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skijay's Journal
On our second day, we awoke to beautiful blue sunny skies, a welcome sight after huddling under umbrellas the day before in the miserable Tokyo downpour. James was feeling a lot better, though he is probably not going to have raw fish for a while. We set out with only two missions in mind (Well, in my mind anyway) - to shop at Muji, and to eat crepes (Those from the Niseko trip will remember "Crazy crepes, des!" from Sapporo).
Muji is my favourite store ever in Tokyo, for two reasons - it is so cheap (last season's gear is all 1995 per piece, which equates to a measly 23 bucks), and such good quality (cashmere wool knits, beautiful classic colours...) Oh and I have to add a third reason - they all fit me! All year we have refused to set foot in Australian stores to buy work or smart casual clothes, even at sale time, because of this yearly trip to Muji.
Muji didn't disappoint this year, although all the tops seemed to be V neck knits, and I couldn't find a jacket that I liked. Still, I managed to clear out with three knit tops, three singlets, two pairs of pants, a hat and a new bag, all for about $350. V did pretty well too, with three new work shirts, two jackets, and a jumper.
After leaving Muji heaven, we had a late lunch at a gorgeous little hole-in-the-wall "fish restaurant" serving excellent quality grilled tuna, mackerel and other fish. V and I opted for the raw tuna on rice, which also came with a fish tartare. Really reasonable at about $10 - Whoever said Tokyo was expensive obviously hasn't been here!
We spent the afternoon wandering through Harajuku again. This is where the young fashionable kids hang out, and the gear reflects it - it's hip, up to the minute fashion, and cheap! Young girls walk around in Little Bo Peep outfits, or the other popular look is something called "Punk Gothic Lolita" - let your imagination fill in the blanks! Harajuku is where you can get crepes as well - We had crepes filled with cream, chocolate icecream, chocolate sauce and nuts. Yummy!! There is possibly nothing better in the world than wandering through Harajuku while window shopping, crepe in one hand!
We then walked down to Shibuya, and encountered our first crazy person in Japan, and possibly one of the craziest people I've seen (apart from my patients, of course). She was a young girl with unkempt hair, and by this I mean it hadn't been blow dried into salon perfection like all the other girls in Japan. First of all she kicked a witch's hat several times, very savagely, until it fell over. Then she looked around, and ran across the road even though the little man was red. Later we saw her again, kicking a rubbish bin. She was very scary, and I felt like I was in a horror movie for a while, as I kept imagining that she was round the corner and about to kick the s*** out of me! You don't see much behaviour like this in Japan, unless people are drunk, and even when they are drunk they politely collapse in a heap outside their restaurant and are helped home by their friends, or they elegantly vomit in a corner.
In Shibuya I gave in to going to Shibuya 109, which is a department store catering only to females, all nine floors of it. It's a pretty scary place, overwhelming, loud, in your face. It was here that I discovered I have a size M butt in Tokyo! I'm still getting over it.... I bought a great pair of SIZE MEDIUM jeans for about $55 (couldn't squeeze my fat butt into Size S, and forget about the XS...!!!) and gave up after that as it was all too much trying to communicate with the over helpful staff who follow you to the fitting rooms and wait outside to see if you have the right size, and they hand you your garments one by one.... Oh yes, and for those of you thinking that all clothes in Japan are this cheap, don't be fooled by my bargain hunting... Clothes in normal department stores are desperately unaffordable (jeans for $400, boots for $500....) but if you know where to look, you can find great deals...!
We ended the night at an izakaya, which is a Japanese pub. This is nothing like pubs in Oz, and Chuji in Melbourne (a so-called Izakaya) is an extremely poor representation of what an izakaya really is. Think wood panelling, rice paper screens, private booths and tatami rooms for everyone (So that you can get drunk in privacy!) and mood lighting, plus jazz music and attentive waiters (to order more food, you just press a buzzer) and a great selection of affordable and yummy food, and of course, drinks.... This concept would soooo work in Melbourne, and I don't know why no-one has done it... We went to a franchise called Zawatami, and it was worth the 20 minute wait. You take your shoes off and place them in a locker and take the wooden key to your table. For drinks, you can choose from varieties of sake, beer in various sizes (a "daijoki" or largest size beer is 500 mls), shochu, and chu hi's (Shochu plus soda and flavourings like blueberry or grapefruit...yum!) Drinks cost about $5 for a 500ml beer or a large Chu hi. For food, it's snack sized to go with drinks, and we had the best yaki soba I've ever had, gyoza, fried chicken, yakitori or skewers, Japanese savoury pancake, grilled beef tongue, and V"s choice - HORSE SASHIMI. Yep, you heard it right - Raw horse meat. It actually didn't taste too bad, once you got over the fact that... I won't go on about it any more, but sufice to say, V is feeling a bit under the weather today and refuses to admit it, but I think it was the raw horse meat that did it...
