Tokyo

September - October 2018
A 9-day adventure by Lahra
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  • Day 1

    First rainy night in Tokyo

    September 26, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    A long day of travel. 10 hours on a plane with Charley checking the state of the clouds every 10 minutes is trying. But other than an hour of turbulence - which left Alex and I feeling queasy- the flight was uneventful.

    We came face to face with our first banks of vending machines selling cute toys as we left the airport, choosing instead to invest in umbrellas as it was pouring outside.

    There was a long delay in exchanging our pre paid JR rail pass coupons for tickets, but we were feeling pretty proud of ourselves navigating the system to get into Tokyo and then across town to Ueno - near Asakusa where we are staying.

    The cab driver got lost between Ueno Station and the hotel, but we got to see the Senso-ji Temple from several vantage points as we drive by.

    This area - even at night, in the rain with most shops shuttered closed is very charming. The architecture is more traditional but seems to have been restored.

    The Wired Hotel is very funky - but absolutely tiny and we are all wondering how we will manage to share this space for a week with sanity intact.

    Mitch was starving so we left the girls to shower and went in search of food. By now it was 10.30 at night, but Mitch was determined to eat Japanese tonight and we stumbled across a very authentic looking small eatery. We ordered too many dishes; sashimi, tempura, udon noodles etc. It was all delicious and Mitch was very pleased with his choice. We scooted back to the hotel, getting drenched in the process and fell into bed after midnight.
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  • Day 2

    Hedgehogs in Harajuku

    September 27, 2018 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    We woke to a rainy, grey morning and went in search of breakfast way earlier than the Japanese were prepared to feed us. So after scouring the local area we landed at Denny’s - which actually had very little resemblance to its American cousin. Bad pancakes and tasteless coffee made for an inauspicious start to the holiday.

    We walked the 10 minutes to the Asakusa station with little idea of what is usually sold behind the locked up shops we passed. I made a mental note to let everyone sleep in tomorrow.

    Despite the rain, we took the train to Harajuku - the girls were so excited to explore that area, and they loved everything about it from the moment they set eyes on Takeshita Street. The vintage clothes, the socks, the elaborate crepes, the pretty goth - they loved it all. After a couple of hours, Mitch and I began to flag and moved the girls on a bit faster.

    By the time we got to Line Friends - a cute shop recommended by Dani - we were all in need of food that didn’t contain sugar. I should have known better but left it too late to plan limit and so we ended up at a decidedly inauthentic Mexican fast food.

    Next stop - Harry’s Hedgehog Cafe on the 4th floor of an office building where we all paid to sit and interact with hedgehogs for half an hour. It was a fun, cute and novel experience and the kids had a great time.

    By the time we left our prickly friends it had topped raining and we walked towards Shibuya, heading to the first floor of the Starbucks at the crossing to watch and film the hoards. While we were there Jason Ellenport called recommending a traditionally Japanese restaurant for dinner. We were all flagging badly but decided to stay in town until the restaurant opened.

    The kids decided to sit on the floor in keeping with the traditional Japanese atmosphere - and we found pretty quickly how uncomfortable this is. But the dinner - of sashimi, noodles, grilled fish and chicken was excellent.

    We had just enough energy to make our way back to the station and the hotel to relax for a couple of hours before bed.
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  • Day 3

    Guitars and Ginza

    September 28, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    We slept in this morning woke to a cloudless blue sky and sunshine. Yippee!

    We headed straight for the train station hoping to pass a crepe van on our way as breakfast. But no such luck- google maps took us a different way and the lack of choice meant it was a hurried iced chocolate on the way to catch the train to deliver Mitch to Tokyo’s ‘guitar street’ where everyone had finally agreed he could spend the day.

    It was a real pain getting there - switching between 3 different metro lines which required buying a different ticket before each leg. It took way longer than we’d expected and involve a lot more walking!

