Spring 2023 (3/24 - 4/8)

Day 1- LAX to HND

Landed on time. Flight was smooth, but uncomfortable. Coach is the worst. Definitely need to book future flights much further ahead of time and get that sweet Premium Economy. As my friend and I made our way through the long hallways, we saw employees holding signs to show the appropriate QR codes on Visit Japan Web. Once we made it to the customs and security section, it was quick and easy. Just a passport scan and QR code check and it was off to baggage claim. Next was to pick up the pocket wifi at the JAL ABC Counter on the far right in the arrival lobby. There was a bit of a line, but I breathed a sigh of relief once we both had the device in hand and got wifi access. After, we headed to the left side of the arrival lobby for currency exchange. We both budgeted about 1.5k for the 16 day trip. We also were going to grab a Suica IC card for my friend, but decided to skip that for later. Next on the checklist was to redeem our JR vouchers. We saw a long queue at the JR East Travel Center and sighed as we lined up. However, an employee came up to us and suggested we consider activating the pass at another station if we weren't going to activate the pass today to save some time. My friend and I both looked at each other and agreed that that would be the best move. I definitely was eager to get to the hotel to unpack and unwind after the long flight.

While I considered taking the monorail and two trains to the hotel as it was the most cost efficient, we were both pretty tired from the long haul flight and opted to take a taxi directly despite the higher cost of around 9000Y. We saw signs for taxis located on 1F. Surprisingly, there was a taxi parked and just waiting at the taxi stand and it almost seemed like it was meant for us. Fortunately, our hotel, Tokyo Dome Hotel is pretty well known and the taxi driver knew exactly where it was. But, unfortunately, we hit the Friday evening rush hour traffic in the rain and so it took almost an hour to get to our hotel, when it would regularly take maybe 20-30 minutes.

Once we arrived at the hotel, we checked in and relaxed for a bit. We asked the concierge about booking baseball tickets, but just got told to go to the ticket office in the AM. My friend instead was able to book tickets online and we were given QR code tickets. Afterwards, we headed out to get my friend a Pasmo IC card and headed off to a nearby Ippudo ramen chain for dinner. The ramen wasn't the greatest, but I wasn't expecting much as it is a chain ramen shop. We also ordered some gyoza, which were decent. Still, it was good to get a warm meal during the heavy rain. Afterwards, we stopped by a Don Quijote in Ginza to grab some essentials. I would liken DQ to like a Target as it has a lot of stuff including souvenirs. I ended up grabbing some protein powder to supplement as a breakfast shake during the time we were in Japan. The lines were long and packed with tourists buying cartfuls of souvenirs and trinkets. The wait definitely drained both of our energy levels and we were pretty much done after that. The rainy walk back to the hotel was also rough physically and mentally. 

As we rested up at the hotel, my brother had messaged me about his friend throwing a party that night, but we declined and decided to take it easy the first night in Tokyo. Not a very eventful first night, but we definitely needed to rest up for the rest of the trip that was yet to come.

Day 2- Akihabara & Ginza

Slept through the night, but still woke up early. Unfortunately my friend had worse jet lag and periodically woke up during the night. Another rainy day. Ugh. I shook off the negativity and we both decided to check out a nearby conbini for some breakfast consisting of Famichiki, egg sandos, and onigiris. Definitely hit the spot. Afterwards, we hopped on the train and headed off to Akihabara to check out all the shops there. After perusing all the various shops there, we headed to Gyukatsu Motomura for lunch. Oiishi katta (It was delicious) for sure. Definitely a must try if you're in Japan. It's basically breaded beef cutlet, which you can grill yourself on a hot stone top.

After that energizing lunch, we headed off to Ginza and checked out the various shops in the area including DSM, Ginza Six, and Uniqlo. We then made our way to Tokyo Station to the JR East Travel Center to exchange our 1 week JR pass vouchers to activate from 3/30 through 4/5. We then headed back to the hotel to relax before our reserved sukiyaki dinner in Ginza at Ningyocho Imahan at 5:30pm.

Getting there was a bit of a journey through the rain, but we managed to find it and arrived about 30 minutes early. Thankfully the manager was kind and was able to seat us early. The sukiyaki experience was held in a private room and we had a very kind hostess doing all the cooking for us tableside. The beef quality was top notch and definitely wagyu. While the food quality, aesthetics, and cooking were impeccable, there wasn't much food. Still it was worth the experience and perhaps worth reserving a larger portion next time. 

After dinner, we checked out the Nakameguro area to check out the illuminated cherry blossoms. It was quite crowded as expected, but it was nice seeing the cherry blossoms in mankai (full bloom). The rain had subsided somewhat, which was a relief. Still expecting tomorrow to be rainy as well. Hoping it dries up soon.

