The Japan (Winter) Diaries - Day One
December 28, 2016
After crashing early, I woke up early on Wednesday, December 28, ready to start exploring my favorite place once again: Japan.
First things first, my daily pilgrimage of visiting 7-Eleven. The hotel I stayed in last time had breakfast included, but not this one and at the time, I wasn’t prone to skip on breakfast. I grabbed onigiri and one of the many bottled hot coffees they offer in the winter time; I love coffee and trying new things, especially new coffee. This new coffee of the day was called Blendy; it wasn’t straight black coffee, but coffee with what I thought was just the right amount of milk.
After picking up a quick breakfast, to the subway station I went, heading for Asakusa and Skytree. I did a little walking from the station to Skytree, but that allowed me to enjoy the beautiful, crisp and sunny winter weather and explore the streets leading up to the tower, lined with houses and businesses decorated for the New Year.
Sumida Park was on the way, a rather small and empty park at that hour. I stopped by just to see the bonsai trees.
At Skytree, it was still rather early so the lines were luckily very short. I got my ticket and headed up to the 350m viewing deck (although now I am wishing I would have went all the way up!). With floor-to-ceiling glass windows making a 360 view around the level I was on, you could see some amazing sites of Tokyo and beyond! Especially on a clear day like that day; I was able to see Mt. Fuji, snow-capped in the distance! On my last trip to Japan, I did Tokyo Tower and it was unfortunately not clear enough to see Mt. Fuji from.
There is a shopping center connecting to the base of Skytree that I ventured to after descending, in search of the Skytree Pokemon Center I had heard about. I shopped a little upon finding it, picking up a couple souvenirs and stopping for lunch of udon!
Even though I went to Senso-ji temple on my last visit, it’s one of those places that I will stop by again and again because it’s one of my favorites. Being relatively close to the Skytree area, and closer to the train station I originally got off of, I strolled from Skytree, back to the area. The path leading up to the main temple, Nakemise-dori, is lined with stalls selling souvenirs, sweets, snacks and my favorite, green tea ice cream. It’s the oldest temple in Tokyo and the prettiest, in my opinion, with it’s bright red exterior and view of Skytree in the distance.
Of course, no matter how cold it was, I didn’t pass up the opportunity for matcha ice cream from one of my favorite stalls. And not even five minutes after finishing my ice cream, I got taiyaki — a fish-shaped cake with a filling on the inside; I got matcha filling, because I was obsessed with matcha at the time and I also can’t stand red bean paste, a usual filling for taiyaki.
Next stop since I was nearby, the Kabuki theatre in Ginza. But I sadly found out that they were closed until January 2. I also made a stop by Laduree on the way back to the station; a place I couldn't resist if I am in the same city. Maybe that’s why I’m burnt out on macarons now…
Harajuku and Takeshita-dori was next on the list, even though I had visited here last time; I love the area, just like everyone else, and couldn’t go the trip without visiting again and spending a little more time, with thankfully slightly smaller crowds. I wandered down Takeshita, stepping into the Daiso (the equivalent of a dollar store) and also getting crepes. It was my first time to try crepes and I got the one with matcha (obviously) ice cream and matcha whip cream, vanilla whip cream, and cheesecake inside. I liked it at first but I couldn’t finish it; it was sooooooooo sweet!
More shopping/browsing. Then, to Akihabara, and to a kaiten sushi (conveyor belt sushi) restuarant. I ate my share of salmon, tuna, toro, and octopus, glad to be back in the land of cheap and quality sushi. Despite eating as much as I wanted, I still didn’t feel quite full, so I stopped by 7-Eleven on my way back towards my hotel; I got curry and onigiri, and the basil & cheese-flavored Pretz for a snack.
My first day back in Japan literally consisted of getting my favorite sweets and other favorite Japanese food, and visiting some of my favorite spots. Not a bad first day.
Highlight(s) of the Day
seeing Mt. Fuji from Skytree
Favorite Food of the Day
Udon!
But the toro I had for dinner melted in my mouth, so it’s a close second
Favorite Snack/Sweet of the Day
matcha ice cream
matcha taiyaki
Favorite Drink of the Day
Blendy coffee
Where to next?
