We had a lot of event planned for this trip.
Between Cafe's and store doing Collab events there was only one thing where i would have been genuinely upset had we not been able to work it out.
In Osaka there was a gallery for the creator of Natsume Yuujinchou and a focus on the 15 year old series.
I bought tickets for this month ago.
So when we finally got to this place which is only about an hour away from Osaka i knew we had to do it ASAP (also cause the gallery closes tomorrow but ignoring that). We woke up at a decent time and the whole group traveled to Osaka for a day trip.
We split off almost immediately and enjoyed our show.
Just as excepted it was worth every penny, so many of her originals were up on display. You could see things that had been cut off but cropping or places where she made a mistake or changed her mind and made it work.
You could see her style evolve over the course of the 15 years and it just made me wanna sit down and draw.
It wasn't a huge exhibit but we spent an inordinate amount of time looking closely at the work cause what's the chance we'll get to see something like this again.
Then came the gift store where I spent only 3 bucks more then i had expected to. When i get him I'm debating having some of these items framed since they are very nice.
After that we went to check a store for a collab event Marise was looking into but once again it was sold out... so we met up with the others and headed to "Denden town" (it's apparently a mini Akihabara)
There we managed to find a Namco store which had some of the Namjatown event items that had been sold out in actual Namjatown town (so i got the acrylic stand for yuuri and victor)
Then i saw a white Ys Vita in the wild and for 238 bucks it was almost worth it but i currently don't have space in my bag left... that being said if i see it in Tokyo on the way back.... i'll probably make room... i just don't wanna carry it all trip.
And then we headed back home to rest our tired feet.
Luckily (for my wallet) there are no more events till the 15th so we will be doing more traditionally touristy things. I know there's is talk of Imari shrine, Kiyomisudera, Nara and maybe Kobe... no idea if any of these will really happen but that is the plan.
Once thing i am sad about... i haven't been able to find anything falcom (besides the vita and a few games) anywhere.... i want some merch but the universe is saying no... oh well... i have a few weeks to keep trying.
Sunday, 7 May 2017
Saturday, 6 May 2017
Japan Day 6 - Farewell Fuji-san
I thought I would be a bit sadder leaving the Ryokan but honestly... the thought of a bed on the other side for this 4 hour trip sounds so enticing.
We woke up early, not because we needed to but because there was a window with no drapes on the floor and sunrise is around 4:50. However we used this time to take one final dip in the hot spring then got out stuff ready to leave.
The plan wasn't too complicated. We needed to catch a bus to a local town and then hope on the Shinkansen (bullet train)
I'll admit this was my first time on a bullet train and i was really excited to be on one. Honestly it was a bit like a roller coaster just with far more gradual rises and falls... my ears were popping the entire time but otherwise it was a comfy ride.
Before we knew it we were in Kyoto.
It was surprisingly different from both Tokyo and the town surrounding Fuji. It was both far more busy as far as cars are concerned but also a lot more abandoned building. Almost like it's half ghost town half old world charm. Also a lot of people walking around with really nice kimomos despite the dreary weather.
Luckily we arrived in kyoto early enough to walk around. We made our way to a tore called 0101 which was in the penultimate day of it's natsume event.
We ended up asking a lot of questions in broken japanese and the attendant was incredibly kind and even pulled up japan's version of google translate in order to communicate. At one point we were both asking questions through the phones. He kept saying Sumimasen (which is like the only word you need to know in japan as it's a hybrid of Sorry and Thank you and Can i bother you/ask for help) because he felt bad about the way we were communicating but in the end it was incredibly helpful.
After that we headed home just to be whisked away to dinner.... which was about a one minute walk from where we had just been.
We went to Coco Curry which was nice because it lets you control the level of heat... hell you can customize damn near every aspect. It was pretty tasty and because I could ask for ess rice I actually managed to finish my meal.
After that we just wandered a bit and then headed home. Tomorrow is the day i'm most excited for. Tomorrow we head to the Gallery in Osaka (which is still about an hour away but worth it) and it should be my final expensive day... it should also be the last day that my bag had a chance of getting heavier (i've been really good to far though)
I'll also hope to take more picture today, yesterday everything was just grey but hopefully we get some sun soon.
We woke up early, not because we needed to but because there was a window with no drapes on the floor and sunrise is around 4:50. However we used this time to take one final dip in the hot spring then got out stuff ready to leave.
The plan wasn't too complicated. We needed to catch a bus to a local town and then hope on the Shinkansen (bullet train)
I'll admit this was my first time on a bullet train and i was really excited to be on one. Honestly it was a bit like a roller coaster just with far more gradual rises and falls... my ears were popping the entire time but otherwise it was a comfy ride.
Before we knew it we were in Kyoto.
It was surprisingly different from both Tokyo and the town surrounding Fuji. It was both far more busy as far as cars are concerned but also a lot more abandoned building. Almost like it's half ghost town half old world charm. Also a lot of people walking around with really nice kimomos despite the dreary weather.
