We found a great local place today for gyoza and fried rice. After eating, we visited Yanaka Cemetery. It was really beautiful, and great weather. We wandered around for a while and visited the grave of Yoshinobu Tokugawa, who was a major force in the Meiji Restoration.
Afterward, we went to Tokyo Sky Tree... only to discover that it was swamped with tourists. We got there around 3:30 pm, but would have had to wait four hours just to buy a ticket to go up. Not worth it. We took some pictures from outside, but I think we'll wait for another trip to actually go up it. We'll do TMG or Sunshine City for an observation tower this trip.
On the way home, we picked up lots of gyoza and more fried rice for dinner. Yum!
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Monday, New Year's Eve
After a quiet day spent inside, we spent Monday all over Tokyo.
We started off in Ginza with a short walk to the Tokyo International Forum... except we got distracted on the way by the Ginza branch of Tokyu Hands, Ginza Hands. After spending an hour or two shopping, we finally made it over to the Tokyo International Forum, which looks like a glass ship "plying the urban waters." ( http://www.zstudioarchitects.com/Int_8.htm ) We had a lovely lunch inside the forum - Christopher tried omuraiso (omelette rice), but wasn't wild about it. I had katsu-don and amazing miso soup.
We then checked out the symphony performance of Final Fantasy that was supposed to happen later that evening and dithered about whether to buy tickets. We eventually decided they were too expensive, so we moved on to...
Yasukuni-jinja. Yasukuni-jinja is a Japanese war shrine, venerating soldiers and others who have died in wars. It has a super notorious reputation. Every time Japan has a new prime minister, people wait to see if he will visit Yasukuni. Visiting it angers Koreans and Chinese. There's some really questionable stuff at Yasukuni, and there's regular demands for it to be torn down. However, when we went it was decked out for the New Year. The path to the shrine was full of stalls selling goldfish and a lot of food. After visiting the shrine, we went home, stopping by a stall to get some yakisoba, takoyaki, and kebab. The yakisoba was really good, Christopher seemed happy with the kebab, and the takoyaki smelled so fishy I couldn't eat it. Christopher had a bite and we threw the rest away. Sorry to the octopus who gave his life for it!
We went back to the hotel and watched some hysterical Japanese tv. I headed out around 9:30 for Meiji-jingu to bring in the New Year. Christopher doesn't like crowds and didn't feel up to it.
Honestly, it was kind of a crummy experience. Crowded, freezing, and I would have had a better view of the ceremony on tv at the hotel. We were down a footpath with a screen at the end of it that I couldn't see (if you weren't in the front group or really tall, it was lost on you). Also, the Japanese people talked through the ceremony - louder during it to talk over it. Again, would have been better on tv. All in all, I stood around waiting for three hours to spend a minute or two doing New Year's stuff at the shrine. Not an effective use of time. This might be a neat experience if you live in Japan and have a group to go with and hang out with during all the waiting, but this was not good for a tourist.
I got done at the shrine and back to the train station at 1:30 in the morning. It took an hour and a half to go back to the hotel, a trip that normally takes 30 minutes - the trains simply weren't running very often.
Oh well, if I hadn't gone, I wouldn't know to skip it in the future!
We started off in Ginza with a short walk to the Tokyo International Forum... except we got distracted on the way by the Ginza branch of Tokyu Hands, Ginza Hands. After spending an hour or two shopping, we finally made it over to the Tokyo International Forum, which looks like a glass ship "plying the urban waters." ( http://www.zstudioarchitects.com/Int_8.htm ) We had a lovely lunch inside the forum - Christopher tried omuraiso (omelette rice), but wasn't wild about it. I had katsu-don and amazing miso soup.
We then checked out the symphony performance of Final Fantasy that was supposed to happen later that evening and dithered about whether to buy tickets. We eventually decided they were too expensive, so we moved on to...
Yasukuni-jinja. Yasukuni-jinja is a Japanese war shrine, venerating soldiers and others who have died in wars. It has a super notorious reputation. Every time Japan has a new prime minister, people wait to see if he will visit Yasukuni. Visiting it angers Koreans and Chinese. There's some really questionable stuff at Yasukuni, and there's regular demands for it to be torn down. However, when we went it was decked out for the New Year. The path to the shrine was full of stalls selling goldfish and a lot of food. After visiting the shrine, we went home, stopping by a stall to get some yakisoba, takoyaki, and kebab. The yakisoba was really good, Christopher seemed happy with the kebab, and the takoyaki smelled so fishy I couldn't eat it. Christopher had a bite and we threw the rest away. Sorry to the octopus who gave his life for it!
