Location: Shinjuku gyoen, Shinjuku, Tokyo
(1 January 2009)
A quick meal before heading out. Purchased this from a supermarket several days but haven’t had the chance to consume. The container on the left is plain congee, the middle container contained some pudding like substance with a peanuty taste and the one on the right is some sort of soy beans. The 2 packets are a sweet sauce and a japanese sour plum.
It was New Years. Almost everything is closed for business. And this is perhaps the only one day in a year that it is quieter in Shinjuku. There are still people around but not as crowded and busy as usual.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
walking towards the Love Sculpture
It is still standing there, as it was 2 years ago
Not far from the Shinjuku Station West exit, heading towards the direction of Nishi-Shinjuku Hotel
a cigarette vending machine
Looking for somewhere and something to eat. There are quite a lot of Indian eateries in Tokyo.
The soba shop wasn’t trading
Mos Burger across the road
Settled for Pepper Lunch
Walked around Shinjuku
a Japanese New Year decor
another one
Drink vending machines. There is one complaint that I have of Tokyo and that is the lack of public rubbish bins. I had to carry my garbage with me until I come across a bin somewhere and empty out my pockets. I was delighted each time I discover a bin on the street. Most of the time, there is one or two next to a vending machine. Not all the time though. And it is only really meant for cans and bottles. I guess it is one of the things I take for granted in Melbourne.
It is normal for garbage to be left out on the streets like this. It will be collected by the garbage collection department.
a ramen eatery
another pile of garbage left out to be collected
a little bear doing its rounds outside an amusement centre
looking into a pachinko parlour
Mos Burger with a different storefront header
Che – coming soon to a cinema near you
a Japanese New Year decor
a lady donning Kimono
a tank of fugu (otherwise known as pufferfish or blowfish)
another form of Japanese New Year decor
It says ‘Smoking on the streets is prohibited’ but I did still see some ‘non-abiders’
Even though I don’t normally waste funds on entertainment machines, I have to say that most of the products in the machines are very appealing. Somehow the things in Japan seems more appealing in looks, quality, packaging and presentation.
Replica of the food served in a restaurant
Beyonce and Takuya Kimura for Samantha Thavasa
the moon on top of Takashimaya Times Square
bikes parked near the Takashimaya Times Square building, just outside Uniqlo
walking towards Studio Alta
Store assistants yelling at the top of their voices to inform potential customers of their products is a common thing. It is somewhat funny when it is a young female store assistant yelling “Irashaimase……” as they use a strange little girl-like voice that sounds like it’s coming from the nose. A bit like a female form of Mini-me’s voice.
Yakiniku for dinner. It was our first attempt at a Japanese restaurant. With my very limited survival phrases
Manager : Irashaimase. Nan mei sama des ka. (Welcome. How many persons)
Me : Futari des. Kin-en des. (Two. Non smoking)
Manager : Hai. Kochira dojo. (Yes. This way please)
Thank you JapanesePod101
We were lead upstairs. There was some confusion at first when we had to remove our shoes and place them into these wooden lockers and slip into slippers provided. And my boots wouldn’t fit and had to be fold into half. Some of the waitresses turned out to be Chinese. I think they could tell that we were not locals from our clumsy-ness with the shoe changing process and asked if we understood Mandarin. We did and it made things easier.
Most ate All-you-can-eat and so did we
the exterior of the restaurant
Biru back at the apartment. I don’t enjoy the taste of beer but Japanese beer is rather light and not too bad in taste.
Location: Uniqlo near Takashimaya in Shinjuku, Tokyo
CS3 Notes: +22 contrast, increase levels
(31 December 2008)
Replica of what is available
The easiest way to order is using these food ticket machines. This one is a little tricky though as there are no pictures. Matching the characters will be the only option for those who can’t read Japanese.
a cigarette vending machine
view of the The Gap/Ships Building beside Lumine, from L-Breath & Starbucks near Takashimaya
outside Takashimaya
Lunch was unagidon and a sticky substance. Thanks to watching J-dramas, I managed to figure out how to eat this substance. Scoop the sticky substance into the empty bowl and pour the hot stocksoup in the red jar into the bowl. This ‘melts’ the substance and turns into a porridge like substance. Add the ingredients provided at the side – sesame seeds, wasabi and chives.