We had a really enjoyable, boozy night out, and the bill came to under $50 per person for lots of great food and drinks. Yep it definitely makes a difference from eating at Ling Nam as per usual, as yummy as Ling nam is! We took the train home, along with millions of Japanese, who were still out and about even though it was 11:30pm on a Monday night. This city never sleeps! It was like rush hour Melbourne ... As we headed home I bade goodbye to one of my favourite cities in the world, Tokyo. I will miss the bright lights and the energy, the endless entertainment, the cuteness of it all, the convenience, and the joys of fabulous food and drink in one of the most exciting cities in the world. I will miss the way it works so efficiently and so elegantly, and how beautiful everything looks because of the attention to detail that is put into every aspect of life, no matter how small. I know living here is extremely stressful for Japanese, and I don't know if I would enjoy being a citizen here, especially being a woman and knowing what girls endure here. But being a traveller in Tokyo is simply a delight.
On our way home from the train station, we stopped outside a little club near our hotel (which, as you may remember, is located in the gay district of Tokyo...) Well, we didn't know it was a club at first, it was just a little shopfront with a giant butterfly in the window, over a big rainbow, and a little row of elephants at the top... and a sign saying "Extra World". When we got closer, the unmistakable sound of happy house music was pumping from behind the closed doors... I refused to enter, but V opened the door, and was greeted by a loud and enthusiastic "IRASHAIMASE!!!!", a ubiquitous greeting in Japan (every time you walk in a shop you are greeted by this - translated as "WELCOME TO OUR HONOURABLE CUSTOMER!" or something of the sort). It was hilarious - I almost peed in my pants laughing. Fortunately the boys decided to shut the door and hurry down the street! ha ha!
Watch this space for updates on the snow...!!
Muji is my favourite store ever in Tokyo, for two reasons - it is so cheap (last season's gear is all 1995 per piece, which equates to a measly 23 bucks), and such good quality (cashmere wool knits, beautiful classic colours...) Oh and I have to add a third reason - they all fit me! All year we have refused to set foot in Australian stores to buy work or smart casual clothes, even at sale time, because of this yearly trip to Muji.
Muji didn't disappoint this year, although all the tops seemed to be V neck knits, and I couldn't find a jacket that I liked. Still, I managed to clear out with three knit tops, three singlets, two pairs of pants, a hat and a new bag, all for about $350. V did pretty well too, with three new work shirts, two jackets, and a jumper.
After leaving Muji heaven, we had a late lunch at a gorgeous little hole-in-the-wall "fish restaurant" serving excellent quality grilled tuna, mackerel and other fish. V and I opted for the raw tuna on rice, which also came with a fish tartare. Really reasonable at about $10 - Whoever said Tokyo was expensive obviously hasn't been here!
We spent the afternoon wandering through Harajuku again. This is where the young fashionable kids hang out, and the gear reflects it - it's hip, up to the minute fashion, and cheap! Young girls walk around in Little Bo Peep outfits, or the other popular look is something called "Punk Gothic Lolita" - let your imagination fill in the blanks! Harajuku is where you can get crepes as well - We had crepes filled with cream, chocolate icecream, chocolate sauce and nuts. Yummy!! There is possibly nothing better in the world than wandering through Harajuku while window shopping, crepe in one hand!
We then walked down to Shibuya, and encountered our first crazy person in Japan, and possibly one of the craziest people I've seen (apart from my patients, of course). She was a young girl with unkempt hair, and by this I mean it hadn't been blow dried into salon perfection like all the other girls in Japan. First of all she kicked a witch's hat several times, very savagely, until it fell over. Then she looked around, and ran across the road even though the little man was red. Later we saw her again, kicking a rubbish bin. She was very scary, and I felt like I was in a horror movie for a while, as I kept imagining that she was round the corner and about to kick the s*** out of me! You don't see much behaviour like this in Japan, unless people are drunk, and even when they are drunk they politely collapse in a heap outside their restaurant and are helped home by their friends, or they elegantly vomit in a corner.