We went back to the hotel and watched some hysterical Japanese tv. I headed out around 9:30 for Meiji-jingu to bring in the New Year. Christopher doesn't like crowds and didn't feel up to it.
Honestly, it was kind of a crummy experience. Crowded, freezing, and I would have had a better view of the ceremony on tv at the hotel. We were down a footpath with a screen at the end of it that I couldn't see (if you weren't in the front group or really tall, it was lost on you). Also, the Japanese people talked through the ceremony - louder during it to talk over it. Again, would have been better on tv. All in all, I stood around waiting for three hours to spend a minute or two doing New Year's stuff at the shrine. Not an effective use of time. This might be a neat experience if you live in Japan and have a group to go with and hang out with during all the waiting, but this was not good for a tourist.
I got done at the shrine and back to the train station at 1:30 in the morning. It took an hour and a half to go back to the hotel, a trip that normally takes 30 minutes - the trains simply weren't running very often.
Oh well, if I hadn't gone, I wouldn't know to skip it in the future!
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Saturday
Christopher woke up feeling sick today, so we tried to keep things a little less active. We went to the pharmacy and bought medicine and a face mask (he feels like he fits in better now). Then we wandered around Ningyocho/Nihombashi for a couple hours. Happened across a tasty-looking and *really* cheap local joint; we plan on going back for food tomorrow. Found a playground complete with playing children and reflexology path.
Speaking of playing children, I would note that Japan gets fatter every time I visit. Five years ago, I noticed only one fat Japanese person the whole trip. Three years ago, I noticed a handful. This trip, I've seen dozens. I suspect our American diet, which is quite popular in Japan (McDonald's, KFC, Wendy's, Burger King, Denny's) is starting to have an impact on some Japanese waistlines. :(
This evening, we decided to go to Freshness Burger for dinner. It's nearby, but not next door like Yoshinoya. We walked there to discover that they had closed early (they'll be closing early every day this week for the New Year's holiday - except the 1st and 2nd, when they're closed. The Yoshinoya is closed until January 5). So we decided to go one train stop further to Akihabara.
While Ningyocho was completely deserted, Akihabara was packed! We went ahead and did some shopping at Book-Off and Hobby-Off. I got some really cheap cds (T.M. Revolution, BOA, Ayumi Hamasaki) and some cheap games for my Japanese PSP. Christopher scored the entire Final Fantasy series I-VI (although I and II are a compilation that was released in 1994 - still pretty cool). I found an Auntie Anne's! Yay!
We finished off the night by riding the Yamanote line around Tokyo. Christopher told me he was up for it. At Shinjuku, the train filled up. Between me squishing him on one side, someone else squishing him on the other, and the train warming up, Christopher soon drifted off to sleep. I enjoyed the second half of the loop though!
Speaking of playing children, I would note that Japan gets fatter every time I visit. Five years ago, I noticed only one fat Japanese person the whole trip. Three years ago, I noticed a handful. This trip, I've seen dozens. I suspect our American diet, which is quite popular in Japan (McDonald's, KFC, Wendy's, Burger King, Denny's) is starting to have an impact on some Japanese waistlines. :(
This evening, we decided to go to Freshness Burger for dinner. It's nearby, but not next door like Yoshinoya. We walked there to discover that they had closed early (they'll be closing early every day this week for the New Year's holiday - except the 1st and 2nd, when they're closed. The Yoshinoya is closed until January 5). So we decided to go one train stop further to Akihabara.
While Ningyocho was completely deserted, Akihabara was packed! We went ahead and did some shopping at Book-Off and Hobby-Off. I got some really cheap cds (T.M. Revolution, BOA, Ayumi Hamasaki) and some cheap games for my Japanese PSP. Christopher scored the entire Final Fantasy series I-VI (although I and II are a compilation that was released in 1994 - still pretty cool). I found an Auntie Anne's! Yay!
We finished off the night by riding the Yamanote line around Tokyo. Christopher told me he was up for it. At Shinjuku, the train filled up. Between me squishing him on one side, someone else squishing him on the other, and the train warming up, Christopher soon drifted off to sleep. I enjoyed the second half of the loop though!
Saturday, December 29, 2012
We spent Thursday tooling around Ginza. The Swarovski store has a BEAUTIFUL storefront. Our spending was relatively in control! I picked up an adorable stuffed animal, a bento box, and some stationary (not much, really!). We had dinner at Yabaton, a tonkatsu restaurant that specializes in miso-katsu. OM NOM NOM.