Luckily we arrived in kyoto early enough to walk around. We made our way to a tore called 0101 which was in the penultimate day of it's natsume event.
We ended up asking a lot of questions in broken japanese and the attendant was incredibly kind and even pulled up japan's version of google translate in order to communicate. At one point we were both asking questions through the phones. He kept saying Sumimasen (which is like the only word you need to know in japan as it's a hybrid of Sorry and Thank you and Can i bother you/ask for help) because he felt bad about the way we were communicating but in the end it was incredibly helpful.
After that we headed home just to be whisked away to dinner.... which was about a one minute walk from where we had just been.
We went to Coco Curry which was nice because it lets you control the level of heat... hell you can customize damn near every aspect. It was pretty tasty and because I could ask for ess rice I actually managed to finish my meal.
After that we just wandered a bit and then headed home. Tomorrow is the day i'm most excited for. Tomorrow we head to the Gallery in Osaka (which is still about an hour away but worth it) and it should be my final expensive day... it should also be the last day that my bag had a chance of getting heavier (i've been really good to far though)
I'll also hope to take more picture today, yesterday everything was just grey but hopefully we get some sun soon.
Friday, 5 May 2017
Japan Day 5 - Disclaimer
This country is called Land of the rising sun for a reason, the sun rises and then stays in the sky for far too long and far too hot.
Oh well.
There wasn't much planned for our only full day in the town at the base of Mount Fuji so once again we ended up splitting up.
Matt, Colin, Cristian and Ambernay went to visit the wind cave and Marise and I headed towards the other side of the lake to head to a Museum.
It was about an hours walk but the view was lovely and worth it.
Along the way we actually came across something called the "Gem Museum" and i'm a big fan of rocks so we took a small detour. It was 600 yen (about 6 bucks) to get in and they had some really cool high quality Gemstones as well as some interesting things done with gems from all over the world.
The ended up having some of the largest geodes and ammonite specimens i've ever seen. Also some massive pieces of petrified wood. Won't lie I did buy something from that store (i would call it a gift shop but it felt more like the store was the focus and the exhibit was additional.
Still with that mall detail out of the way we made our way to the bridge that would help us cros the lake It gave us a stunning view of Mount Fuji
We ended up on the side of the bridge where the sidewalk ended so we took a small detour under the bridge in order to get to the other side, there was a shrine on top of a steep walkway. I didn't have to guts but Marise said it was a nice little shrine.
Then we continued down the path and eventually made our way to the Ichiku Kubota Art museum and this was great. We knew he was mostly famous for his Kimono's but the museum was so much more then that.
You are greeted by an attendant who can help you is many different languages. Handed an english pamphlet (but there were at least 4 other choices) and explained the layout of the museum.
The gift store had both Ichiku styles as well as Fuji specific souvineers. But for now we went to a side room which had a lovely exhibit of another artist who used colours in way that just made me smile. We weren't allowed to take any pictures but when i get back i'll scan the pamphlet i got.
Next was the bead exhibit where you are greeted with your choice of warm or cold drink then escorted to a patio area with the perfect view of Mount Fuji.
This is where you see his inspiration really went further then just Japan and it was very interesting.
Finally the main show, the Kimonos. Ichiku was famous for being inspired by a lost art and after spending 20 years to figure out how it was done he then spent the rest of his life working on Kimonos. Each one taking about a year to complete. We know all this cause they brought us to a room and played an english video for us.
The kimonos really were amazing but again no pictures and even if they had been allowed it wouldn't be able to convey what we saw in person.
After al that we went outside and enjoyed the foot path because this artist had designed everything to be stunning and i was able to take pictures of that.
After that we made our way back. We however needed lunch so we stumbled into a place that specialiesed in udon and Soba and dug in.
Then we had to cross the bridge... the only Robles this time was that the sun was high in the sky and angry. Even though i lathered up it didn't matter I still ended up a tomato.
On the other side of the bridge our mission was clear. We hunted for some ice cream. This wasn't hard as no matter where you looked someone was serving it. The place we happened to pick had three flavours. Vanilla, Lavender and Mixed.
So i decided why not and got a mixed cone and it was surprisingly nice. It was thankfully very subtle so it wasn't like eating perfume.
Then before heading to the Inn we tried to find a bunny shrine but we ended up failing that adventure.
Finally we headed back to the inn and hoped dinner old be edible (it wasn't really but i'm also far too picky)
And thus the only full day we are spending in Fuji comes to an end.
Tomorrow we have a decent length ride on the bus in order to get to the Shinkansen (bullet train) that'll bring us to the next place. (Which will be another few hours... but hopefully it's nice and comfy.)
At least the next place should be the end to any large purchases for me. I've gotten all my souvenirs taken care of. Now i just need to go to one final collab event and the gallery i bought tickets for months ago. I'm not going to lie i'm still super excited for it.
