Tokyo: Monday, 11/4
We were all up veerrry early. This was actually great, because we could all shower and get ready for the day without having to rush. Nothing really opens in Tokyo till 10 or even 11, so we could take our time. Andrew went out and got some pastries from a place called Precious Coffee Moments. Greta breathed into the nebulizer. I ignored my own growing cough.
Mid-morning, we took the subway to Harajuku to see the Meiji Shrine. It’s a beautiful walk through a park to get to the shrine. Sadly, I was unable to buy a temple book for stamps there--which means I’ve now been to the Meiji Shrine twice and have yet to get a stamp there (I was unsuccessful ten years ago, too). We wandered around for a bit, then got a snack from a food cart outside the shrine. I got a pork bun (delicious) and the girls got these weird chewy rice cakes coated with soy/honey on skewers (not delicious).
Next we set out for Takeshita Street, which is exactly what you imagine when you think of Tokyo. It’s a long street packed with food stalls, shops, photo booths, animal cafes, and candy shops. We took just a few steps down the street and stopped so the girls could buy heart-shaped sunglasses. Then we spotted a big gachapon store called Picnic and made a beeline for it. Gachapon machines are capsule machines--but the toys offered in the capsules are much nicer than gumball machines in the US. They’re intended to be collectible, and most gachapon fans are adults, not kids. The girls were in their glory. I’m not saying we went to Japan BECAUSE of gachapon machines, but they were definitely a highlight. This store did not disappoint. The girls selected a bunch of capsules.
Next up: a teacup poodle cafe, which is just a room where you can pay to pet and play with teacup poodles. It was crowded. People were waiting to get in. The puppies were adorable. Is this a place you’d imagine when you think of something being “up to code” or “humane” by US standards? It is not. But when in Tokyo, etc. Our forty minutes of puppy heaven cost $50.
After walking the rest of the way down Takeshita, we went to an okonomiyaki (cook your own omelets / noodles) place for lunch, called Sakura Tei. This was actually a little stressful, because the scorching-hot cooking surface took up most of the tabletop and the girls were trying to open up all their capsules. Still fun though.
We visited the Togo Shrine next, which was situated above an enormous koi pond. I bought a temple book there and had it stamped. Then the girls got kawaii ice cream at Eiswelt Gelato, the cutest ice cream cones ever.
Next up (because we pack our traveling days full; you know that by now) we walked to Shibuya. It was not picturesque, near train tracks and construction, etc. It was also a long walk. Eventually we reached Shibuya, where we crossed at the famous Shibuya Crossing. Then we went to the top of the Magnet Shibuya building to view the crossing from above. By this point, we were feeling pretty tired. We’d had plans to go to the amazing Kiddyland toystore, but instead we headed home.
We had dinner near our hotel at a dumpling restaurant called Gyoza It. Perfect end to the day, though by this point I was coughing more than ever.
Mid-morning, we took the subway to Harajuku to see the Meiji Shrine. It’s a beautiful walk through a park to get to the shrine. Sadly, I was unable to buy a temple book for stamps there--which means I’ve now been to the Meiji Shrine twice and have yet to get a stamp there (I was unsuccessful ten years ago, too). We wandered around for a bit, then got a snack from a food cart outside the shrine. I got a pork bun (delicious) and the girls got these weird chewy rice cakes coated with soy/honey on skewers (not delicious).
Next we set out for Takeshita Street, which is exactly what you imagine when you think of Tokyo. It’s a long street packed with food stalls, shops, photo booths, animal cafes, and candy shops. We took just a few steps down the street and stopped so the girls could buy heart-shaped sunglasses. Then we spotted a big gachapon store called Picnic and made a beeline for it. Gachapon machines are capsule machines--but the toys offered in the capsules are much nicer than gumball machines in the US. They’re intended to be collectible, and most gachapon fans are adults, not kids. The girls were in their glory. I’m not saying we went to Japan BECAUSE of gachapon machines, but they were definitely a highlight. This store did not disappoint. The girls selected a bunch of capsules.
Next up: a teacup poodle cafe, which is just a room where you can pay to pet and play with teacup poodles. It was crowded. People were waiting to get in. The puppies were adorable. Is this a place you’d imagine when you think of something being “up to code” or “humane” by US standards? It is not. But when in Tokyo, etc. Our forty minutes of puppy heaven cost $50.
After walking the rest of the way down Takeshita, we went to an okonomiyaki (cook your own omelets / noodles) place for lunch, called Sakura Tei. This was actually a little stressful, because the scorching-hot cooking surface took up most of the tabletop and the girls were trying to open up all their capsules. Still fun though.
We visited the Togo Shrine next, which was situated above an enormous koi pond. I bought a temple book there and had it stamped. Then the girls got kawaii ice cream at Eiswelt Gelato, the cutest ice cream cones ever.
Next up (because we pack our traveling days full; you know that by now) we walked to Shibuya. It was not picturesque, near train tracks and construction, etc. It was also a long walk. Eventually we reached Shibuya, where we crossed at the famous Shibuya Crossing. Then we went to the top of the Magnet Shibuya building to view the crossing from above. By this point, we were feeling pretty tired. We’d had plans to go to the amazing Kiddyland toystore, but instead we headed home.
We had dinner near our hotel at a dumpling restaurant called Gyoza It. Perfect end to the day, though by this point I was coughing more than ever.
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