    Guitar street was exactly as it’s name described - both sides of a street lined with guitar shops. Mitch couldn’t wait for us to leave so he could begin to try them out.

    The three girls then headed for the nearby ‘Village Vanguard’ - a shop crammed with the wacky, cute, useful and nostalgic. We spent a good couple of hours examining all the wares and buying some small souvenirs.

    It was then a short walk in the sunshine to the origami workshop - a 5 story building in which the paper is made, painted and folded. It was lovely to see something traditionallyJapanese along the in this modern city! Then back to the station and onward to Tokyo station where we explored Character Street - small shop and shop dedicated to cute; Hello Kitty, Snoopy and many other line drawings that I’m unfamiliar with. We loved walking and looking but didn’t buy anything.

    Next stop - Ginza. It was such a pleasure to be back - and such a thrill to introduce it to Alex. We walked along the elegant main boulevard pointing out all the high fashion houses represented in extraordinarily designed buildings. But it was when Alex caught sight of the Kate Spade store, she literally screamed. One wallet later we left and Alex couldn’t have been more thrilled.

    Then it was time to head back to Mitch- who had called in love with a guitar in our absence and wanted to show us all he had experienced.

    By the time we left it was dark and no one had eaten properly all day, but the kids insisted they weren’t hungry yet.

    So we headed across town to the electronics district of Akihabara - on our way home - and paid a visit to one of the most iconic buildings - the 9-story electronics store. The idea was to all get a foot massage on the top floor, but it turned out they only had enough time for one- so Alex enjoyed 25 minutes of soothing massage on her feet while Mitch, Charley and I explored the other floors. By the time Alex had finished everyone was starving so we paid a visit to the 8th floor restaurants. It was hard to reach a consensus but ramen won and we enjoyed a delicious flavoured bowl each. This was their first ramen and it was declared a success with Mitch asking if we could have it every night for the rest of the trip.

    By the time we reached the hotel we were all exhausted with everyone (except Alex) complaining of very sore feet and aching legs.
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  • Day 4

    Sensory overload

    September 29, 2018 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    A day filled with wonder and fun. So it was grey and teeming with rain this morning - we didn’t care at all. I bought new umbrellas and we set out with the lovely feeling of slightly owning this town.

    ‘Are we going to stop and get iced cocoa at our usual place?’ Alex asked. And the answer was ‘yes’ because breakfasts are a non event here and we’ve given up. The current strategy is a drink and a pastry - and the hot and cold cocoa is exceptional.

    We headed to the MORI digital art museum at Odaiba - quite out of Tokyo central and an area we had been told was interesting to explore. Unfortunately the weather was going to make that impossible but nothing could dampen our spirits.

    There was no queue when we got to the museum and we were so excited after hearing how wonderful it was. The reports were not overstated. The next few hours felt like a wonderful adventure into a world of magic and creative suspension. We walked through rooms where the installations on the walls shifted and changed; fields of flowers bloomed, crystals glittered and sea life swam under our feet. There were opportunities to interact with the artwork at every stage - a highlight of which was a tea break in a darkened room which allowed you to watch your cup of tea burst into bloom as you drank it.

    The whole experience was spiritually fulfilling - and with Mitch’s colourblindness taking away from his experience, he was more than happy to disappear into the local fast food outlet and watch the AFL Grand Final between Collingwood and West Coast - a nail biter the Eagles narrowly won.

    An unfortunate timing issue meant he had to watch about 19 minutes whilst we travelled on the subway back into town, but a mobile wifi device meant he didn’t miss a kick.

    The aim was afternoon tea at the Kawaii Monster Cafe in Harajuku - but they weren’t accepting more patrons until the 6pm dinner sitting, so we browsed the local shops and bought new (very well priced) runners for Mitch and Alex,

    By 6pm we were starving - having eaten very little all day, and very much looking forward to a big dinner.

