TOKYO DAY ONE:
Well rested I was awake at dawn which was 4:30 a.m. in Tokyo. I stayed in bed until it was sufficiently late enough to venture down to attack the hotel breakfast buffet. The buffet was a Japanese style spread combined with American or western style breakfast offerings.
I filled my plate with Japanese salads of various seaweed and vegetable dishes. Gooey and ooey I actually ate it all, appreciating the sure health benefits of such a meal. I stood in the shorter Japanese line for coffee because cafe is cafe in any language.
A stay at Villa Fontaine Grand Hotel in Tokyo Haneda Airport includes their free shuttle service to several major areas in Tokyo. This was amazing. The shuttle itself, is like brand new, clean, huge, and comfortable. And for me, it was very private. In fact I was the only person on it coming back, and going there was only one other lady with her 16 year old daughter, from Atlanta. That’s all. It was like having my own private motor coach. I loved it!
Getting to the hotel’s free shuttle bus stop early, I was the only one boarding the coach and remained the only passenger except for a mother and her daughter from Atlanta who boarded for two stops along the way. The mom informed me that they were celebrating her daughter’s 16th birthday and they’ve been to every Disneyland in the world now that they’ve been to Tokyo Disneyland. They both had fake hair.
Two and a half hours later, I disembarked the shuttle, which was really an air conditioned motor coach at Akihabara, the furthest stop at the end of the line. Known as Electric Town, Akihabara is where Manga shops are located of which I really didn’t see. I was there to seek out the artesian shopping center of Aki-Oka.
Onward I continued snapping pics and how could I forget to mention the amazing sushi experience I had? Upon my shuttle drop off I’d seen a nice looking sushi place we passed and heading back towards that area, I did wander and meander winding through back streets and located a wonderful sushi bar. Where I had hand served sushi at a small local sushi bar.
I ended up locating another hidden sushi shop to take my lunch. It was in Chiyoda- Iwamotocho. Only a couple other individual women-all Japanese were there, sitting nestled up to the sushi bar. Which is where the sushi chef made and served, hand-served sushi. He was using Google translate on his phone asking me what I wanted.
He told me, “I will hand them to you.” And he placed each one into my Palm where I could eat in “one bite” he insisted. So I took each one in my mouth in one bite, and delicious were they all!
“No sauce,” he also insisted, as I attempted to pour and dip into the soy sauce. It was absolutely tender, buttery fresh- everything I ate which was Toro, tuna and squid 🦑 with a squeeze of lime 🍋🟩 and special salt. Even the miso soup with small fresh delicious mussels was tantalizing to my taste buds! 7700 Yen – not so cheap about $45. But well worth the memorable experience.
The service lady was so kind and had the kindest eyes. In retrospect I realized that they were probably husband and wife. I had to come back and take a photo with her.
Then I ventured over to the Artesian shops at Aki Oka. I fell in love with a top, which I did not buy, although I even met the woman artist who made it. The shops here are a bit pricy, but in retrospect, I wish I would have purchased the top.where I fell in love with a blue traditional handmade batik top and met the artist who made it. But it was $200 and so I couldn’t feel good about paying so much for it. In retrospect however, I have wished I bought it ever since!
Onward I went to explore and find the Manseibashi Station Remains and cool Art Bridge where I was nearly the only one there and I got some great footage while enjoying peace of mind and serenity of the space. There was a great vibe, cool music playing and colorful art videos in between the concrete arches.
I sat there marveling at the awesomeness of Tokyo with the Sumida ? river flowing through it, the trains quietly clanking rhythmically over the bridges and the sheer calmness of a city with over 37 million in population.
Japan Art Bridge was next on my agenda for the day. It’s a lovely old train station converted into cafe and art galleries. It was a surprising enjoyable time I spent here, nearly empty being in a bustling city of 37 million people, there were less than a dozen people here. It was very cool. You can see a couple of Spain flags in the photo. I noticed quite a few Spanish restaurants, pastry shops, and other Spanish references in Tokyo. We also met a college student from Spain and it was interesting to hear what she had to say about living as a foreign student in Tokyo.
I wanted to visit the famous Shrine in Tokyo city center that I’d pin pointed out. Kanda Myoujin. Using Google Maps I entered by walking down a tree – shaded sidewalk and coming up several steep sets of stone stairs via a back entrance climbing up stone steps. in fact, I was not even sure what I would find at the top of the steps, however it was a side entrance to the shrine, and I first came across some farm animals. That was very cool too…Not even sure what was to be at the top of my climb, I was very pleasantly surprised (stoked) to see that I had indeed arrived at the shrine of my intended destination, albeit through the back way. (If the front door is open, go in the back.)
Snapping a lot of pics, I soaked in the peaceful beauty of shrine go-ers, handmade ornaments, and the bright vibrant shrine colors. I spotted the Omani ? Or good luck charms which I’d sought after and purchased several which caught my eye, at 1,000 Yen each about $6.40, to give as gifts upon my return. We later learned upon visiting shrines and temples with our bike tour, that people clap and bow at shrines, which I saw in action, but not at temples.
This was a thoroughly great combination of events at Kanda Myoujin Shrine which I loved it. I also bought some little gifts inside the gift shop including a package of pickled cucumbers 🥒 which hubby liked so much I had to find them at the Japanese market in San Diego! Nijiya Market
These good luck charms, beckoned to me, and I purchased several as gifts to take home to the martial arts students in San Diego.
After a bit more exploring and loads of walking, I was determined to get to the shuttle stop early for my return back to the Villa Fontaine Grand Hotel. On my way back to the shuttle stop location, I happened across this amazing place, a Live Owl Cafe in Tokyo! which was quite astonishing and a real surprise to me. I’d never heard of such a thing. And I was trying to determine if there were indeed real owls inside. Indeed there were! Owl 🦉 Cafe takes good care of their owls, a fellow traveler from Australia who had researched it, later informed me.
Not wanting to miss the last shuttle back to my hotel, I arrived nearly two hours early to the bus pick up area, of where I’d assured the driver I would be. In the meantime, waiting for my awesome shuttle back to the hotel, I had time to relax in this cafe, people watching and sipping a cold delicious beverage.
Upon my return and two hour bus ride during rush hour which meant tons of Japanese workers clad in suit and tie and business suits, were all exiting the subways and the sidewalk was packed with endless people.
At the airport hotel, I was released from the shuttle bus, and I was able to bumble upon an amazing tempura restaurant. A simple clean atmosphere designed of wood and minimal decor. I ordered a dish of three (or five?) shrimp tempura which the chef made fresh for me right in front of my eyes.
For dinner, I explored the food court underneath the hotel. I saw many delicious looking displays including a Kobe beef. Food court near hotel wonderful tempura 🍤 made just for me, where I had perfect shrimp Tempura. The best shrimp tempura I ever had.
It turned out to be the best shrimp (or other) tempura I’ve ever had. One close second does come to mind, at Yamashiros in the Hollywood Hills where we went for my FIDM graduation with the family and we sat by Don Knotts. But again I digress. The tempura was piping hot fresh lightly battered, not greasy. SO GOOD. And the experience! I was the only one of a handful of diners who came and went. And it’s perfectly normal and common to dine SOLO here.
Onsen Experience and Aroma therapy sauna at Villa Fontaine Grand Hotel, which I wrote about in further detail here in a separate post.
Thursday, June 6, 2024
