Day 5: Shinjuku, Odakaya, Apa Hotel Asakusa-Kuramae, Akihabara
Day 5: Shinjuku, Odakaya, Apa Hotel Asakusa-Kuramae, Akihabara
17 May 2017
Went to Shinjuku today and did both extremes. Takashimaya (basically Selfridges) followed by McDonalds, (basically...well, McDonalds. But with Teriyaki burgers. Which are ace).
Yuka we found Takashimaya! You're not joking it's a bit good. Tracey bought a yukata.... The kimono were a bit expensive (north of several thousand pounds). And it turns out that Camper have Japanese designers and do bags as well as shoes. Never seen those anywhere before Tracey might have hyperventilated. But £120 a bag.... Might need to look at these later in the trip.....
Off to Shinyuku to find Okadaya...
Yuka Isaacs! 由花さんのせいですよ!Okadaya is 5 floors of fabric and five other floors of fabric accessories. 何万時間かかりました。どうもありがとうございます。We have taken out a second mortgage to pay for the buttons and fabric a certain excited someone bought! This is only just joking - who in their right mind spends £60 on buttons!?!
Quick jaunt to Akihabara (on purpose this time) for a bit of a mooch round in the evening. Didn't find Super Potato but it would have been closed anyway so didn't try very hard*. Definitely Geek central although seems to also be Maid Cafe central too! No strangely enough, didn't go into one. Tracey did get a new phone case though so all good.
Bit of a detour on the way back as Tracey "David Livingstone" Rowe decided to get off the tube at some random stop instead of Asakusa Kuramae. Queue a trek round Asakusabashi. Swearing. Did find a busy ramen restaurant down a back street though that was awesome and remarkably cheap too. So... Win!
Much Later Note: The restaurant is called 餃子の王将 (Gyouza King) and it's a chain with loads of restaurants around this part of Japan. Here's the website: https://www.ohsho.co.jp/english/ It became one of our favourite places to eat, especially in Sendai in 2018. Go. I thoroughly recommend it!
Ten day camel hike back to hotel.
For the record, Google maps is bloody useless if you are walking. Half the time it can't place you accurately and even when it does it's a struggle to follow it properly.
Rant over.
*Spoiler alert - we do come back and we do find it later in the trip. In case you were worried.
Overview
Hotel
Food
- McDonalds Teriyaki and Chicken Burgers
- Coffee and Coke
- Ramen and Gyouza
- Beer and Sake
Overview
Food
- McDonalds Teriyaki and Chicken Burgers
- Coffee and Coke
- Ramen and Gyouza
- Beer and Sake