    The Monster Cafe was an over the top experience which felt a little try-hard to us. Andy he Night seemed to go from bad to worse with no one taking our order, then not bringing food, then bringing the wrong food which was also inadequate and ordinary. The whole meal was expensive with terrible service and bad quality. But somehow these mistakes and problems made the night funny and we all laughed and enjoyed ourselves. (I wasn’t laughing at the $A23 inedible parfait on the bill, but the kids found the whole thing hilarious.)

    We left the cafe at around 8.30 and headed to the Shibuya outlet of the Village Vanguard to show Mitch the crazy, cute, weird and wonderful products. I’ve given up trying to find Cam a ‘serious’ gift and had fun choosing the wackiest selection of things I think will make him laugh.

    By the time we got back and I washed a load of laundry (waiting to put it in the dryer), it was after 1pm and way past time to sleep.
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  • Day 5

    Shimo-Kitazawa

    September 30, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    I let the kids sleep in today. No rush. Only plans were to visit Shimo-Kitazawa - a district known for its older-style shops selling vintage clothes and great cafes... and of course to collect Mitch’s guitar.

    The later start meant more places were open along the way and we couldn’t resist a pancake breakfast with the iced cocoa we’ve all become addicted to.

    Mitch was beside himself all day and even the very strong rain and leaden skies could t dampen his mood... which is just as well because Shimokita didn’t have much to appeal to a teenage boy. He was tolerant and patient thinking about the guitar we were planning to collect at the end of the day- before the store closed at 8pm.

    The girls bought very little, and running in and out of shops with a wet umbrella was challenging. The best purchase of the day was a bag made from old jeans I bought Charley for her birthday. She’s been wanting one for months and was planning to make it herself, but then in Tokyo we stumble across a whole store filled with repurposed denim pieces.

    We found an udon place for lunch - very authentic but not as good as the ramen the other night. Next door was a masseuse and we all trooped upstairs for a soothing foot massage (for the kids) and shoulder for me.

    Next stop - creperie and then onwards back to Ochanomizu to collect Mitch’s guitar. By the time we arrived - around 6.30- it was just sitting but quite dark and we found the whole precinct deserted - including the shop with Mitch’s guitar! His disappointment was all consuming and only just exceeded mine when I realised I would have to redo the next 2 days’ plans to make it back here - really not near anything else and requiring an immediate trip back to the hotel directly after purchase.

    We headed back to Asakusa whilst considering the options. On the way we visited a fun parlour and played a few Japanese arcade games and took a turn in the big-eyed photo booth. When in Japan...

    Dinner was back at the same place Mitch and i ate on the first night - around the corner corner from the hotel. It was just as delicious but we were all upset by the smokers thy fulled the place while people ate! The staff provided up a table in the corner alcove which was some protection.

    Bed at a late but more reasonable midnight in preparation for a very full day tomorrow.
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  • Day 6

    Criss-crossing town

    October 1, 2018 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    Despite a typhoon hitting Tokyo overnight, we awoke to brilliant sunshine and a blue sky. Stunning! Up and out of the hotel on our way to the flagship Prada store Alex has been wanting to visit since I described it to her years ago. It’s in an area we hadn’t previously passed and everyone enjoyed walking from there to Harajuku - indulging the girls’ request to revisit Takeshita Street.

    Along we way we admired the modern architecture and more traditional street art juxtaposed with the beautifully presented window displays and the quirkiness of the cultural themes. We’ve loved it all - even the overpackaging which sits uncomfortably with us (a pastry wrapped in paper, then placed in a paper bag and then a plastic one).

    After a surprisingly good shawarma eaten in an authentically modern Japanese food court on the second floor of a Harajuku building, we headed back to guitat street and bought Mitch the instrument of his dreams - a stealth black JP Music Man electric guitar. He bargained well - Ben would be proud and was as thrilled as it’s possible to be.

    By the time the deal was done it was late afternoon and we made our way back to the hotel to deliver the guitar and have a short break.

