Morning Flamingo, Evening Drink N Go

The paddle boats called us after checking out of the hotel, so we left our bags at the station and made towards the lake. Understandably, they were Japanese designed boats so only Emma really fit. We weathered the little waves caused by the speedboats passing by, and enjoyed a leg workout on the water. After a quick bakery visit, we set off for Tokyo. Our AirBNB was nicely situated one stop past Shinjuku on the Yamanote line, so it was convenient to get there and to head anywhere else. Once settled in, we got ready for our Ramen and Drinking Tour with Aki! He met us near Ueno Station, and took us on a cheesy, charming, and calorie filled evening. The tour was intended to show us how to dineout like a local. 8 Americans and 2 Brazilians on the tour didn't exactly blend in, but we definitely saw places we wouldn't normally! Started at a little izakaya where we had Shochu and Hoppy to drink (high alcohol and tasty) and some Sashimi and fried bluefin tuna. From there, we went to a Yakiton place with the showa-era aroma of cigarette smoke and charcoal grills. We had overflowing sake, "mystery pork" (intestines, esophagus, etc), Natto, and a round of Highball Whiskey. Aki's punchline after introducing something was always a corny but heartfelt "welcome to... Japaaaan". And the welcome party continued at the next standing room only bar with more highballs, and concluded with a ramen basement dive. Emma noted that the Ramen should have been first because we would have had more room, but I also appreciated the sobering effect of a bunch of salty broth at the end of the night.もっと詳しく