Day 3- Giants vs Eagles

It's time for Giants Baseball !!! In the morning, we did our usual conbini run for breakfast. Today's game was the Yomiuri Giants vs Rakuten Eagles. It was nice that the Tokyo Dome was adjacent to our hotel and so we only had to walk a few meters to the venue itself. We got there about an hour early and checked out the nearby merch shops and purchased some branded clothing and souvenirs. It was a rainy morning, but I was thankful that the venue i completely indoors. We were able to get through the ticket turnstiles and got to our seats early. I ended up buying some yakisoba while my friend got himself some curry rice. My yakisoba was a bit dry and under seasoned, but my expectations weren't' very high to start with. Once the game began, it was fun seeing how each athlete had their own walk-out theme song and chant. You could hear the Giants section singing, cheering, and beating taiko drums as each player made their way to the plate with bat in hand. Each inning was full of entertainment including cheerleaders, dancers, and even a full marching band. There even was a funny firefighter mascot with a red suit and blue helmet, which apparently threw the opening pitch pretty well as reported by my friend.

We also saw various "beer girls" and other girls selling various foods/drinks wearing little mini keg backpacks while running up and down the stairways. We grabbed two beers and enjoyed the rest of the game, which the Giants ended up winning. At one point in the game, a foul ball came pretty close to where we were sitting and landed on the stairs to the left of us just a few seats away. It was amusing to see signs flashing "Caution!" when foul balls went into the stands and employees would come by to check on the crowd to check that nobody got injured. We stayed until the 7th inning or so and then headed out to avoid the exit crowd. I decided that I needed to upgrade my rain gear and so we headed off to North Face Kanda, where I bought myself a Goretex jacket. 

Afterwards, I was craving some sushi and so we headed off to the nearest Sushiro in Kagurazaka. The wait was quite long, but I managed to figure out how the system worked. There's a ticket machine at the entrance where you can indicate party size, table vs counter preference, and you receive a ticket with a number. Simply wait your turn and keep an eye on the large tv monitor for your number to come up. Once it's your turn, you simply scan the QR code on the ticket and then receive a table number ticket in return. Be sure to grab some oshibori (wet towel) before heading to your table. Sushiro is one of the biggest kaitezushi chains in Japan with decent quality sushi. I ended up having my fair share of nigiri, maguro set, and chawanmushi. Defintely recommend the chawanmushi. Unfortunately, my friend wasn't the biggest fan of seafood, but still managed to enjoy some yellowtail nigiri and other dishes.

After dinner, we took a train and walked through the rain soaked streets of Ginza toward Tokyo station to reserve our shinkansen tickets for tomorrow (Tokyo Station to Odawara Station) as we had a ryokan stay planned in Hakone. We saw some random "art" on the way. Unfortunately, we could not reserve tickets in advance and so had to come back tomorrow morning. We hung out at the hotel afterwards and packed for our trip tomorrow.

Day 4- Hakone 

For breakfast, we had some leftover conbini food and then headed off to Tokyo station. Since our JR passes were inactive for the time being, we paid out of pocket for the shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Odawara Station. We grabbed some ekiben for the shinkansen ride. 35 minute travel time. Once we arrived at Odawara Station, we decided to skip the Hakone Free Pass as we may not have time to do all the sightseeing as we only had a one night stay. From Odawara station, we took the Hakonetozan Line and transferred back on another line. It was interesting to see that the Hakonetozan Line was a switchback train that had to backtrack at certain spots in a zig-zag like pattern in order to make it up the steep mountain. The train even had some announcements that explained some interesting trivia about the train, how old the tunnels were, and how the train sprays water on its wheels to reduce friction and wear. The only downside was that both trains were quite crowded with tourists and it was mostly standing room as there weren't many seats on the small train. Nevertheless, the ride was enjoyable as we gazed through the windows at the scenery of Hakone.

Once we arrived at our stop at Kowakidani Station, we saw a shuttle bus leave shortly after we arrived. Bummer. We decided to make the short but steep trek up the windy roads toward our ryokan for the night, Hakone Kowakudani Onsen Mizunoto (aka Mizunoto). We were a few hours early and so we had the ryokan hold our luggage while we walked through the small local neighborhood. I remembered a foot bath was nearby and so we made our way to Hakonenomori Footbath. It seems to be private footbath that is located in a backyard run by an elderly man. The fee was only 200Y to use the footbath. The elderly man was also kind enough to offer us towels to use to dry our feet afterwards. The footbath was a bit lukewarm, but still very relaxing and therapeutic for both of our tired feet. It was nice as we enjoyed the footbath as we were the only ones there the entire time. After enjoying the foot bath for 10-15 minutes, we dried our feet and headed off to the Hakone Open Air Museum nearby. Entrance fee was 1600Y per person. It was nice to take a casual stroll through the museum grounds and seeing the various sculptures and art installations. My favorite definitely had to be the well-known stained glass tower. After perusing most of the museum, we stopped by a cafe located within the museum grounds for some refreshments and dessert. 

