A Packed Few Days

Farewell Tokyo, home of the $160 watermelon cube.  (For bargain hunters, the same store sold two mangos for $60 and 12 lychees for $86.)

I think they grow them in boxes and turn them.

We managed to make the most of our four days in Tokyo.  Our activities fell into three categories:

1. Eating.  Tempura, ramen, soba, and sushi (from the early morning fish market to high tech delivery systems to our local gourmet supermarket), we tried it all.  Restaurants tend to specialize in one type of food, and it was a fun challenge to seek out to best of each.

Desserts hewed to the West.  Artisanal raw milk ice cream, crepes with ice cream and whipped cream, frozen macaroons, and good old Baskin Robbins.  High end malls in Tokyo are filled with luxury European and American food outlets, so we also managed to get our hands on delicious baguettes and croissants for breakfast.

Crepe heaven

Macaroon Ice Cream Sandwiches

2.  Gaming.  How could we come to the birthplace of videogames and not partake?  Gaming arcades dot the city and serve a diverse clientele.  We got kicked out of one in Shibuya only because you have to be over 16 after 6 pm.  Family favorites?  The dancing zombie school girl first person shooter game, Mario Cart, and Air Hockey.  The helicopter shooter game requires some understanding of Japanese.  The drumming and dance games were just okay.  

After a few days of regular gaming, we upped the ante and went to Sega's Joypolis.  Yes, it was pure joy for those of us under the age of 14.  As for me, I learned that there is no language barrier for fear when murderous Japanese dolls are on the loose.

3. Shopping.  After so many months of traveling without much souvenir shopping, arriving in Tokyo was like entering the Mecca of weird and interesting retail.  No surprise, Muji and Uniqlo are ubiquitous.  But there also was Bicqlo, the marriage of Uniqlo and Bic Camera.  

Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku, Omote Sands, Midtown Tokyo, we did it all.  Kiddyland (5 story toy store), Tokyu Hands (DIY taken to a new level), Pokemon Center, the list goes on.  We were psyched to check out the Prada store designed by award-winning architects Herzog & DeMeuron.

Prada in Tokyo

What about temples and museums?  Well, we did visit Meiji Jingu and the Ghibli Studio Museum.  The latter reminded me of visiting Pablo Neruda's houses in Chile.  So fascinating to see the home studios of, and far-ranging influences on, these artists -- a Japanese animator and a Chilean poet.  Both are considered national treasures and visiting their respective museums has a feel of pilgrimage about it.  

School kids at the Ghibli Museum

There's no denying the fact that we didn't emphasize culture or history on this visit.  Hope to remedy that a bit with this upcoming weekend in Kyoto.  

Japan's most famous monster, near our apartment in Roppongi