Should have wifi in the next place but may not so for now... signing off!
Oh well.
There wasn't much planned for our only full day in the town at the base of Mount Fuji so once again we ended up splitting up.
Matt, Colin, Cristian and Ambernay went to visit the wind cave and Marise and I headed towards the other side of the lake to head to a Museum.
It was about an hours walk but the view was lovely and worth it.
Along the way we actually came across something called the "Gem Museum" and i'm a big fan of rocks so we took a small detour. It was 600 yen (about 6 bucks) to get in and they had some really cool high quality Gemstones as well as some interesting things done with gems from all over the world.
The ended up having some of the largest geodes and ammonite specimens i've ever seen. Also some massive pieces of petrified wood. Won't lie I did buy something from that store (i would call it a gift shop but it felt more like the store was the focus and the exhibit was additional.
Still with that mall detail out of the way we made our way to the bridge that would help us cros the lake It gave us a stunning view of Mount Fuji
We ended up on the side of the bridge where the sidewalk ended so we took a small detour under the bridge in order to get to the other side, there was a shrine on top of a steep walkway. I didn't have to guts but Marise said it was a nice little shrine.
Then we continued down the path and eventually made our way to the Ichiku Kubota Art museum and this was great. We knew he was mostly famous for his Kimono's but the museum was so much more then that.
You are greeted by an attendant who can help you is many different languages. Handed an english pamphlet (but there were at least 4 other choices) and explained the layout of the museum.
The gift store had both Ichiku styles as well as Fuji specific souvineers. But for now we went to a side room which had a lovely exhibit of another artist who used colours in way that just made me smile. We weren't allowed to take any pictures but when i get back i'll scan the pamphlet i got.
Next was the bead exhibit where you are greeted with your choice of warm or cold drink then escorted to a patio area with the perfect view of Mount Fuji.
This is where you see his inspiration really went further then just Japan and it was very interesting.
Finally the main show, the Kimonos. Ichiku was famous for being inspired by a lost art and after spending 20 years to figure out how it was done he then spent the rest of his life working on Kimonos. Each one taking about a year to complete. We know all this cause they brought us to a room and played an english video for us.
The kimonos really were amazing but again no pictures and even if they had been allowed it wouldn't be able to convey what we saw in person.
After al that we went outside and enjoyed the foot path because this artist had designed everything to be stunning and i was able to take pictures of that.
After that we made our way back. We however needed lunch so we stumbled into a place that specialiesed in udon and Soba and dug in.
Then we had to cross the bridge... the only Robles this time was that the sun was high in the sky and angry. Even though i lathered up it didn't matter I still ended up a tomato.
On the other side of the bridge our mission was clear. We hunted for some ice cream. This wasn't hard as no matter where you looked someone was serving it. The place we happened to pick had three flavours. Vanilla, Lavender and Mixed.
So i decided why not and got a mixed cone and it was surprisingly nice. It was thankfully very subtle so it wasn't like eating perfume.
Then before heading to the Inn we tried to find a bunny shrine but we ended up failing that adventure.
Finally we headed back to the inn and hoped dinner old be edible (it wasn't really but i'm also far too picky)
And thus the only full day we are spending in Fuji comes to an end.
Tomorrow we have a decent length ride on the bus in order to get to the Shinkansen (bullet train) that'll bring us to the next place. (Which will be another few hours... but hopefully it's nice and comfy.)
At least the next place should be the end to any large purchases for me. I've gotten all my souvenirs taken care of. Now i just need to go to one final collab event and the gallery i bought tickets for months ago. I'm not going to lie i'm still super excited for it.
Should have wifi in the next place but may not so for now... signing off!
Thursday, 4 May 2017
Japan Day 4 - Changing the scenery
I laughed when Matt casually mentioned that we would have to wake up early to catch the bus... however all week i had been waking up at 5 so that wasn't really an issue.
Still my body decided to be extra cruel and woke me up at 4.... oh well.
But yes Today was the final day in Tokyo, we were heading to our first Ryonkan (hot spring hotel) of this trip. Right at the base of Mount Fuji.
So we got up, cleaned up and made sure we left nothing behind before saying farewell to Bram (whom we will meet up with later) and catching our 3ish hour bus at Tokyo Station.
Now waking up at four has some interesting side effects... one being ability to nod off on the bus... I couldn't stay awake to save my life but I also couldn't sleep because of lack of comfort.
Still the ride was beautiful and we arrived a few hours before chec in time.
After wandering around we found a tempura place and i think we all exclaimed how good everything was with everything we tried. It wasn't even terribly expensive and i managed to eat my whole plate of food (which i did partially because i worry that the ryokan dinner will be too odd for me to eat)
After we were done we were able to check in and do the most important thing you can do when going into a hot spring hotel... take a bath.
Verdict is..... it's nice...
I kind of exprected it to get hotter... but it was enjoyable.
After the bath we chilled till dinner which was... well a challenge.
