Visiting Japan: Tokyo

Last month, I left this little blog with promises of more stories about my trip to Japan. Here are the highlights of my time spent in Tokyo (at the start and end of the trip):

- Arriving in the most incredible blue sky, sunshine and 29ºC heat in Tokyo a few hours after a huge storm. We were told this is often the case after a typhoon. 

- A jet lagged exploration of Shinjuku in order to find something to eat. The distractions of neons, loud music everywhere, crazy arcade games areas and amazing department stores delayed this a bit. I challenge anyone newly visiting Japan to walk into a Tokyu Hands department store and not ending up spending ages in there! It has got everything, from the cutest washi tape rolls to a Han Solo in carbonite ice cube tray (which somehow ended up in our suitcase...), and sport gear or wood work equipment in between. You have to see it to believe it!

- Walking into the most incredible food hall of the Isetan department store and feeling overwhelmed by the choice of amazing foods on display. I would say this is a 'must go' stop for any food lover. At the end of our trip, we indulged in some fantastic eclairs from the Pâtisserie Sadaharu Aoki stand in there. We chose two: matcha tea and blackcurrant/vanilla. They were some of the best eclairs I have ever eaten, so delicate in flavour and texture. I also found a few boxes of different grades of matcha tea, and a few great spices to bring back.

- Discovering the outside part of the Tsukiji Fish market with the help of our lovely local guide Midori. I was somehow glad she moved us along nicely because I could have spent hours stopping at every stall and trying every type of food. 

- Walking in the beautiful Hamarikyu gardens in the rain and spotting a young married couple being photographed.

- Finding a random place for dinner and ending up eating medium rare chicken skewers. We were looking for a place to eat and found an underground izakaya, sat at the bar and quite randomly pointed at things on the menu. It was all mostly chicken dishes. We had heard about chicken sashimi (raw thin chicken slices) being served in Japan so we knew it was a possibility this would happen. And we ate our medium rare chicken and never got sick. It was actually delicious and tender!

- Having our very own Lost in Translation experience by sipping cocktails at a table near the jazz singer at the New York Bar in Park Hyatt. We were actually lucky as we were sitted right by the window and had a stunning 52nd-floor night view of Tokyo. 

- Experiencing Shinjuku subway station, the busiest in the world, at rush hour. We actually had to make our way early in the morning to a train station where we could get a shinkansen (Japanese bullet train) to travel to Nagoya and then the country side via a smaller train. That morning, the idiom 'packed like sardines' made absolute sense to me. 

- Sitting in a first floor cafe at Shibuya Crossing and watching the huge crowds of people moving as one as soon as the light goes green (and somehow managing to never bump into each other!). It is quite fascinating. Plus, we got to see a group of people all dressed as Batman crossing the street. Just your casual day in the city then?

- Sipping a refreshing glass of yuzu juice at the Monocle Cafe in Hankyu Men's (a department store only for men, all 8 floors of it!). Discovering men's handbags are in fashion in Tokyo (yes, I said handbags, not satchels!).

- Deciding that grabbing a basket at Itoya stationary store was a good idea because I really needed all of the cute origami paper, washi tape and those very essential cat paper clips.

- Browsing the very beautifully designed Shibuya Publishing Booksellers shop. It has quite an interesting concept such as making books in-house (you can actually see it happening through the large glass wall at the back) and selling magazines and books directly from the source. I love reading but obviously had to browse a bit to find something I could understand. I eventually grabbed Curiosity and it ended up being a very good choice.

- Spending half a day in the Honkan Japanese gallery of the Tokyo National Museum. It was a great way to learn about the Japanese history and culture. On the way out, I was stopped by a group of school kids eager to chat with me so they could test their English. I asked them about their favourite food (ramen noodles was definitely a winning dish for all) and they asked in return so I explained I was French and mentioned croissants and pains au chocolat. This received a lot of 'oohs' and 'aahs'. We left after the necessary group shot taken by their teacher. 

- Staying at the amazing Claska Hotel. This was at the end of our trip and left such a good impression on us. It is very well designed and each room feels very unique (there are 4 styles by different designers). The hotel also has photography studios and shoots are held there almost everyday, it was clearly my idea of hotel heaven! When sitting in the hotel bar, you also get to see those guys being groomed and it is quite the fluffy show. They serve the most delicious French toast for breakfast and even when we had to leave at 'way too early' in the morning on our last day, we were given a plate of delicious 'sandwiches'. Those were actually fresh croissants stuffed with a savoury filling of lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and ham. So wonderful!

- Slurping some very delicious bowls of ramen noodles in Bigiya ramen shop (located in Gakugei-Daigaku in the Meguro area), one of the few ramen shops that use organic ingredients and no MSG. We could choose what we wanted from the vending machine at the entrance of the shop and hand out our ticket to the chef before seeing it being freshly made in front of us. I opted for a bowl of ramen with a delicious broth, slices of pork, a seasoned boiled egg and a dash of yuzu juice. It was so good we went back the next day for dinner. I haven't quite mastered the art of slurping noodles but with a bit of trying and more delicious bowls of ramen, I might get there!

- Leaving Tokyo for the airport at sunrise and getting to see the most majestic red sun sitting in the horizon. 

Next, I will give you my Kyoto highlights. There were definitely more food experiences there and hundreds of temple stairs climbed.