Day 15: Mooching about Kappabashi, Akihabara, Shibuya and Shinjuku.
Day 15: Mooching about Kappabashi, Akihabara, Shibuya and Shinjuku.
27 May 2017
This morning up at a bit after sparrows (for a change: feet starting to cane a bit in my case but I have been a very brave soldier and not moaned at all, not once*) Breakfast at Tully’s coffee (obviously health food and dietary fibre) before a quick mooch to the Shinjuku park to see what was what. Families on a weekend trip out mostly so we binned it and took on the tube to Kappabashi, kitchenware town. Checked this out briefly last week but only scratched the surface!
There are hundreds of shops lining one street selling everything you could possibly want for either a home kitchen or a professional restaurant. The range of stuff was incredible. Especially knocked out by the shops selling the fake food/meal shops used by lots of restaurants to advertise their menu. You can get anything from a piece of fake sushi right up to a full fake wedding cake. With prices to match: a piece of sushi is around £20!
Two other shops really stood out. First was one selling chopsticks not only of every size, shape and material but just about every price range. £600 ivory chopsticks anyone? It was like being in Ollivander’s but for chopsticks instead of wands. They also let you make your own but we were struggling for the time to do that. Next time – definitely on the itinerary.
(Much much later note: The shop is called Hashitou and they have an online store https://hashitou.co.jp. We bought some chopsticks for our niece's 18th birthday from there - very friendly and helpful if you fancy buying something - 海宝さんたち、どうもありがとうございました)
The second was one of the knife shops whose knives would have not only required yet another mortgage but also an option on your first born child. There was an artisan sharpening them for people; I’ve seen this on video but in person it just shows you how little you know. Utterly fascinating. By the time he’d finished one it was probably as sharp as Death’s scythe. Didn't take any photos though, annoyingly.
Bought a few bits and pieces (including a nice wooden nigiri triangle mould) then off to lunch at Jonathan’s. We like Jonathan’s. We might have said. The food is good, it's not overpriced, Tracey can drink many iced coffees and get hyped up on caffeine and I can drink my own body weight in Melon Soda and then bounce off the walls like a small child on a Skittles Rush. (Mind you not as hyped up as the Mario Cart Racers we saw everywhere. That looks fun and insanely dangerous in approximately equal parts!)
Tracey had a healthy power salad and I had omuraisu for the first time and I now have a permanent "flash-bulb" memory of eating this; it was SO good! The combination of rice wrapped up in an omelette does sound weird. Ok, it is a bit weird. But it's bloody good and nowhere near as stodgy as I thought it would be. Absolutely one of my favourite meals in Japan and another one to have a go at once we get back home, although not when I'm cooking for us both as I don't think Tracey was convinced by its charms.
Buzzy from the sugar/caffeine fix we quick-marched off to my choice of Akihabara. On purpose this time. It looks stereotypically Japanese and genuinely is geek heaven. Shops selling nothing but cables, collectable model shops with amazing miniature works of art at eye watering prices and even a shop selling collections of Pez dispensers.
But the goal was Super Potato! Been wanting to visit it since I saw it on a YouTube video and it didn’t disappoint. Retro games of every persuasion packed into every available nook and cranny. Given that I used to work for Virgin Games Centres during the Megadrive/Super Nintendo boom in the UK it was like a flashback and an Aladdin’s cave all in one. If my lottery numbers come up, I'm back with a tow truck!
Pochi made friends – both plushy and human.
Prised away from geek central we pootled back to Shibuya crossing to actually complete a walk across it this time (Tracey!).
Bit of searching and Google Mapping later (it was still garbage) and we managed to find the statue of Hachiko. (忠犬ハチ公!)
Made sure I got my photo of Hachiko (requires a shed load of patience and some elbows as he’s a popular doggy) then on to the Disney store to see what it was like. Claustrophobic is what it it’s like – very narrow spiral staircase and packed to the gunwals with overexcited teenagers. Binned it relatively quickly.
Off to Tower Records to try and track down a DVD or BluRay of Takako Matsu’s 2003 concert. Bit obscure in the UK. Turns out, bloody obscure in Japan too. Poor girl I eventually asked about it would have looked less perplexed if I'd asked for a lightly toasted swan. She did her best to track it down but I think the swan would have been a fraction easier. Ah well, I tried. There's always Amazon.jp! (Late note: no there isn’t – it’s out of stock there too. Anyone got a copy they want to lend me? No? Thought not.)
Back to the hotel on the tube. Did you know there were special cars that miss stations but need a reserved seat on the tube? Good for you then, but we didn't. Until the ticket inspectors turned up. Ok, I said I would play the dumb gaijin card once on this trip and this was it. No sorry, I don't speak Japanese. Really? A reserved car? So sorry. Yes we will get off at the next stop (we were going to anyway). Very nice of you Mr Inspector thank you. Oops!! Haven't been in trouble with a train ticket Inspector since about 1986. Allegedly.
Picking up some blister plasters from a chemist (did I mention I've been very brave) we went back to the hotel for a quick change then out again for tea.
Bit of déjà vu as the locals were carrying the shrines around here tonight and waking up the God by shaking them. Looked great fun and a bloody good excuse for a drink up! Tried again to find a restaurant but many were heaving with the festival goers so we gave up and went back to last night’s ramen place. Very good value and incredibly filling, even without the all you can eat rice bowl!
The rest of the evening was filled with parties, nightclubs and late night bars.
If you are 20.
We however are doing some laundry in the hotel while I write this. There comes a point in your life when clean underwear is more important than doing shots.
Actually, we haven't quite reached that point yet, but we are knackered and I have run out of pants and t-shirts. Did drink quite a bit of sake though while we were waiting which helped.
Anyway, tomorrow is, as they say, another day.
Specifically Sunday.
*this may or not be true. Mostly not.
Overview
Hotel
Food
- Jonathan's for lunch
- Omuraisu
- Ramen, beer and sake
Overview
Food
- Jonathan's for lunch
- Omuraisu
- Ramen, beer and sake