Friday, we got up at 5 am. I tooled around the hotel room while Christopher checked out Tsukiji, the world's largest fish market. He had the best sushi of his life at Daiwa Sushi before heading back to the hotel... where he took a nap! >_<
After Christopher's nap, we headed up to Sensoji, the large Buddhist temple in Asakusa, which was packed. We ate fresh dango and drank some sort of hot drink at the dango stand. No idea what it was, but it was tasty. I managed to find ice cream at one of the shops - chocolate and soybean twist. It was super tasty! We got separated for a bit going down Nakamise-dori, but eventually found each other. After visiting Sensoji, we walked east to the Sumida river and wandered up the bank to the Tokyo boat cruise dock.
We boarded a boat for Odaiba and spent an hour meandering down the Sumida river to the bay and Odaiba. We had pizza and pasta for dinner at Odaiba, gawked at overpriced movie tickets, had the best Burger King I've ever had (seriously), cooed at the dogs for sale at the mall (almost all of which cost at least two THOUSAND dollars), and then boarded a floating bar (http://jicoofloatingbar.com/main.html) for a 2.5 hour cruise around the bay. It was awesome! Live music, city lights, going under the rainbow bridge all lit up, good drinks...
A magical night for sure.
Friday, we got up at 5 am. I tooled around the hotel room while Christopher checked out Tsukiji, the world's largest fish market. He had the best sushi of his life at Daiwa Sushi before heading back to the hotel... where he took a nap! >_<
After Christopher's nap, we headed up to Sensoji, the large Buddhist temple in Asakusa, which was packed. We ate fresh dango and drank some sort of hot drink at the dango stand. No idea what it was, but it was tasty. I managed to find ice cream at one of the shops - chocolate and soybean twist. It was super tasty! We got separated for a bit going down Nakamise-dori, but eventually found each other. After visiting Sensoji, we walked east to the Sumida river and wandered up the bank to the Tokyo boat cruise dock.
We boarded a boat for Odaiba and spent an hour meandering down the Sumida river to the bay and Odaiba. We had pizza and pasta for dinner at Odaiba, gawked at overpriced movie tickets, had the best Burger King I've ever had (seriously), cooed at the dogs for sale at the mall (almost all of which cost at least two THOUSAND dollars), and then boarded a floating bar (http://jicoofloatingbar.com/main.html) for a 2.5 hour cruise around the bay. It was awesome! Live music, city lights, going under the rainbow bridge all lit up, good drinks...
A magical night for sure.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
We bought a lot of boardgames
 |
| Boardgame Haul - Day 2 |
- Dominion (Japanese Version)
- Dominion: Intrigue (Japanese Version)
- Dominion: Alchemy (Japanese Version)
- Dominion: Prosperity (Japanese Version)
- Dominion: Cornucopia (Japanese Version)
- Dominion: Hinterlands (Japanese Version)
- Dominion: Dark Ages (Japanese Version)
- Dominion: Base Cards (Japanese Version)
- Dominion Characters Vol 1: Nitroplus Card Masters Multi (Japanese Limited Edition)
- Dominion Maniacs: ZERO (Japanese Book) - High level Dominion strategy and theory
- Rokurigo (Japanese Boardgame)
- I'm going to eat! (Japanese Boardgame)
- Brain Battle (Japanese Boardgame)
- Shinkansen Playing Cards
- A Fistful of Penguins (Japanese Version)
- Word Basket (Japanese Boardgame)
- Linegame (Japanese Boardgame)
- Catan Dice Game (Japanese Version)
- Help Me! (Korean First Edition)
Dominion: Seaside seems to be pretty impossible to find in Japan. Tanto Cuore in Japanese is still a possibility, too. Let's see how we feel in a few days.
Akihabara - Day 2
We had convenience-store breakfast this morning. Christopher had a salmon onigiri and a roe sushi roll; I had a chicken/cheese/mayonnaise onigiri and inari-zushi. My chicken onigiri was AMAZING. Christopher was happy with his roe roll, but not wild about the salmon. We chatted with family before setting off on foot for Akihabara and board-game shopping.
We stopped first at Yodobashi Akiba, a huge electronics/other store in Akihabara. I bought stickers and a penguin 2013 planner for Christopher; he bought the other two volumes of the Final Fantasy 20th Edition books that I was missing from my collection. Then we headed to a restaurant in the building for lunch. I had a really nommy katsu-donburi bowl with cold soba noodles. Christopher had a little bit of everything that the restaurant had to offer.