After the museum, we started heading back, but stopped by the nearby 7-11 to grab some snacks and beers. Once we were back at the ryokan, we were able to check in and settle in. Our room was quite nice and had the traditional ryokan feel, but with Western beds. The cherry on top was the private en suite onsen bath on our patio, which overlooked the forest. I enjoyed a nice bath and beer before dinner later in the evening. In addition to our private en suite bath, Mizunoto ryokan had about 3 to 4 private baths, which you could reserve and a few public ones as well. The ryokan also gave you a handy little sheet explaining how to use the private onsens. After settling in and changing into the provided yukatas, we made our way to the dining room area and handed our dinner voucher. The dining room itself was quite nice and traditionally designed. We both opted for the 'hot pot' dinner course, which was quite good except for the beef, which was quite tough and a bit overcooked. Still, the rest of the meal was quite tasty and visually stunning. 

After the mostly satisfying meal, we walked around the ryokan grounds and explored around the private onsen area. We then settled in for a bit and I took another bath before we stopped by the gift shop for some snacks and souvenirs. We also tried to reserve a taxi for early tomorrow morning to take us to Hakone Shrine and the torii gate, but sadly failed as it was quite far and too early for the taxi companies. So we just rested up and later in the evening around 10:30pm, we headed off to another dining room area to score some free ramen that the ryokan was giving out. Definitely gotta enjoy the free perks. The ramen was simple, but quite tasty. After the enjoyable late night meal, we retired for the evening in preparation for tomorrows early start to reach Hakone shrine.

Day 6- Cherry Blossom Celebration

Finally going to see some sakura. We headed off to Shinjuku Gyoen in the morning to check out the cherry blossoms while also meeting up with a friend of a friend. Apparently my friend's friend was planning on proposing to his long term girlfriend under the cherry blossoms and he wanted us to be present as witnesses as well as to document the event. We met them both up as the park gradually opened and flooded with tourists. We took a stroll around the park that was lined with sakura trees in full bloom and came across a spot that was densely packed with sakura trees. We pretended to take pics of the couple as we began recording. It was nice to witness the successful proposal amongst the sakura trees. We congratulated him on the proposal and continued to stroll through the park and enjoy the sights.

Afterwards, we headed off to a curry restaurant called 'Curry Up', which is owned by NIGO, who is well known for brands such as BAPE and Human Made. I ended up getting the butter chicken and spicy beef curry. While it wasn't Japanese food, I could appreciate the taste of the Indian style curry. Still, I would have preferred Japanese food, haha. After the meal, we parted ways from the newly engaged couple and decided to check out Harajuku, Shibuya, and Omotesando. We hit up shops including Tokyo 23, Rinkan, Shibuya Loft, and Miyashita Park. We also took in some views including the mirrored escalator of Tokyo Plaza in Omotesando, Tokyo Plaza rooftop garden, Magnet by Shibuya 109, and Tokyo Plaza Shibuya. Some of the spots had an entrance fee, which definitely felt like a tourist trap. Definitely do your research into places to find the best view of Shibuya and the Shibuya scramble.

As early evening approached, we headed back to the hotel to rest up before dinner with my brother at Sobamae Yamato in Roppongi around 7:30pm. It began to rain that evening, which was a bummer and made it more difficult getting to the restaurant. While we got lost initially, we eventually found our way to the restaurant. I gave my brother some goods from L.A. including some tortillas and chilis per his request as quality Mexican food and ingredients were hard to come by in Japan. We all chatted over some soba and tempura as we sheltered from the rain. The food was pretty decent, but the portion size of the soba was a quite small for American standards. Still, it was good sharing a meal and seeing my brother as well as hearing about his potential future plans to work in Korea. After the meal, we walked around Mohri Garden to check out the sakura before saying our goodbyes. We also loosely planned another dinner later in the week when we return from our travels to Fukuoka and Osaka. 

Day 7- Fukuoka

What the Fukuoka! 

Home of motsu nabe, yaki ramen, and Hakata tonkotsu ramen. Tokyo Station to Hakata Station. 5h 11min travel time. JR Pass activated. Unreserved seat is the way to go. One transfer from Shin Kobe to Hakata. Grabbed myself an ekiben and beer, while my friend got his usual kombu onigiris. The first transfer went smoothly and we were bound for Hakata. However, we screwed up and got off at the wrong station after the transfer. We ended up getting off at Fukuyama Station and had to wait an hour until the next shinkansen. A bit of a bummer, but travel issues are inevitable when going to new destinations. 