Kee’s was less complicated
a crepe shop not far from Studio Alta
deciding…
the decision – banana, cheesecake & chocolate ice-cream
view from where we sat at the creperie
It just wasn’t this guy’s day. The containers he was trying to transport to the truck kept falling off onto the ground, which made a loud ‘kong’ as it hits the ground. It took several attempts to get it all to his truck.
looking straight at the ‘No Smoking While Walking Sign’
an open space public car park
Wandering around Shinjuku. It was New Year’s eve and many stores have closed.
Japanese New Year decor and treats
art used as cover-up of construction going on behind the wall
A typical shophouse in Tokyo, housing several levels of different shops. This one houses a few levels of different eateries and i have a theory that the higher the level, the pricier it is
Lotteria is a fast food chain, serving burgers.
a pachinko parlour
Japanese mythical creature
a camera shop not far from the Gap/Ships Building
back to Takashimaya
the buildings house several levels of different restaurants.
a turning public car park
At Studio Alta area, Shinjuku Station East Exit
the ever vibrant, busy and crowded Shinjuku
A local eatery. I think this can be classified as an Izakaya
entrance to the Kabukicho area
another food ticket machine
the alley next to Shomben Yokocho (also known as Piss Alley)
a pet shop just around the corner
Shomben Yokocho (also known as Piss Alley). Closed for the New Year period.
just outside the Shinjuku Station West Exit
Mosaic Street by night
walking back to the apartment
This is a common sight after dark in Tokyo. Rubbish are left out on the streets at night and gets collected in the morning.
taking a detour to the right
Gashapon or capsule figure machines
Finally heading back. A Hiro drink vending machine on the way
Just underneath the apartment building
the lobby of the apartment
on the 9th floor, just outside the elevator
looking into the apartment from the entrance
the living area/bedroom/dining room/all-in-one-room
looking back towards the entrance
Excuse the mess but when one is travelling, order and neatness is less of a priority
the kitchen
the freebies we got so far – an advertisement magazine, a nail file and some tissues
Caramel corn from the Lawson convenience store
Onigiri from Takashimaya food basement
We wanted to go to Zozoji Temple to see how the Japanese usher in the New Year but it was about 30mins train ride away. We will not be able to make it there by countdown time so we decided to go to Meiji Jingu instead as it was only 2 stations away. We got there on time but it was packed all the way back to the entrance. We counted down standing among the crowd and trees. The line was not moving so we headed back via the food area.
Happy 2009!
(27 Deccember 2008)
Ghibli Museum Day. We have pre-purchased our entrance voucher (dated this day) to Ghibli Museum prior to our arrival.
Confirming the platform for Chuo Line at the JR Information Counter in Shinjuku Station.
waiting for our train to arrive. We are taking the Chuo Line and getting off at Mitaka station
we arrived at Mitaka and got a coffee from Starbucks (with a christmas feel) before starting our walk to Ghibli Museum. We even get a carry bag just for our coffee.
heading towards Ghibli Musem, along the canal
500 metres to go
Looking down at a manhole. The manholes in Japan are pretty interesting
the view across the street from Ghibli Museum
Entering the gate
the ‘stairs-in-the-cage’
towards the entrance and ticket area
storing our bags into the locker
This is next to the locker
Susuwatari from Totoro and Spirited Away. My favourite Ghibli character besides the small and medium Totoro.
The robot from Laputa – Castle in the sky. A queue is formed to take photos with the robot
looking back at the way leading to the robot
and looking down
another piece from Laputa – Castle in the sky, not far away from the robot
We bought some goods from the souvenir shop. Things are pricier this time due to the poor Aussie dollar. Photos and videos are prohibited inside the building. Back to pick up our bags from the locker and watching kids play with the waterpump from Totoro while we rest our feet for a bit
The cafe before exiting the Ghibli Museum
across the street from Ghibli Museum
we headed back the same way we came, back towards the train station
Mitaka seemed a more slow-paced and quieter suburb compared to the Tokyo city area
the front of a typical modern day Japanese home
a bus stop for the Ghibli bus. There is actually no need to hop on the bus as it is within walking distance and we prefered strolling there as we can feel the area better on foot.
turning into one of the main street near the train station
Prices are a little cheaper here. We bought 3 pairs of gloves for 1000yen from a nice little variety shop
back in Shinjuku at dusk and headed back to the apartment to drop off our shopping goods. During this trip, we would walk on the left of the road daily to get to Shinjuku station
the other side of the road. Our apartment is just a bit further after turning right at the flyover
the apartment building
Looking down after getting out of the lift, on the 9th floor. The mini Louvre (as we called it), illuminated in blue, in the distance.
on the left, next to the vending machine, is the entrance to the apartment
After our failed attempt to find Square Enix Showroom yesterday, we tried again. It should be nearby. We found it this time.
