Tokyo Day 8 - 24 Nov 12

Went to Yoshinoya for breakfast. Yoshinoya is the largest beef bowl restaurant chain in Japan. In recent years, they faced strong competition from Matsuya and Sukiya. Not surprisingly, you will find Yoshinoya in other Asian countries including Singapore. However, the ones sold in Singapore pales in comparison to the ones in Japan. I have only eaten Yoshinoya thrice in Singapore and each time left disappointed with the food.

Char Grilled Beef Bowl   480 Yen   Rating: 4.5/5

But nothing beats eating it on it's home turf. The char grilled beef with plenty of onions is comfort food at it's best. Cheap and good.

 

Asahi Beer Headquaters with the famous golden sculpture which is designed by French designer Philippe Starck, although not all the Japanese people were impressed though, as it is known as the poo building to some.

As it was raining the last we visited Sensoji and since we had to do a transfer here, we decided to come here earlier to take more photos, evident by the lack of pedestrians and closed shops.

Innovative ways of providing water for washing your hands at Sensoji Temple

This is the Tokyo Dome City which consists of an amusement park, spa complex and shopping center. The roller coaster ride called Thunder Dolphin is the 6th tallest in the world. Seems really tall to me though.

Boys in baseball kit. Baseball is a very popular game in Japan and many youngsters are engaged in that sport.

From Tokyo Dome, we walked to Koishikawa Korakuen for the Autumn colors and it was a really beautiful garden. It's one of the oldest garden in Tokyo having been built in the Edo period. I believe that it has been spruced up over the years as it certainly does not look old.

You will find many beautiful scenery at every turn and the tranquility early in the morning, far away from the maddening crowd provided solace and respite.

More photos of the autumn. We spent a coupe of hours walking though this garden. Time well spent.

Passed by Tokyo Dome on the way to the station

Deep Fried Eel Bones   Rating: 3.5/5

 First course of the set we took at Hitsumabushi Bincho which is located in Ginza Tokyu Hands Building. This is deep fried eel bones. Crunchy and light salted, works well as an appetizer.

Roasted Eel with teriyaki sauce   Rating: 5/5

Roasted eel in teriyaki sauce was superb. The eel at this joint is roasted with bincho charcoal. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. Really superb unagi only the Japanese can do.

Salad   Rating: 4/5

Ceaser salad it is not, but it was equally delish. Love the bits of cut lemon in it. Something different indeed. And who say vegetables are boring!

Tofu   Rating: 3.5/5

Simple dish of tofu

They have english menu and instructions. Do ask for them if you are Japanese illiterate like me.

Hitsumabushi   Rating: 5/5

Finally the piece de resistance, the Hitsumabushi, which means to eat in stages. The way to eat this is to divide the bowl into 4 parts. Eat the first part on its own, the second with toppings of chopped spring onions and nori, the third with a broth. For the forth, eat it base on your preference.

Lime Sherbert   Rating: 3.5/5

 Finished off with a sherbert.

 

This is the most expensive meal of our trip, however it is an experience which we did not regret trying.

From Ginza, it's a short train ride to Roppongi Hills where the 10m tall gigantic spider sculpture called Maman is located. It's designed by French-born artist Louise Bourgeois. If you look carefully, you will notice eggs made with marble within the spider's body.

Next up we went to the iconic Tokyo Tower. Even with the Skytree being built, Tokyo Tower is still very popular. When we were about to leave, the queue stretched all the way outside the building.

It was a clear day and we went up to the first observatory which is 150m high.

Picture of Zojoji Temple which we did not visit due to time constraint.

A glass covered opening which was not frightening at all, except to some. ;)

Just could not resist the crepes in Japan and this one is a branch of the Harajuku Marion Crepes. The 2 girls running this joint is really kawaii.

Tokyo Tower beautifully lit at night.

With the night upon us, we went to Akihabara or Akiba as it is commonly called by the Japanese people.

My first taste of Calpis.

Heard a lot about ChocoCro and their chocolate croissant, but this turned out to be a disappointment. Maybe the fact that it's not fresh out of the oven?

Rows of toy vending machine! Gashapon as they are commonly called in Japan dispense capsule filled toys and these toys are normally part of a series.

There are many maid cafes in Akihabara and the above shows an advertisement for one of them. While walking the streets, we encountered more than 10 girls, most dressed in maid costume, promoting their respective cafe.

For dinner, we ate at the Kyushu Jangara Ramen. Typical of most ramen joints, you need to purchase a ticket via a vending machine. 

Kyushu Jangara Ramen   Rating: 3.5/5

Was waiting to be wowed by the ramen since it is one of the more famous one in Akihabara, but turned out to be so so. Perhaps my expectations were set too high. This ramen just did not gel with us or perhaps the cook had an off day?

Spotted a cute van selling crepes. Watched the guy making the crepe. Looks good but we just had our dinner.....

Picture of the famous Akihabara escalators.