Once the other shinkansen arrived, we rode it to Hakata Station. From there, it was a short walk to our new accommodations at The Blossom Hakata Premier. We had our luggage held at the hotel and wandered around Nipponbashi Den Den. Afterwards, we checked in and hung out at the hotel room for a bit until the evening. 

During the evening, we hit up a random local shrine and Blue Blue Hakata. I ended up buying some clothes there and was thankful that the shop employees were able to speak some English. It definitely made things easier. I even asked one of the employees if they could recommend a restaurant that served motsu nabe (offal hot pot), which is a well known dish in Fukuoka. One of the female employees was very enthusiastic and even offered to guide us to the restaurant. It was funny seeing her dance and skip through the streets as she escorted us to the restaurant. I bet she got a big commission from all the stuff I bought, haha. We ended up at a place called Motsuko motsu nabe. The staff there in contrast spoke very little English and I think we were the only two foreign tourists there. It seemed to be more of a spot for locals and later I found out that it was a chain restaurant. The quality of the motsu nabe wasn't the best and I was a bit disappointed. Definitely had better motsu nabe in Roppongi.

After dinner, we stopped by the hotel to drop off our things and relax. Later that night, we walked around the Nakasu area and perused the yatai shops around there. While you could spot some tourists there quite easily as they stood out, there were a lot of local people there as well. Maybe not as touristy as my brother once mentioned to me. We ended up at some random yatai and got a bowl of Hakata ramen and gyoza. It wasn't the best in my opinion, but my friend seemed to enjoy it. After our second dinner, we called it a night and headed back. Tomorrow, we're off to Hiroshima!

Day 8- Hiroshima to Miyajima

And yet again, it's torii time. We headed off to Hakata Station to Hiroshima Station. 2h 15min travel time. Once we arrived, we took a local train to Miyajimaguchi Station. From there, with our freshly activated JR pass from yesterday, we followed the signs to the JR Ferry to get to Miyajima Island. The 10 minute ferry ride to Miyajima Island was nice and we enjoyed the sunny clear skies and ocean breeze as the Itsukushima torii gate slowly began to be visible from the horizon. Once the ferry docked, we disembarked and saw hoards of tourists taking photos left and right.

Despite the crowd, we were able to snag some nice shots and even pet the local, docile deer that wander the island. There was also a queue to get into Itsukushima shrine itself, but we opted out of that and just wandered the grounds around the shrine. There were multiple hiking trails and parks as well, but we mostly just stayed around the shrine area. We stopped by a local cafe nearby and got some coffee jelly soft ice cream. It was amazingly refreshing and hit the spot on a sunny day like today. We also had to get some Momiji manju (maple leaf shaped red bean cake) as there were a few shops making them fresh. Quite tasty and mildly sweet.

After wandering the island a bit, we headed back on the next ferry back to Miyajima Station. I had originally planned for us to go to Okonomimura (okonomiyaki village), but it was quite a distance away. Instead, we opted to eat locally nearby at a restaurant called Hanako. I think it ended up being a chain restaurant, but it was still not too bad. My friend messed up his order and just got extra noodles instead of additional toppings and so his okonomiyaki ended up turning into a big ramen pancake, haha. Still, I enjoyed my order, but didn't find the dish to be as good as Osaka style okonomiyaki.

After lunch, we hopped on the shinkansen back to Hakata Station and then checked out the nearby Canal City Mall. I ended up buying a North Face Goretex trench coat. Once evening arrived, we decided to check out more yatai food stalls. Our first stop was Kiryu. One of the shop employees coaxed us to give it a try and we decided to check it out since they had an English menu and a decently long line. Once seated, I flexed the limited Japanese that I knew and even got a 'Nihongo jozu' (Japanese very good) from one of the employees. We ordered some yaki ramen and mochi mochi gyoza. The yaki ramen was interesting and almost like a wetter version of chow mein. My friend loved the dish and we also both enjoyed the mochi mochi gyoza with its interesting texture. We washed it all down with some ume-sodas, paid our bill, and headed off to the next yatai.

Most of the ones in the area had similar offerings including yakitori, ramen, and gyoza. So we ventured a bit furter to look for some more variety. Later we ended up at a stand called Tenjin no ryutakun. It was being run by an elderly man and two other employees. They didn't have an English menu, but I was able to use Google Translate's camera function to translate their limited menu. I ordered two bowls of Hakata ramen, a few yakitori skewers, and two ume-sodas. The ramen really surprised me and the broth was amazing. It was thick, full-bodied, and not overly porky. The yakitori was pretty good, but not as amazing as the ramen. Definitely a must try if you find yourself in Fukuoka. Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel and attempted to do some laundry, but all the machines were being used by other tourists. A bit of a let down, but we were confident we could get it done at the next hotel in Osaka.