Traditional Ryokan meals focus a lot of texture more then taste and i am the pickiest eater you have probably ever met.
I did try some new stuff... crab for one but for the most part i just ate what i figured i could stomach.
Apparently breakfast tomorrow should be an adventure as well.
We are staying here another night (which actually is a bit sad... it's nice to see mount Fuji but at the same time everything in the area is super expensive and other then that food place it hasn't been worth it... this hotel feels like it's trying so hard but it's just not what i expected and i would have rather had the extra day in Kyoto.
Still it's all good and tomorrow should be neat to walk around and in the end at least i wont be spending money... so that's good!
Alright... till tomorrow!
Still my body decided to be extra cruel and woke me up at 4.... oh well.
But yes Today was the final day in Tokyo, we were heading to our first Ryonkan (hot spring hotel) of this trip. Right at the base of Mount Fuji.
So we got up, cleaned up and made sure we left nothing behind before saying farewell to Bram (whom we will meet up with later) and catching our 3ish hour bus at Tokyo Station.
Now waking up at four has some interesting side effects... one being ability to nod off on the bus... I couldn't stay awake to save my life but I also couldn't sleep because of lack of comfort.
Still the ride was beautiful and we arrived a few hours before chec in time.
After wandering around we found a tempura place and i think we all exclaimed how good everything was with everything we tried. It wasn't even terribly expensive and i managed to eat my whole plate of food (which i did partially because i worry that the ryokan dinner will be too odd for me to eat)
After we were done we were able to check in and do the most important thing you can do when going into a hot spring hotel... take a bath.
Verdict is..... it's nice...
I kind of exprected it to get hotter... but it was enjoyable.
After the bath we chilled till dinner which was... well a challenge.
Traditional Ryokan meals focus a lot of texture more then taste and i am the pickiest eater you have probably ever met.
I did try some new stuff... crab for one but for the most part i just ate what i figured i could stomach.
Apparently breakfast tomorrow should be an adventure as well.
We are staying here another night (which actually is a bit sad... it's nice to see mount Fuji but at the same time everything in the area is super expensive and other then that food place it hasn't been worth it... this hotel feels like it's trying so hard but it's just not what i expected and i would have rather had the extra day in Kyoto.
Still it's all good and tomorrow should be neat to walk around and in the end at least i wont be spending money... so that's good!
Alright... till tomorrow!
Wednesday, 3 May 2017
Japan Day 3 - A Better Pace
Yesterday was too much, this was the one thing we all agreed on.
However since this was our last day in Tokyo without travel there were still 2 things we wanted to do.
Still today was going to be less intense no matter what.
We actually started the day by going to another nearby park Colin had seen on his map. The walk through the residential area was really pleasant and pretty quickly we saw the gate. Unlike the other park this cost 150 yen (about a 1.50 dollars) to get in and looked more like a rose garden then a park. Still it was cheap and we were here so why not.
The first thing we see is a rather large western style house with an equally opulent rose garden (with each type of rose seperate and labeled even if they weren't blooming just yet)
a little further in they had all kinds of flowers so i got a lot of reference material from that.
Then there was a little path to the side... and we found a rather large area that could be described as a park and a japanese garden. There was a huge pond with koi and lovey stone paths and even though it only took about 40 mins to go through there was a lot to see. It was the perfect way to start this relaxing day.
After heading back to the place and having a small bite to eat Marise and I headed out on another adventure alone. This time we headed to Tokyo station in order to get to the Eccentric Family cafe.
Truth be told i was worried we'd be turned away like we were last time we tried to go to a cafe without a reservation but i also knew this place was first come first serve... so why not try.
There was one minor hiccup we didn't account for.
Today was the official start of golden week which is a national holiday in japan. So the trains were packed and there was a sea of people at every stop. Also apparently people get more aggressive on holidays cause so far everyone had been extremely kind but now it was just a bit more forceful.
Still we headed out of the station and found the mall the cafe was in and let me tell you it was breath taking.
It was like a triangle with an open centre that goes 6 floors up. All elegantly designed and far to fancy to have an anime cafe.
Still we made our way to the 4th floor and found an attendant handing out numbered tickets.
The attendant started at 66 and we were 95 so we knew we had a bit of a wait ahead of us but we came for this place. No point in turning back.... then 15 to 20 minutes later we were being called.
Now I do know a little japanese but the one thing they never tell you in lessons is that Japanese people talk extremely quietly.... and they mumble... and they talk very quickly... and we didn't have anyone to help translate.
So the first thing he asked was. "We are running low on plush toys, do you want one? You have to buy it befor sitting down." This of course took a minute to get across but eventually we figured it out and Marise got one before we took our seat.
Then we got in line to order food. Marise got a beef bowl and i got the curry (which was a bit more tomato-y then i expected but still pretty good and sadly the closest thing to real food that i've had all week) and for drink Marise got then "Benten Cocktail" (which she let me try and i think it's hibiscus with lemon or Yuzu) and i got the frog in the well Latte (which was essentially a Matcha green tea latte which was so creamy and nice.