    Then back into the fray for a walk around Shinjuku and dinner. First stop - because I could t help it - was a visit to the Dean & Deluca Ben and I had visited each morning for an amazing cinnamon scroll and coffee. The kids were sensitive to me feeling sad - and partly I was, with so many wonderful memories of that trip flooding back. But being here again with them has reclaimed Tokyo as happy- and in a strange way I feel like I can keep those memories alive by going back to places we visited and sharing them with our children. I had completely forgotten the freshly made waffle stand next door and so we all had a deliciously warm pre-dinner waffle to tide us over. I know that if I lived here I would be morbidly obese.

    I wanted to explore an area I’d read about beside the train station- a small row of streets colloquially named ‘Piss Alley’ where tiny holes-in-the-wall fit about a dozen patrons and serve yakitori. It was wonderful! Atmospheric and authentically Japanese. We walked along looking at badly translated menus and disgusting looking offerings and overcrowded eateries until we found one we liked. The chef managing the grill at the front motioned us to a ‘secret’ passageway through the kitchen, which led us out at the back of the tiny space and to a very tight table for 4. We ordered grilled chicken sticks and mushrooms and spring onions and asparagus wrapped in bacon (so delicious!) and enjoyed the whole experience together trying not to think about the fact that it’s our last night in this wonderful city.

    Last train back... last walk through a quiet Asakusa. Last night in our cosy room.
    But Charley’s through-the-roof excitement about going to Disneyland tomorrow is contagious and doesn’t allow for any moping around.
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  • Day 7

    From history to Disney

    October 2, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Another magnificent warm and sunny day. We spent the morning exploring the Sensoji Temple area close to our hotel. It all felt so familiar - having passed through here at least twice each day, but we’d always passed the little shops and stalls without really pausing or buying.

    There were shops selling just brooms and brushes made of straw - and nothing else. Some selling beautiful tiny animals made of blown glass that reminded us or Murano Island, and many selling interesting handmade souvenirs.

    We walked all the way around the Temple and each chose a fortune. Mine was the ‘Best Fortune’... Charley’s a ‘bad fortune’ which made her u happy so she chose another which was slightly better.

    It was impossible for her to believe in a bad fortune today because around mid afternoon, we headed back to the hotel, collected our luggage and took a taxi to the train station bound for Disneyland!

    Mitch was overprotective of his guitar, worried about scratching the case as we traipsed up and down staircases at two stations to change lines.

    Finally- we arrived at the station which links to the Disney resorts and Charley was so excited I was worried she would burst into flame!

    We checked into the hotel - ours is the closest to Disneyland itself and whilst expensive, I think it’s good value - a big room that comfortably accommodates the 4 of us in a bed each... and Mickey accessories everywhere. And then we headed to the Park for the night session, arriving as it got dark.

    Charley has her hit-list of must-see attractions (all the nostalgic rides - Peter Pan, A Small World, Pooh Bear..) and Mitch wants to do the adrenalin rides - but this is Charley’s dream day so her wants came first.

    In the end, Charley and I watched the electric night parade while the others waited in a long queue for Space Mountain... we then had a snack and watched the fireworks by which time a lot of the young children had gone home leaving the Fantasyland rides with a very short queue. So we ticked a few off Charley’s list before the Park closed at 10.

    On the way out we wandered in and out of the many gift shops desperately trying to coax Charley into wanting something for her birthday - but so far nothing.

    So we came back to the hotel, showered and slipped into the matching PJ’s provided by Disney before planning what promises to be a very long day tomorrow.
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  • Day 8

    Tokyo Disney

    October 3, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    What a day! We rode and ate and laughed ourselves silly and had the BEST time.

    All the voiceovers on all the rides were in Japanese, but that only added to the hilarity and the sense of being in a foreign country.

    We now all do roller coasters (Space Mountain anyone) but still indulge Charley’s love of cute and all things Disney.

    We were all sad to head for the airport at the end of the day, but agreed this day was a great idea.
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