Day 9- Kyoto & Osaka

Checked out in the morning. Hakata Station to Shin-Osaka Station. 2.5 hr travel time. Took a local train from Shin-Osaka to Namba Station. We dropped our luggage at the hotel to hold and then stopped for lunch at Tendon Ebinoya, one of the many restaurants in Namba Station. At first I didn't recognize the restaurant, but later found out that it was the same chain ten-don restaurant that I had visited a few years back on my last trip. Quality was okay, but not the greatest. After our lunch, we checked in and settled in. We perused a few local shops nearby and then headed off to Nagoya to visit a college buddy of mine. 

We arrived at Tsurumai Station to meet my friend at Tsurumai Park nearby. They were enjoying hanami since the afternoon and were getting ready to head out for dinner. While my friend and I typically visit Yamachan for tebasaki (Japanese chicken wings), he said he found a better spot called Sumibiya Kikuchi Hachiko Kanayama, a chain izakaya spot. I was a bit skeptical, but decided to give it a go. We all chatted along with his friends as we walked to the restaurant. Once seated, we shared conversations over drinks and tebasaki. I have to say that the tebasaki was much better in terms of flavor, size, and quality. As the minutes flew by along with drink refills, I was a bit surprised at how quickly time had flown by. Last train was about 30 minutes away. I discussed the game plan with my friend and we both decided to call the night short as we needed to head back to the hotel. Unfortunately, I said my goodbyes to my college friend and apologized for not staying longer. However, I felt confident that we'd see each other again and spend more time next time I'm in Japan. 

After reluctantly leaving the izakaya, my friend and I rushed to the nearest train station and somehow made it to Nagoya Station with about 9 minutes to spare before the last train arrived. So clutch. The journey there definitely sobered me up. Once back at the hotel, we did laundry until the early morning hours. A bit of a rushed night, but worth sacrificing as we had lots of stuff to do on our jam packed itinerary.

Day 10- Osaka Shopping Spree

Last night we decided to extend our stay in Osaka and decided to book another night after today. That way, we could explore Osaka today and do Kyoto tomorrow. After we finalized our plans, we hit up Family Mart nearby and a bunch of shops including Momotaro, MSPC, SNKRDNK, Skit, Rinkan, and Worm. We also checked out Dotonbori and the famous Glico man sign. For lunch, we had to get some takoyaki and so I decided to check out Takoyaki Juhachiban Sons Dohtonbori as the line was pretty long and looked quite popular. I ordered the standard takoyaki 4 piece, which was quite good and not scorching hot as my prior experience eating it. Thankfully the roof of my mouth remained intact, haha. Afterwards, we walked around some more and stopped by a random restaurant that served yakisoba and Osaka style okonomiyaki. The yakisoba was quite good and used thick noodles, which my friend enjoyed quite a bit. The okonomiyaki was also much better than the Hiroshima style one we had a few days ago.

We wandered around Shinsaibashi and then checked out the America-mura area. In the evening, we had dinner at Oretachino Curry, which was decent and afterwards, we chilled at the hotel.

Later in the evening, I decided to check out the Tobita Shinchi area and dragged my friend along. I could sense he was a bit uncomfortable, but I found the area quite interesting as we passed by the various "shops". I could hear the various oka-sans waving us in and saying "Douzo, oni-chan!" (Come in older brother). After strolling through the well-lit area, we headed off to Dotonbori again. I ended up getting my sushi fix at Sushizanmai as my friend enjoyed his tempura. Sushi is definitely a must in Japan! Afterwards, we retired for the night and booked another night stay for tomorrow. Unfortunately, they did not have the same room available and so we got a slightly smaller room for tomorrow. 

Day 11- Kyoto and Kushikatsu

In the morning, we checked out of our room and attempted to check into our new room. Thankfully the new room was clean and ready. We dropped off our luggage in the new room and then headed off to Kyoto. Fushimi Inari, we meet again. It was pretty crowded despite us arriving around 8:30am. Difficult to beat the crowd. Despite the tourists, we were able to get a few good shots and still enjoyed the atmosphere surrounded by torii gates. 

As we wandered the area, we stopped by for more omamori and souvenirs. Once we were done touring the area, we headed off to Kobe Station for our lunch reservation at Kobe Beef Steak Ishida for 1pm. We arrived early and found the restaurant. We wandered around the area for a bit and grabbed a quick coffee at a conbini and also stopped by nearby Ikuta Jinja Shrine. Once it was closer to 1pm, we headed off to the restaurant for our kobe beef steak lunch course. The restaurant itself was quite small, but could accommodate maybe 15 people. The chef cooking for us was very friendly and was able to converse with us with his limited English. As for the kobe beef, it was amazingly tender, rich, and juicy. You definitely can taste the difference. Afterwards, we thanked them for the amazing culinary experience and went back to the hotel.