It was a lot more expensive then other cafes but i'm glad we went.
After the food was done we told them how delicious it was and went to the goods table.
I got a book am acrylic stand and a kyoto delicacy (because that is where the show is set) and a book that you apparently get stamped at shrines, i may not use it for that cause i'm just not sure but we will see if i figure it out.
We debated between going home for a rest but instead we figured just head to our final planned destination for the day. A store called HMM who were selling Natsume Merch.
I bought a lot and i regret nothing.... it all fits nicely in my bag... though this did bring my cup/mug cup up to 2 so i'm pretty sure i'll get scolded when i get back (mugs are dangerous i tell ya)
Luckily the store wasn't packed and we managed to do everything we needed to there in no time at all. We headed home and got clean and did laundry and just enjoyed the rest of the day. Slowly we all trickeled back in and told of our seperate adventures.
Tomorrow the format will change a bit. We are headed to a Ryokan at the base of Mt. Fuji and i'm pretty sure there is no wifi. So most likely i'll post any more updates when we get to the next place in a few days.
This trip had been a b;sat so far but i'll be honest im a bit worried about how golden week will be at Mt. Fuji... guess we'll find out.
However since this was our last day in Tokyo without travel there were still 2 things we wanted to do.
Still today was going to be less intense no matter what.
We actually started the day by going to another nearby park Colin had seen on his map. The walk through the residential area was really pleasant and pretty quickly we saw the gate. Unlike the other park this cost 150 yen (about a 1.50 dollars) to get in and looked more like a rose garden then a park. Still it was cheap and we were here so why not.
The first thing we see is a rather large western style house with an equally opulent rose garden (with each type of rose seperate and labeled even if they weren't blooming just yet)
a little further in they had all kinds of flowers so i got a lot of reference material from that.
Then there was a little path to the side... and we found a rather large area that could be described as a park and a japanese garden. There was a huge pond with koi and lovey stone paths and even though it only took about 40 mins to go through there was a lot to see. It was the perfect way to start this relaxing day.
After heading back to the place and having a small bite to eat Marise and I headed out on another adventure alone. This time we headed to Tokyo station in order to get to the Eccentric Family cafe.
Truth be told i was worried we'd be turned away like we were last time we tried to go to a cafe without a reservation but i also knew this place was first come first serve... so why not try.
There was one minor hiccup we didn't account for.
Today was the official start of golden week which is a national holiday in japan. So the trains were packed and there was a sea of people at every stop. Also apparently people get more aggressive on holidays cause so far everyone had been extremely kind but now it was just a bit more forceful.
Still we headed out of the station and found the mall the cafe was in and let me tell you it was breath taking.
It was like a triangle with an open centre that goes 6 floors up. All elegantly designed and far to fancy to have an anime cafe.
Still we made our way to the 4th floor and found an attendant handing out numbered tickets.
The attendant started at 66 and we were 95 so we knew we had a bit of a wait ahead of us but we came for this place. No point in turning back.... then 15 to 20 minutes later we were being called.
Now I do know a little japanese but the one thing they never tell you in lessons is that Japanese people talk extremely quietly.... and they mumble... and they talk very quickly... and we didn't have anyone to help translate.
So the first thing he asked was. "We are running low on plush toys, do you want one? You have to buy it befor sitting down." This of course took a minute to get across but eventually we figured it out and Marise got one before we took our seat.
Then we got in line to order food. Marise got a beef bowl and i got the curry (which was a bit more tomato-y then i expected but still pretty good and sadly the closest thing to real food that i've had all week) and for drink Marise got then "Benten Cocktail" (which she let me try and i think it's hibiscus with lemon or Yuzu) and i got the frog in the well Latte (which was essentially a Matcha green tea latte which was so creamy and nice.
It was a lot more expensive then other cafes but i'm glad we went.
After the food was done we told them how delicious it was and went to the goods table.
I got a book am acrylic stand and a kyoto delicacy (because that is where the show is set) and a book that you apparently get stamped at shrines, i may not use it for that cause i'm just not sure but we will see if i figure it out.
We debated between going home for a rest but instead we figured just head to our final planned destination for the day. A store called HMM who were selling Natsume Merch.
I bought a lot and i regret nothing.... it all fits nicely in my bag... though this did bring my cup/mug cup up to 2 so i'm pretty sure i'll get scolded when i get back (mugs are dangerous i tell ya)
Luckily the store wasn't packed and we managed to do everything we needed to there in no time at all. We headed home and got clean and did laundry and just enjoyed the rest of the day. Slowly we all trickeled back in and told of our seperate adventures.
Tomorrow the format will change a bit. We are headed to a Ryokan at the base of Mt. Fuji and i'm pretty sure there is no wifi. So most likely i'll post any more updates when we get to the next place in a few days.