Then we went to the board game/toys floor. We got the three Dominion games that they had, Shinkansen playing cards, and a Fistful of Penguins. Not too bad, right? This is like, we bought board games in Japan, but we controlled ourselves. This trend was not to continue.
Christopher picked up a few electronic bits and a lens cap for his camera while I mailed postcards. Then I had an amazing chocolate croissant while he learned about our options for temporary Japanese cell phones. But we didn't buy a cell phone or anything.
We marched off for other board game stores, directions courtesy of the fabulous +Adrienne Lipoma . We visited Yellow Submarine and Role and Roll, both on Chuo-dori.
We now own every Dominion item available in Japanese, save promos and Seaside, which seems to be sold out everywhere. We also own Help Me - the real Korean Engrish version, not the new and totally-not-as-cute version. We also own a handful of Japanese games that we have no idea how to play. It will be a project for me. Pictures (and maybe BGG entries? only one of these games appears to be on the Geek) will follow.
Christopher is fussing with his laptop, and I'm sure we'll head out for dinner soon.
We stopped first at Yodobashi Akiba, a huge electronics/other store in Akihabara. I bought stickers and a penguin 2013 planner for Christopher; he bought the other two volumes of the Final Fantasy 20th Edition books that I was missing from my collection. Then we headed to a restaurant in the building for lunch. I had a really nommy katsu-donburi bowl with cold soba noodles. Christopher had a little bit of everything that the restaurant had to offer.
Then we went to the board game/toys floor. We got the three Dominion games that they had, Shinkansen playing cards, and a Fistful of Penguins. Not too bad, right? This is like, we bought board games in Japan, but we controlled ourselves. This trend was not to continue.
Christopher picked up a few electronic bits and a lens cap for his camera while I mailed postcards. Then I had an amazing chocolate croissant while he learned about our options for temporary Japanese cell phones. But we didn't buy a cell phone or anything.
We marched off for other board game stores, directions courtesy of the fabulous +Adrienne Lipoma . We visited Yellow Submarine and Role and Roll, both on Chuo-dori.
We now own every Dominion item available in Japanese, save promos and Seaside, which seems to be sold out everywhere. We also own Help Me - the real Korean Engrish version, not the new and totally-not-as-cute version. We also own a handful of Japanese games that we have no idea how to play. It will be a project for me. Pictures (and maybe BGG entries? only one of these games appears to be on the Geek) will follow.
Christopher is fussing with his laptop, and I'm sure we'll head out for dinner soon.
Trip and Arrival!
I haven't actually read Christopher's post, so a lot of this might be repeat information. Our flight here was relatively uneventful and wonderfully empty. We were upgraded to EconomyPlus for free, which put us at the very front of economy - great, since I made us get up to walk around about every hour (no blood clots for us!). I forced Christopher to play two-player Time's Up repeatedly. After landing, we got our luggage and went through customs and what-not. Then we found a Citibank ATM (great, since we would pay foreign transaction fees otherwise) and pulled out some cash. Necessary, since - despite what Citibank in Dallas thinks - even Tokyo is still a very cash-based society. The bankers at Citibank could not understand why I was concerned about how to get cash in Tokyo. "It's Tokyo, everyone takes credit cards." Understandable assumption, but oh so wrong.
After several train rides, we arrived at Ningyocho station and made our way up to the street level. Just so you know, street level was like four flights up and we were carrying our luggage. *huff puff huff puff* We then made an educated guess about which direction to walk and arrived at our hotel with no turning around.
The hotel room is... very, very small. The bed is as hard as a rock. Sorry, that's an exaggeration. The bed is as hard as a rock with a blanket on top of it.
After checking in, we ate dinner at Yoshinoya. So good and so cheap! We then visited two kombini (7-11 and FamilyMart) and a grocery store, so we would have breakfast for the morning. We went to bed around 10 pm Tokyo time. I woke up at 1:30 (8:30 am Seattle, 10:30 am Dallas), 2:30, and got up at 4:40. My brain really wanted me to get up at 1:30 am (HELLO, it's TEN-THIRTY in the morning, it said), but I slept as long as I could.
I got Christopher up at 5:00 am. Y'know, so we could go see the fish market (Tsukiji) early in the morning. Then at 5:30, I checked to make sure Tsukiji is open today. It's not! Christopher was very unhappy.
I've already managed to buy adorable postcards, so make sure to let us know if you want postcards!
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