In the evening, we wandered around the older area of Shinsekai and stopped by a standing bar and grabbed some ume-sodas and kushikatsu. My friend was craving more yakisoba and so we ended up having dinner at a spot called Okonomiyaki Usagiya. It was a smaller 'mom and pop' kinda restaurant, but was nicely decorated with Showa era posters. Definitely an old world kind of feel, which was cool. The yakisoba was decent, but still didn't compare to the one in Dotonbori we had a few days prior. After dinner, we called it a night and headed off to the hotel for our final stay in Osaka.

Day 12- Tokyo Time

Checked out and made our way back to Tokyo. Got another ekiben, but this time I got some kakinoha zushi. Always a good choice. We were also able to catch a view of Mount Fuji on the way back. Note to travelers, if going from Kyoto/Osaka back to Tokyo, sit on the left side of the shinkansen and be ready to snap photos after Shinagawa Station.

While on the shinkansen, I felt a wave of relief as most of the heavy shinkansen travel was done. The rest of the trip is now just focused on Tokyo. I was a bit relieved that there would be less traveling. It definitely is fatiguing as we kept pushing on to multiple sightseeing spots while also trying to juggle shopping and eating. Definitely need to take more breaks and take it easy. I think I may have been over ambitious with the itinerary as I wanted to provide a complete experience for my friend I was traveling with since it's his first time in Japan. I think that if the trip was 3 weeks instead of 16, it would have helped to stretch out some of the stuff we had planned and provided us with more breaks each day. 

Anyway, once back in Tokyo, we unpacked and rested for a little bit before making our way to Ginza for some chicken ramen at Ginza Kagari. I hyped the ramen up for my friend quite a bit and so he was curious if it would be as good as I had raved. We arrived about 30 minutes early and there was already a queue of about 4-5 parties ahead of us. The queue moved along at a decent pace though and we were able to get seated at the counter. Score. I ordered the #5 which is the Special Chicken Ramen and it came with all the special toppings. Once I received my ramen, I took a quick picture and began to eat. Funnily, there was a Chinese girl to my left who was taking pictures of her ramen for like 10 minutes straight. It was a bit excessive and I could see the employees giving her dirty looks as most ramen shops like to have high turnover of customers. 'Slurp your noodles and get out' is often the vibe and most customers are aware of this.

After finishing the meal, my friend was blown away by the chicken ramen. We definitely had to eat it a second time during our trip along with Gyukatsu Motomura. After the chicken ramen, there was a local bakery that I wanted to stop at called Ginza Kimuraya, which I believe is one of the oldest bakeries in Japan. When we arrived, the shop was packed with locals and tourists scrambling to buy pastries. I ended up getting some red bean snacks, a red bean donut, and two curry pan bread. The curry pan was quite good and very meaty. My friend boasted that it may have been one of the best ones he's ever had. That made me think of another curry pan spot I've bookmarked for some time called Cattlea. Definitely will have to check out that bakery later on. 

After our filling lunch, we checked out Daikanyama and checked outKapital and a few other shops including SNS. SNS had a cafe, which we stopped at for some decent cafe lattes. Sadly, Blue Blue Okura was closed on Tuesday and so I had to skip it for today. We headed back to the hotel to rest up and decided to check out Yamachan for dinner as they had a chain nearby our hotel.

Yamachan was just as I remembered. Overly seasoned, but tasty with a beer to wash it down. Definitely a bit salty if you just have it by itself. Still worth a try if you're in Japan. Afterwards, we ended up checking out  the nearby Don Qujiote Korakuen in the evening as I needed to shop for a duffle bag as I was quickly accumulating lots of souvenirs and clothing that would not fit in my small 24" suitcase. Note to travelers, definitely consider bringing a 27" or larger suitcase as your primary to fill with souvenirs and purchases. Even bringing an empty duffle bag as a second free checked bag would be a good idea in addition to an empty carry-on duffle bag for airpot omiyage snacks/drinks. I also perused some other goods in Don Quijote including a range of toiletry and scented goods called John's Blend. The white musk scent is awesome.

Day 14- Tsukemen & Timepieces

Decided to make the trek out to Ikebukuro for both tsukemen and timepieces. First stop was Higashi Ikebukuro Taishoken, the birthplace of tsukemen. Sadly, the guy who invented tsukemen passed away in 2015. However, the original shop still remains to this day. We ended up being first in line and were able to get seated fairly quickly after the restaurant opened up its shutters.

I got the classic tsukemen while my friend got the smaller size. We both got sides of gyoza, which were huge. The gyoza were passable, but the tsukemen was pretty good. The broth was a bit lighter and not as gravy-like as other places such as Rokurinsha. It was enjoyable and there was a generous serving of noodles for the standard order.