In Shibuya I gave in to going to Shibuya 109, which is a department store catering only to females, all nine floors of it. It's a pretty scary place, overwhelming, loud, in your face. It was here that I discovered I have a size M butt in Tokyo! I'm still getting over it.... I bought a great pair of SIZE MEDIUM jeans for about $55 (couldn't squeeze my fat butt into Size S, and forget about the XS...!!!) and gave up after that as it was all too much trying to communicate with the over helpful staff who follow you to the fitting rooms and wait outside to see if you have the right size, and they hand you your garments one by one.... Oh yes, and for those of you thinking that all clothes in Japan are this cheap, don't be fooled by my bargain hunting... Clothes in normal department stores are desperately unaffordable (jeans for $400, boots for $500....) but if you know where to look, you can find great deals...!
We ended the night at an izakaya, which is a Japanese pub. This is nothing like pubs in Oz, and Chuji in Melbourne (a so-called Izakaya) is an extremely poor representation of what an izakaya really is. Think wood panelling, rice paper screens, private booths and tatami rooms for everyone (So that you can get drunk in privacy!) and mood lighting, plus jazz music and attentive waiters (to order more food, you just press a buzzer) and a great selection of affordable and yummy food, and of course, drinks.... This concept would soooo work in Melbourne, and I don't know why no-one has done it... We went to a franchise called Zawatami, and it was worth the 20 minute wait. You take your shoes off and place them in a locker and take the wooden key to your table. For drinks, you can choose from varieties of sake, beer in various sizes (a "daijoki" or largest size beer is 500 mls), shochu, and chu hi's (Shochu plus soda and flavourings like blueberry or grapefruit...yum!) Drinks cost about $5 for a 500ml beer or a large Chu hi. For food, it's snack sized to go with drinks, and we had the best yaki soba I've ever had, gyoza, fried chicken, yakitori or skewers, Japanese savoury pancake, grilled beef tongue, and V"s choice - HORSE SASHIMI. Yep, you heard it right - Raw horse meat. It actually didn't taste too bad, once you got over the fact that... I won't go on about it any more, but sufice to say, V is feeling a bit under the weather today and refuses to admit it, but I think it was the raw horse meat that did it...
We had a really enjoyable, boozy night out, and the bill came to under $50 per person for lots of great food and drinks. Yep it definitely makes a difference from eating at Ling Nam as per usual, as yummy as Ling nam is! We took the train home, along with millions of Japanese, who were still out and about even though it was 11:30pm on a Monday night. This city never sleeps! It was like rush hour Melbourne ... As we headed home I bade goodbye to one of my favourite cities in the world, Tokyo. I will miss the bright lights and the energy, the endless entertainment, the cuteness of it all, the convenience, and the joys of fabulous food and drink in one of the most exciting cities in the world. I will miss the way it works so efficiently and so elegantly, and how beautiful everything looks because of the attention to detail that is put into every aspect of life, no matter how small. I know living here is extremely stressful for Japanese, and I don't know if I would enjoy being a citizen here, especially being a woman and knowing what girls endure here. But being a traveller in Tokyo is simply a delight.
On our way home from the train station, we stopped outside a little club near our hotel (which, as you may remember, is located in the gay district of Tokyo...) Well, we didn't know it was a club at first, it was just a little shopfront with a giant butterfly in the window, over a big rainbow, and a little row of elephants at the top... and a sign saying "Extra World". When we got closer, the unmistakable sound of happy house music was pumping from behind the closed doors... I refused to enter, but V opened the door, and was greeted by a loud and enthusiastic "IRASHAIMASE!!!!", a ubiquitous greeting in Japan (every time you walk in a shop you are greeted by this - translated as "WELCOME TO OUR HONOURABLE CUSTOMER!" or something of the sort). It was hilarious - I almost peed in my pants laughing. Fortunately the boys decided to shut the door and hurry down the street! ha ha!
Watch this space for updates on the snow...!!
3 Comments
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skijay
on 25 Feb 2007
Timbo - yeah we did try the sushi bar at 109 - that's where James got his food poisoning from?!
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Timbo
on 21 Feb 2007
Did you guys check out the sushi bar at 109?
Its mad the way they have tanks of fish and chop them up for you on the spot. Doesn't get much fresher than that!
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moxie
on 20 Feb 2007
thanx for the wonderful shopping guide! can't wait to shop at Shibuya 109... OMG 9 floors of ONLY womenswear- UNBELIEVABLE.
hmm...i don't think i'm going to try the horse sashimi... that's so bad.
Don't forget to post some pics for us to see. :)
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