This trip had been a b;sat so far but i'll be honest im a bit worried about how golden week will be at Mt. Fuji... guess we'll find out.
Tuesday, 2 May 2017
Japan Day 2 - Pushing the Limits
so for our first few days we are in tokyo... and wow there is a lot to do while we are here and today was another jam packed day and my feet hate me for it.
We woke up at 5 again, Some people feel that's early but it all seems to be the sleep schedular we are stuck with for now.
We did have a nice chance to relax and eat breakfast and plan the rest of the day.
However today was slightly different from yesterday, Marise and I would be going on an adventure alone.... in tokyo.... Ikebukuro to be precise.
Fun fact: I have little to no sense of direction... Marise is better but has never been here before so it's hard to get bearings.
So needless to say we got very very lost... but after a little adventure we eventually made it to our first destination.
Because Anniversary years are celebrated for popular shows Yu yu hakusho, Marise's favourite show, got a themed cafe.
Problem was it was reserve only and you had to be a member with the store... since google tranlate isn't the best so it sounded like there may be a way to in through general admittance if there was room... we went to test the theory.
Long story short no they really wont let anyone in even if the cafe was mostly empty... oh well we tried... and at least the 3rd floor shop to go with the cafe was open and marise got some mercy she wanted (though everything was a blind pull so that was more based on luck then anything else.
Next we headed to Namjatown.... getting to the store it's in is easy..... finding Namjatown itself is hard.
So as we are once again lost we see a store. "Tsutaya" it wasn't marked on the map as one of the stores with the collab goods from Yu yu hakusho but we figure why not give it a try.
Well they didn't have it, but they did have a banpresto draw for some Natsume yuujinchou glasses... and there was this really pretty glass that i hoped for and in the end i drew the proper letter. I was so happy!
After that we went back to finding Namjatown town and wow.... i know the description is "amusement park" and i had no idea how that could be in a mall but it was.
Now we went there for the Yuri on Ice Cafe... which we both though was like... a single ordering spot and then single eating area.
Turns out no, that's not what it is at all. See Namjatown town has all these mini food stalls and each food stall could have a chance of having one of the yuri on ice food items.
Both marise and i ended up getting the Katsudon Peroski for our lunch and then she got the Maccachin crepe for dessert and i got cake with the theme of love flag in it (I took a ton of pictures)
The thing about the crepe is first off it wants you to literally bite the head off a dog... which is pipped so adorably.... but then there is also strawberry syrup running thought the middle.... yeah i don't think they completely thought this through.
My cake was really good, simple spong but with layers of what i think was banana in between the layers.... the macaroons on the side were a bit dry but i don't expect patisserie level macaroons out of a little collab cafe.
After stuff our face with delicious treats we headed to the gift show where once again.... everything was blind pull.
Ok that's not entirely accurate.
There were some things like acrylic stands that could be outright bought but considering that it's nearing the end of the event there were only a few characters to pick from.
So i took a chance.
I got a few blind pulls for these exclusive namjatown yuri on ice things and a blind pull from the kiss cry set.
I just so happpened to get Yuuri, Victor, JJ (which i guess is kinda funny cause i'm canadian) and the kids cry was Yurio wearing the cat ears.
Honestly i don't think I could have picked it better myself lol.
After a quick stop to the neighbhoring pokemon centre (more so out of curiosity to see one then anything else.) we finally decided to wander back and try and meet up with friends. However it ha only been about half a day and our feet were already dying. Hopefully we would get to sit soon (spoilers no... no sitting)
We made our way to the Hachiko statue which had a large group of tourist around it taking pics. We didn't stay long and went to another Tsutaya that was marked on our map but alas it was all sold out of the Yu Yu Hakusho goods.
After that we went to Nakano broadway which is like a huge mall full of all kinds of goods (some second hand or rare) however by this point th pain in our feet was so bad it was hard to think and eventually we just tried to find a good plan to sit. (Ended up picking a McDonalds)
However our day was not nearly done yet! We still had a reservation for the Dragon Quest pub (Ludia's bar) and the best part? It's a standing bar : D
Still the food was great and the theming was really fun and again i took a ton of pictures. (Funnily though my camera still says i have 9999 shots left so.... yay~
We bought an obscene amount of food and ended up staring it semi family style... we accidentally ordered the wrong dessert (cause it's based on numbers) but it was a declicious mistake. And then after all that we dragged ourselves back home and proceeded to all pass out even though it was only like... 9.
I did manage to make it to 10 but just barely.
Tomorrow will be more chill... it has to be cause i can't keep up this pace.
The goal for tomorrow is go to HMM and the eccentric family cafe. Hopefully the start of golden week doesn't make either of those too nightmarish.
We woke up at 5 again, Some people feel that's early but it all seems to be the sleep schedular we are stuck with for now.
We did have a nice chance to relax and eat breakfast and plan the rest of the day.
However today was slightly different from yesterday, Marise and I would be going on an adventure alone.... in tokyo.... Ikebukuro to be precise.
