whimsical*girl

Day 9, 6/5 Sun

The day being our final day in Tokyo, we decided to hit the salon after much contemplation. I did a perm while Serene had a cut. Though my curls lasted a mere 1-2 months, the nature of most Japanese hair fixes, the salon had great head massages I must say! We went our separate ways after that, as Serene had to meet a friend at Ikebukuro and I didn't want to tag along as we've been there several evenings back.

I opened the map and pointed to Roppongi. By foot, it seems near enough.

As with most cities, an urbanite can expect similar from Tokyo. The last few days were spent roaming the different neighborhoods, which is pretty much shopping and eating. So I thought I'd just compile under one post on some special mentions in each.

Day 6, 3/5 Thu

We made a day trip to Hakone (箱根).

Day 5, 2/5 Wed

No doubt I have favourited many places in Tokyo, the Aoyama-Omotesando stretch is my favourite for walking tours, more so for Aoyama (青山).

The streets of Aoyama are quaint, have some of the most interesting architectural buildings in Tokyo and is home to many international brands. It has the air of its neighbour Omotesando (表参道), less the crowd. A good place to wander and get lost, whilst stumbling upon delightful surprises at every turn. Nothing I could or would afford without burning a hole in my pockets, but I was happy simply walking through these streets. I'll leave you with the pictures.

Day 4, 1/5 Tue

Getting up at 5AM in the wee hours in the morning was impossible - and so we wouldn't be able to make it to the Tsukiji Fish Market Auctions. As early as we could drag ourselves out, it was already 7AM when we reached Tsukiji (築地).

The Tsukiji Fish Market was divided into 2 areas - outer and inner market. The outer market was filled with rows and rows of seafood and dried goods retailers. Navigating through the lanes soon brought us to a small shrine, marking the crossing into the inner market. The inner market which hosts the fish auction was huge and barren, as the action had long ended and best fishes snapped up. Instead we were greeted by a scene of suppliers busy truck-loading their early morning catches ready to be delivered to the retailers. The market was still very much alive though, from the constant whizzing of motor fish carts.

Our main agenda, however, was to find fresh delectable sushi. Following the ever reliable guidebook, we found what we set out for - Daiwa Sushi (大和寿司) tucked away in one of the old warehouse buildings by the inner market. There was already a long line of people waiting. We joined in the wait which lasted for well over an hour before it was finally our turn. The minute the first piece of sushi melted into my mouth, I knew it was well worth. Never have I tasted such fresh sushi in my life! OISHIIIIIIII!!! It was a satisfying brunch and also the highlight of Tsukiji for me.

Note - Daiwa has the Omakase, a fool-proof chef's set packaged for those who want to have a taste of goodness but clueless of what to order.

ps. As I recount, it's almost 3 years since. To my never ending Japan travelog!

Day 2, 29/4 Sun

Harajuku 原宿

The day started with a failed attempt to find the Harajuku Weekend Market. Must have had a really bad sense of directions to have missed out on such a large-scale marketplace.

And so we settled for Takeshita-dori, a prime shopping street of Harajuku which brims of young tokyolites and cos-players (people dressed as characters from Japanese animes). The stretch consisted of individual shops selling idol goods, clothing and accessories. Our attention, however, was channeled at a store called Northerly, that carries wide and pretty assortment of lingerie. Laces, satin, crystals, plus the affordibility... which girl could resist! We were very happy girls by the time we left, bags full of shopping.

My long overdue Tokyo travelogue, which was laid as raw drafts all this while, but never got to the finishing. So here I am in an attempt to stitch back the fuzzy memories of the trip.