shaking alot due to the strong winds that day/night. Oh man, was it cold ever.




Inside Tokyo Midtown - we really loved the modern architecture and lighting in there:


We then walked for 20 mins to Roppongi Hills!

Mori Tower @ Roppongi Hills (sorry for the blur).


Highlight of the evening - We went up to Tokyo City View on the 52nd Floor of Mori Tower!
"Tokyo City View offers 250 meters above sea level, offering 360-degree vistas of the bustling metropolis."


We sat on this really neat cushioned sofa while we enjoyed the night view. When you sit on it the light in the sofa turns on and glows.


After the Tokyo City View, we were starving (it was already 9pm or something). We walked around Roppongi not knowing what and where to eat... and we decided to just pick a place and give it a try. We walked into this small little shop about a block away from Don Quixote (by the way, this was a really weird 24/7 store that sells ANYTHING you can think of). None of the staff spoke English and their menu was basically filled with handwritten Japanese. !!! I think after a few minutes, someone who looked like the owner came out and half mumbled something like "What you like eat?". We said we didn't know and asked him to suggest something. He said "I bring you us signaturk deeeshes ok". Woah. We had no idea what to expect. I was going to say Katsu Don but I felt stupid ordering that in a local shop.

The prices on the menu didn't look so bad, so we told him we're very hungry and we'll try their best food. This is what they served us.... and they definitely wow-ed us!

I couldn't make out half of what the owner told us, but from what I gathered this is a Hokkaido style udon. Those two brown things.... I thought they were meat so I gave one to Mr.C to try, he popped the whole thing into his mouth and almost spat it out. It was a sour plum. Eeeeeks.

Dang, it was good.


Mr.C had the curry udon - Kyoto style. This was apparently the shop's signature dish... because the owner kept saying "good" and "best" and I saw our neighbours all eating the same udon. The curry soup was so flavorful and the freshly made udon noodles were so good. If you eat this, beware... as you are very likely to dirty your clothes.


The staff give all customers a bib when their food arrive. It was a great idea.


We also shared some chicken karage.... it's nothing like what we have here in Vancouver.


We didn't know what to expect when we walked into this place, but we were so happy after the meal. It was a hidden treasure in Roppongi indeed! (Sorry, I don't know what this place is called... it was all written in Japanese). But, if you ask me directions on how to get there, I'd be able to tell you! :D

Hmmm, blogging is very tiring. I'll try to blog about our last day in Tokyo... soon. Hopefully not in 2 weeks' time.

Oh aaaaand, I got myself a new digital camera! We never owned one (I either borrow my parents' old camera, or my bro's gf's camera during the trip). My brother researched and found a good camera for a pretty good price (a price that I can afford). So after I read the 300-page manual, I'd get to play with it. I hope it takes better macro pictures, then I can blog about food again after all this blabberings about our trip because.... I'm starting to run out of things to talk about.