On the second floor, embedded in the floor is Sephiroth from Final Fantasy
a closer look
another figure, but a much smaller one
an eatery chain nearby
9 degrees celsius @ 18.10
Having some snacks we got from the conveniece store, back at the apartment. A packet of dried fish
sake
Oden – i bought only 1 piece.
(26 December 2008)
View from our room at Nishi-Shinjuku Hotel. The garbage truck…
The room – a semi-double
The hotel
Checked-out and left our luggage with the reception to be picked up later in the day as the check-in time for the apartment is not till 3pm. Then breakfast at Mos Burger on the main street, near the hotel.
At Mos Burger, your orders that can’t be served to you when you place the order are brought out to you, unlike most fast food chains. A number for your order is given to you, as shown by the ’27′ on the left in the photo below.
Ours…
After the meal, we went to hunt for the apartment so that we know the exact location when we have our luggage with us. After some searching and enquiring at a koban, we found Palacestudio Apartments. Ours was #905 (Apt 5 on the 9th floor).
getting a hotto kouhi in a can from a vending machine at the main entrance to the apartment building
an interesting product
We then headed to the Tokyo Metropolitan Goverment Building which was just a little further up on the opposite side of the road.
The view from the Observatory at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, also known as To-cho
bird’s eye view of Meiji Jingu and Yoyogi Park
We were quite fortunate to be able to see Mt Fuji in the distance
Shinjuku and beyond
around the observatory
Next, we headed to Subaru Shinjuku. It was a smalll showroom and housed only 2 cars.
getting a drink after Subaru Shinjuku
at Mosaic Street next to the West exit of Shinjuku Station
we bought our first item here, a mechanical pencil that looked like a wooden pencil
The second ranKing ranQueen store
Walked around the Takashimaya area before heading back to the hotel
We went back to the hotel to get our luggage at around 3.30pm and wheeled our luggages all the way to the apartment. It was a fair walk as we are still not familiar with the area and took the long way.
Next to the To-cho. The apartment building is further up on the right, with the higway at the front
Arrived and found our key inside the codelocked mailbox as per the agent’s instructions. Unlocked and found the key housed inside a keybox, which took a while to figure out how to open as there were no instructions. A little ironic that we managed to unlock and get the key but had problems opening the keybox.
a mochi from the convenience store before bed
(25 December 2008)
After 2-hours flight to Gold Coast and another 9 1/2 hours to Tokyo on Jetstar, we finally landed at Narita Airport. Left the house at about 4am and arrived at close to 8pm Tokyo time. Walking towards customs and baggage collection.
The arrival area was pretty ordinary, just like any other ordinary airports. Nothing out-of-this-world.
the train-shuttle to take us to the Main Terminal.
The officer who stamped my passport greeted me with a “Selamat petang” after seeing my Malaysian passport. After clearing customs and collecting our baggage, we queued to get the NEX (Narita Express) tickets.
Got our tickets and headed to the platform
another look back at the Terminal
waiting at the platform
Our train is the 20:39, which arrived on the dot, as 99.9% of the trains in Japan do.
On board the NEX
behind my seat
plenty of leg room
The ride to Shinjuku took approximately 1 1/2 hours, stopping at Tokyo station prior to Shinjuku. Getting off at Shinjuku…
Heading towards the West exit of Shinjuku station. Shinjuku station is huge. It is one of, if not the most, busiest train stations in the world. There are many different exits and one can easily get lost if they don’t put in effort to think about the directions. Just like the train system in Tokyo. It may seem overwhelming at first, but once you put in the effort to understand the system, it will turn out to be one of the most efficient train systems in the world. You hear that Melbourne?
In addition to these exits, there are South Exit, South East Exit, Southern Terrace Exit, New South Exit and probably more.
After checking-in at Nishi Shinjuku Hotel, we headed straight to the soba shop nearby, which we ate at 2 years ago. Soba de kudasai
Kee had this
and i had this
Tasty but the soba wasn’t hot enough. Returning the bowl and tray after the meal is the unspoken policy
and so begins our 3-week Tokyo journey…
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