Posted by Jason.
After a loooooong evening of traveling on March 13th, we finally made it to our hotel in Tokyo at 1am. We used the Marriott points accumulated from our RTW trip and stayed at Price Sakura Tower, Autograph Collection. The hotel is close to the Shinagawa subway station. The room was beautiful with tons of space (especially compared to the tiny room we had in Sapporo) and it had a pretty decent view.
The next morning, we went to Uoriki Kaisen, a sushi bar, for breakfast. Uoriki Kaisen is located in the basement corner of the Tokyu Department Store next to Shibuya Station. The place is unassuming but it ended up being one of our favourite meals on this trip! We ordered a 10 piece nigiri set for 1,100 yen, a chirashi don for 1,000 yen, and an extra otoro (fatty tuna belly) for 300 yen. The price can't be beat and the fish was very fresh. We went again ten days later with Karbo's parents because we enjoyed it so much. I was torn about sharing this hidden gem on the blog because I like that we didn't have to wait long, if at all, for seats. However, it would be selfish not to share this find with our loyal readers, so I highly recommend it if you want to avoid the long line at Tsukiji Market, and pay little for a lot of good sushi.
After our delicious breakfast, we visited the Meiji Shrine near the Harajuku Station. Meiji Shrine boasts a very peaceful, serene walk in a tree-lined park. Hard to believe such a place exists in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Tokyo!
We also walked around Harajuku, which is the centre of Japanese youth pop culture. The main street Takeshita Dori is full of boutique clothing shops, snack shops, sticker picture (Purikura) arcades, and other random vendors. Harajuku was apparently too stimulating and we were exhausted after an hour. We went back to the comfort of our fancy hotel for the rest of the afternoon before heading out for a delicious dinner with our good friend, Annie, and her friend Diana.
Annie and her husband, Carson, are from Vancouver but moved to Tokyo in 2015 when Carson transferred to the Tokyo branch of his office. With a year of living in Japan under her belt, Annie had become quite the tour guide. We had a wonderful time at dinner and it was so nice to spend time with Annie and Carson throughout our visit to Tokyo.
We also walked around Harajuku, which is the centre of Japanese youth pop culture. The main street Takeshita Dori is full of boutique clothing shops, snack shops, sticker picture (Purikura) arcades, and other random vendors. Harajuku was apparently too stimulating and we were exhausted after an hour. We went back to the comfort of our fancy hotel for the rest of the afternoon before heading out for a delicious dinner with our good friend, Annie, and her friend Diana.
Annie and her husband, Carson, are from Vancouver but moved to Tokyo in 2015 when Carson transferred to the Tokyo branch of his office. With a year of living in Japan under her belt, Annie had become quite the tour guide. We had a wonderful time at dinner and it was so nice to spend time with Annie and Carson throughout our visit to Tokyo.
On March 15th, we went to the famous Tsukiji Market. Most people we know woke up around 3 or 4am to line up for a spot to watch the auction and then line up again at one of the uber popular sushi restaurants (Sushi Dai, Sushi Daiwa...etc). We love sushi, but we love our sleep more, so after some research we decided to "sleep in" until 7am and eat at Sushi Sei. I opted for the 12 piece Omakase for 3,600 yen, served 2-3 pieces at a time. It was definitely one of the best sushi I've had, if not THE best!
After sushi we walked around the outer Tsukiji market, which was a fun experience with all the different food vendors and neat little shops. A very small part of me wished I wasn't so full from all the delicious sushi I just ate, so I could eat more of all the food sold along the streets.
After sushi we walked around the outer Tsukiji market, which was a fun experience with all the different food vendors and neat little shops. A very small part of me wished I wasn't so full from all the delicious sushi I just ate, so I could eat more of all the food sold along the streets.
In our childhood, Karbo and I were both big fans of Japanese pop culture. One of the most famous Japanese anime series was Gundam (giant robots in a militaristic war setting). We knew we couldn't miss the life-size Gundam near Daiba Station! It was so cool to see it in person, we both squealed.
The statue is outside DiverCity Mall, located in a newly developed area outside of Tokyo city centre. The area was a breath of fresh air (literally).
The statue is outside DiverCity Mall, located in a newly developed area outside of Tokyo city centre. The area was a breath of fresh air (literally).
After lunch at Tempura Tenmatsu near Mitsukoshi Mae Station, we headed over to Narita Airport to pick up Karbo's parents, who joined us for the next 10 days in Japan. I picked an Airbnb apartment in Shinjuku near all the bars and questionable night clubs. Not sure if it was the most suitable neighbourhood for the parents but they seemed quite entertained by it all haha!
The next day we left Tokyo for Takayama. Stay tuned for our post on our Ryokan experience :)
The next day we left Tokyo for Takayama. Stay tuned for our post on our Ryokan experience :)