Fun fact: I have little to no sense of direction... Marise is better but has never been here before so it's hard to get bearings.
So needless to say we got very very lost... but after a little adventure we eventually made it to our first destination.
Because Anniversary years are celebrated for popular shows Yu yu hakusho, Marise's favourite show, got a themed cafe.
Problem was it was reserve only and you had to be a member with the store... since google tranlate isn't the best so it sounded like there may be a way to in through general admittance if there was room... we went to test the theory.
Long story short no they really wont let anyone in even if the cafe was mostly empty... oh well we tried... and at least the 3rd floor shop to go with the cafe was open and marise got some mercy she wanted (though everything was a blind pull so that was more based on luck then anything else.
Next we headed to Namjatown.... getting to the store it's in is easy..... finding Namjatown itself is hard.
So as we are once again lost we see a store. "Tsutaya" it wasn't marked on the map as one of the stores with the collab goods from Yu yu hakusho but we figure why not give it a try.
Well they didn't have it, but they did have a banpresto draw for some Natsume yuujinchou glasses... and there was this really pretty glass that i hoped for and in the end i drew the proper letter. I was so happy!
After that we went back to finding Namjatown town and wow.... i know the description is "amusement park" and i had no idea how that could be in a mall but it was.
Now we went there for the Yuri on Ice Cafe... which we both though was like... a single ordering spot and then single eating area.
Turns out no, that's not what it is at all. See Namjatown town has all these mini food stalls and each food stall could have a chance of having one of the yuri on ice food items.
Both marise and i ended up getting the Katsudon Peroski for our lunch and then she got the Maccachin crepe for dessert and i got cake with the theme of love flag in it (I took a ton of pictures)
The thing about the crepe is first off it wants you to literally bite the head off a dog... which is pipped so adorably.... but then there is also strawberry syrup running thought the middle.... yeah i don't think they completely thought this through.
My cake was really good, simple spong but with layers of what i think was banana in between the layers.... the macaroons on the side were a bit dry but i don't expect patisserie level macaroons out of a little collab cafe.
After stuff our face with delicious treats we headed to the gift show where once again.... everything was blind pull.
Ok that's not entirely accurate.
There were some things like acrylic stands that could be outright bought but considering that it's nearing the end of the event there were only a few characters to pick from.
So i took a chance.
I got a few blind pulls for these exclusive namjatown yuri on ice things and a blind pull from the kiss cry set.
I just so happpened to get Yuuri, Victor, JJ (which i guess is kinda funny cause i'm canadian) and the kids cry was Yurio wearing the cat ears.
Honestly i don't think I could have picked it better myself lol.
After a quick stop to the neighbhoring pokemon centre (more so out of curiosity to see one then anything else.) we finally decided to wander back and try and meet up with friends. However it ha only been about half a day and our feet were already dying. Hopefully we would get to sit soon (spoilers no... no sitting)
We made our way to the Hachiko statue which had a large group of tourist around it taking pics. We didn't stay long and went to another Tsutaya that was marked on our map but alas it was all sold out of the Yu Yu Hakusho goods.
After that we went to Nakano broadway which is like a huge mall full of all kinds of goods (some second hand or rare) however by this point th pain in our feet was so bad it was hard to think and eventually we just tried to find a good plan to sit. (Ended up picking a McDonalds)
However our day was not nearly done yet! We still had a reservation for the Dragon Quest pub (Ludia's bar) and the best part? It's a standing bar : D
Still the food was great and the theming was really fun and again i took a ton of pictures. (Funnily though my camera still says i have 9999 shots left so.... yay~
We bought an obscene amount of food and ended up staring it semi family style... we accidentally ordered the wrong dessert (cause it's based on numbers) but it was a declicious mistake. And then after all that we dragged ourselves back home and proceeded to all pass out even though it was only like... 9.
I did manage to make it to 10 but just barely.
Tomorrow will be more chill... it has to be cause i can't keep up this pace.
The goal for tomorrow is go to HMM and the eccentric family cafe. Hopefully the start of golden week doesn't make either of those too nightmarish.
Monday, 1 May 2017
Japan Day 1 - Jet Lag
Waking up with the sun is normally not too bad.
However they really aren't kidding about that land of the rising sun.
The sun rises at 5 AM.... ugh.
Well needless to say I was a bit jet lagged still we had lots of things planned for the day and only so much time....
Well that's what i want to say but even though the sun rises early the stores do not. So Colin suggested we take a walk in the park.
I took lots of pictures.... none of which i can post yet because i was an idiot and forgot the cord.
So i'll post lots of pictures later~
But yeah the park was really pretty and they had this amazing park for kids and a water feature (that was currently dry but i can imaging it's very pretty when full.
And after that little adventure we headed back and got ready for the Ghilbli Museum.
