Tokyo, Japan 2014: Mata ne, Tokyo!

After four times of saying “Ohayou, Tokyo!” out loud, I had to say “Mata ne, Tokyo!” on morning of November 28 as I took the first shinkansen trip from Tokyo to Osaka. I left Tokyo with the knowledge that, someday soon, I will come back and check out the places I wasn’t able to. Tokyo Disneyland, perhaps. Maybe have a HanaDan moment at Ebisu, or go around Ropponggi. Darn, I haven’t even gone around Shinjuku! And, most importantly, I have to climb Mt. Fuji. THAT is an absolute must. So never a “Sayonara~”, just “See You Again~”.

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JapanEats: Okonomi Yukari (Akihabara)

Japan is quite possibly the WORST place to be for anyone who’s dieting. It’s a good thing that word does not exist in my vocabulary. Imagine having to restrain yourself from giving your palate a workout when you’re in the land of the most amazing (and appetizing-looking) sweets, takoyaki, all kinds of sushi, taiyaki, and okonomiyaki, to name a few. It’s a crime, I tell ya. A crime, which is a punishment in itself.

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Tokyo, Japan 2014: A Dip at Akihabara

If I could sum up Akihabara in a couple of phrases, it would include “geek heaven” and “fanboy(girl) trap”. Oh, and you could also throw in “gachapon” in there for good measure. If I were a gaming addict or a hardcore anime fan, I’d say Akihabara – shortened to “Akiba” – deserves all four of my four-day stay in Tokyo. As it were, the few hours I got to spend in the area (and only a small part of it, too!) were already overwhelming, at least to me.

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Tokyo, Japan 2014: Ye olde Tokyo, Asakusa

From the Imperial Palace, we proceeded to Asakusa. where vestiges of “old Tokyo” can be found. This was a must-see on the itinerary I drew up, and I even devoted an entire afternoon for it. But since it was included in the Tokyo Morning Tour of HatoBus that we went on, I scrapped it from the list. The result? I was left wanting more.

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Tokyo, Japan 2014: Tokyo Tower and the Tokyo Imperial Palace

Remember when I went all the way to Kawaguchiko just to get a glimpse of Fuji-san? And failed because of the weather? Well, guess what. I managed to see Fuji-san. From Tokyo. All the way from the main observation deck of the Tokyo Tower.

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JapanEats: Ramen @ Ikebukuro – Kohmen

Even after sampling Ikebukuro ramen the previous evening at Tairyuken Tokyo Ebisu, I did not give up on my hopes of sampling Kohmen ramen. It took some walking in the cold and drafty evening, and some disorientation, but I had my eureka moment and immediately set about having a taste.

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JapanEats: Ramen @ Ikebukuro – Tairyuken Tokyo Ebisu

During my Tokyo trip, I opted to stay in the Ikebukuro area, which is a good decision, methinks, because it gives you easy access to everywhere. I only wish I had more time to explore the area, though, because it turns out to be quite huge (and has a lot to offer). One of them…. is that “cure-for-the-mother-of-all-hangovers”: ramen. And I first had my taste of Ikebukuro ramen at this small place called Tokyo Ebisu.

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