After the hearty meal, we walked back to the station and followed the signs to Sunshine City mall. We ended up getting a bit lost, but then found our way back towards to escalators in the center of the mall. We arrived at the Bandai Namco CrossStore and huge gachapon hall that they have. Most of the gachapon toys were anime and branded items, which I passed on. Definitely worth a check if you're into anime, but I'm not the biggest weeb and passed on most things. Afterwards, we walked around the mall a bit and grabbed an iced tea at a nearby cafe.

Our next stop in Ikebukuro was Nakano Broadway. Known for its toy figures and watches, I was on the hunt for a vintage Seiko watch with kanji day dial. Guess it's the tourist in me to want anything with kanji written on it. We perused the well-known Jackroad and Bettyroad, but was a bit disappointed since they mostly had luxury brands like Rolex, Cartier, Omega, Patek Philippe, etc. I did manage to find a shop on the 1st or 2nd floor that had a smaller selection with one vintage Seiko watch from the 70's with a kanji dial. However, I didn't love the face of the watch, its lug size, and price tag....which was hovering around $1200. No thank you. I ain't ballin like that....yet. Will have to come back again to this area in the future if I want a serious timepiece when I'm older. Still worth browsing as you may never know what rare timepiece you may come across.

Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel to hang for a bit before dinner with my brother again. This time we decided to check out an unagi restaurant called Nyorosuke Roppongi at 7:30pm. I found it interesting how my brother books dinner reservations around 7pm when I typically eat dinner back home around 6pm. I guess Tokyo-ites tend to have dinner later in the evening maybe. I definitely don't envy the salary man or business man life. 

Anyway, we arrived to the restaurant early and decided to check out a nearby bookstore called Tsutaya in Roppongi. It was nice just chillin and taking time perusing some of the interesting books that they had despite me not fully being able to read Japanese. They had a Starbucks store attached to the bookstore and I ended up buying a nice Tokyo mug as a souvenir. They even had some maneki neko figures, which my friend ended up buying. 

Afterwards, we headed back to the restaurant and got seated early. My limited Japanese came in clutch again. As we waited for my brother, we enjoyed the ambience of the restaurant. It wasn't too noisy besides one other party and we could enjoy the sound of the cook grilling eel and enjoying the wafting smoke coming from the kitchen.

Once my brother arrived, we all opted for the one eel set and got some side dishes including eel sashimi and eel bone crackers. The bone crackers were pretty unique and interesting. Not much flavor, but interesting texture for sure. The eel sashimi was pretty good although doesn't have much flavor. The unagi itself though was quite tasty and there were various ways to eat it including plain with rice, mixed with sansho pepper miso, or with broth as kind of like a chazuke. It was a very satisfying meal as we chatted about our recent travel experiences and my brother's future plans. It turned out that some of my brother's friends who I know were arriving tonight and they would be going out for drinks. I declined as my friend and I were pretty fatigued from all the traveling still. Nevertheless, it was nice catching up with my brother one last time before our trip comes to a close soon. Definitely wish him well and looking forward to hearing about his new adventures.

After parting ways, we headed back to Bunkyo city to our hotel and made a quick stop at the nearby Don Quijote Korakuen one more time to stock up on last minute souvenirs.

Day 15- Curry Pan Mission

We started the morning off by first reserving a taxi to take us to the airport tomorrow morning. Better safe than sorry. We were able to reserve a taxi for 1:30pm tomorrow, which would give us plenty of time before our flight at 4:45pm. Afterwards, we checked out a nearby Sukiya for a quick breakfast since it was a 24h hour fast food chain. I went for a green onion beef bowl set while my friend just got a small beef bowl. The food came out pretty quickly after we orderd off the tablet sitting on our table. As for the taste and quality, both were a bit mediocre. I mean it's basically just shredded beef over rice. Pretty simple and modest breakfast.

After breakfast, we had one mission, which was to check out Cattlea in Koto City. For those unaware, Cattlea is a small bakery that is known for being one of the oldest curry pan bakeries. While they also have other various baked goods available for purchase, we were focused on the curry pan. The train ride wasn't too bad at around 22 minutes and we could already smell the curry wafting through the morning air as we ascended the steps up to ground level where the bakery stood immediately to our right side. 

Upon entering, I spotted the curry pans quickly and we both bought two. After purchasing the freshly baked goods, we retreated to a nearby park and tried them out. The curry pan was filled generously and it definitely had a very bold curry taste. While it did not have as much meat filling as the curry pan at Ginza Kimuraya, it was still one of the best curry pan I've had yet. Definitely worth the train ride. 