And I don't have any pictures of that (cause they are not allowed) but i will say that it is one of the coolest museums i have ever gone to. Everything is perfect to it's theme and the design is incredibly whimsical.
If you are planning a trip to Japan this Museum then just remember it sells out for the month really quickly... and you have to book 3 months ahead.... but please do it, it is so cool. Also they have Apple ice cream on the roof and i can't even begin to describe how delicious it is.
After the museum the weather turned from bright and sunny to literal thunderstorm so our group split up. I was in the group that went to the FFXIV cafe.
However we still had about 2 hours before out reservation time so we decided to roam around akihabara.
We went to 2 different arcades and had the huge culture shock of people smoking inside.
We went to a Kotobukiya shop where i got some clear cards for natsume... i on;y bought two packs and I kinda wanna go get more cause they are so pretty.
And then we were off to the cafe.
At first i thought it would just be some gimmicky food but they really make a show of it.
First you are given one free drink (well free when you consider price of entry) and i picked the Chocobo fruit milk... it was really really tasty. After that there are themed meals... i ended up just getting a plate of smoked meat which was a bit small considering i hadn't eaten anything all day... but in the end it was really delicious. For dessert I had a "fat cat swiss roll" and again... very cute and very tasty.
However that wasn't the most interesting part of the cafe. Our friend beam had ordered Takoyaki (fried batter with Octopus) however because this was a bit of a joke dish we didn't know of of the takoyaki were actually filled with a big ball of Wasabii... and the fun thing was he knew which one had the green stuff... but he decided to eat it anyways cause he's a trooper.
After that adventure it was time for the two groups to meet up.
Asakusa temple was the meeting place and seeing this place lit up at night was breathtaking. It would have been nice to enter the temple itself but still i'm glad i got to see it like that.
After meeting up we headed to this okanamiyaki place nearby the temple which was utterly delicious BUT we had just come from the cafe and I was still really full. Oh well my friends helped me finish my portion.
Then we headed home and all proceeded to pass out from pure exhaustion.
At least tomorrow shouldn't be as jammed with stuff. Marie's and I are hoping to go to Ikebukuro and check out some little cafes and then maybe head over to Rappongi.
We'll see where the day takes us!
However they really aren't kidding about that land of the rising sun.
The sun rises at 5 AM.... ugh.
Well needless to say I was a bit jet lagged still we had lots of things planned for the day and only so much time....
Well that's what i want to say but even though the sun rises early the stores do not. So Colin suggested we take a walk in the park.
I took lots of pictures.... none of which i can post yet because i was an idiot and forgot the cord.
So i'll post lots of pictures later~
But yeah the park was really pretty and they had this amazing park for kids and a water feature (that was currently dry but i can imaging it's very pretty when full.
And after that little adventure we headed back and got ready for the Ghilbli Museum.
And I don't have any pictures of that (cause they are not allowed) but i will say that it is one of the coolest museums i have ever gone to. Everything is perfect to it's theme and the design is incredibly whimsical.
If you are planning a trip to Japan this Museum then just remember it sells out for the month really quickly... and you have to book 3 months ahead.... but please do it, it is so cool. Also they have Apple ice cream on the roof and i can't even begin to describe how delicious it is.
After the museum the weather turned from bright and sunny to literal thunderstorm so our group split up. I was in the group that went to the FFXIV cafe.
However we still had about 2 hours before out reservation time so we decided to roam around akihabara.
We went to 2 different arcades and had the huge culture shock of people smoking inside.
We went to a Kotobukiya shop where i got some clear cards for natsume... i on;y bought two packs and I kinda wanna go get more cause they are so pretty.
And then we were off to the cafe.
At first i thought it would just be some gimmicky food but they really make a show of it.
First you are given one free drink (well free when you consider price of entry) and i picked the Chocobo fruit milk... it was really really tasty. After that there are themed meals... i ended up just getting a plate of smoked meat which was a bit small considering i hadn't eaten anything all day... but in the end it was really delicious. For dessert I had a "fat cat swiss roll" and again... very cute and very tasty.
However that wasn't the most interesting part of the cafe. Our friend beam had ordered Takoyaki (fried batter with Octopus) however because this was a bit of a joke dish we didn't know of of the takoyaki were actually filled with a big ball of Wasabii... and the fun thing was he knew which one had the green stuff... but he decided to eat it anyways cause he's a trooper.
After that adventure it was time for the two groups to meet up.
Asakusa temple was the meeting place and seeing this place lit up at night was breathtaking. It would have been nice to enter the temple itself but still i'm glad i got to see it like that.
After meeting up we headed to this okanamiyaki place nearby the temple which was utterly delicious BUT we had just come from the cafe and I was still really full. Oh well my friends helped me finish my portion.
Then we headed home and all proceeded to pass out from pure exhaustion.
At least tomorrow shouldn't be as jammed with stuff. Marie's and I are hoping to go to Ikebukuro and check out some little cafes and then maybe head over to Rappongi.
We'll see where the day takes us!
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