After finishing off one curry pan each, we saved the other two for later and headed back to our hotel. Later we decided to check out the nearby shops around LaQua and Tokyo Dome. We checked out the nearby LOFT shop, but it was quite small and disappointing. However, I was able to find a Jins shop nearby and was able to get prescription glasses made in about 30-40 minutes! Very very efficient. Definitely helped that I had my most current eyeglass RX translated in Japanese and ready to go. The cost was about 9900Y or $74, which was a hell of a lot cheaper than if I had purchased eyeglasses in the U.S.

Afterwards, we relaxed and packed up a bit in preparation for tomorrow's departure back to the airport. For our final dinner, we decided on trying a local yakiniku (Japanese bbq) chain restaurant called Kintan. It was recommended by my brother and so I wanted to see how it would stack up to Korean bbq. The location was quite close around Kagurazaka and we were able to get seated without a reservation and using my limited Japanese. We opted for the cheapest set menu which was around 7600Y per person. The set meal course consisted of various cuts of meat including some wagyu and a few other items such as kimchi, salad, cold noodles, sukiyaki, curry, and cheesecake. Overall the food was pretty decent and I left feeling full and satisfied. The only complaint I'd say was that the kimchi was quite terrible. Definitely gotta give the W to the Korean side. After dinner, we retired to the hotel and unwinded and reminisced about the entire trip. It definitely was very mentally and physically taxing with al lthe travel and walking, but we both definitely enjoyed the experience despite the few hiccups we had. 

Day 16- Sayonara & Sorrow

Checked out in the morning and had the hotel hold our luggage for a few hours. Also sealed and dropped off the postmarked envelope for our pocket wifi. It served us well, but definitely was not very consistent. I'll have to do some research into a new company that is more reliable for the next trip. 

We decided to check out the nearby Koshikawa Korakuen Gardens as it was just a short walk away. It was a small park compared to Shinjuku Gyoen and others that I've been to, but it was still quite charming and a nice little oasis in the middle of the city. You could even see a glimpse of the top of the Tokyo Dome in the distance next to the skyscrapers. Kinda cool. After wandering around for a bit and taking in the nature, we decided to go to Ginza Kagari again for our final meal in Japan. Chicken ramen is the truth. We arrived around 10:15am and there already was a line-up of tourists about 7 parties deep. I was a bit surprised at how busy it was, but then again it was a Saturday. Once the shop opened, we were able to squeeze by and get seated at one of the side counters with the first wave of people. 

Instead of the usual #5 (special chicken ramen), I decided to give the Special Dipping Chicken Ramen a try. It definitely was quite different and I enjoyed the tsukemen style and the blend of chicken/mushroom that permeated the concentrated broth. After a very satisfying lunch, we headed back to the hotel with our taxi voucher in hand. We initially asked if we could change the taxi time from 1:30pm to 12:30pm, but the employee politely told us that it was not possible. So we waited until it got closer to 1pm and then grabbed our luggage from the luggage holding area. We saw a different employee and asked them if we could get a taxi earlier than the 1:30 time slot we had secured yesterday. Success. The employee was accomodating and promptly got us the next waiting taxi to head to Haneda airport Terminal 3.

Surprisingly, the taxi ride was quite quick at around 20-30 minutes despite some rain and it being Saturday afternoon. Upon arrival, we took the elevator to 3F to head to the departure lobby and we made our way through security/customs quite easily. Once we were at the gates, we stopped by some omiyage (souvenir) shops selling Japanese snacks and goods. We filled up our carry-on duffle bags and then waited until boarding began. We enjoyed one final coffee and then headed off onto the plane. The ride back was a bit shorter around 10h and some change, but it was quite turbulent at times with the rain. Not the most  pleasant ride back home. Still, we made it back in one piece and in good health. Definitely thankful for all the ups and downs of the trip as I learned a lot of new tips to help for future trips to Japan.

It was a bit of a shame that we could not do more as I had to cut out a lot of side trips from the itinerary including a visit to Mount Takao, Kurashiki, Kusatsu onsen, Lake Kawaguchi, Yokohama, Kanazawa, Chureito Pagoda, Chidorigafuchi moat, Nachi falls and pagoda, Mount Yoshino, Hamarikyu Gardens, Shibuya Sky, Roppongi Observation Deck, Golden Gai, Omoide Yokocho, and Kagawa prefecture. It definitely would have been overwhelming if we added all these things onto the itinerary. Realistically, we would've needed another full week to do all these things. In addition, I think for future trips, a 3 night stay is essential to fully explore a prefecture thoroughly as the first night in is a bit wasted with travel time and late check-in times. Surprisingly came back home without much weight gain despite all the food we ate. I guess all the traveling and walking definitely helped offset a lot of the calories. Until next time, it's time for me to enjoy my souvenirs and fight off the jet lag. Mata ne!