I am writing while traveling along the Shinkansen (bullet train) line from Tokyo to Kyoto. I purchased a JR Pass, which lets you have unlimited travel over a 14 day period. I purchased the green car pass (first class), so I am riding in luxury (reclining seat, etc) as we shoot across Japan at nearly 200 mph. There isn’t free wifi, but my iPhone hotspot works on global pass. Pretty awesome! And now, on to day 3 of the trip.

I got a really great night of sleep after being utterly exhausted on Day 2 of the trip. I got up to get breakfast and coffee and spent a few hours catching up on emails from work (boo) and researching things to do in Tokyo (yay). Around 11:00 local time, we finally headed out for the day.

The first thing we did was take the metro train south from Shinjuku to Shibuya (still Tokyo).

Shibuya owns claim to one of the busiest intersections (with humans) in Tokyo. The combination of people and highly decorated (with TV screens, neon signs, etc) makes for a very energetic atmosphere. If you like busy, energetic cities, you will love Tokyo, and Shibuya.

It was a rainy day and everyone carries umbrellas. Stylish umbrellas are pretty common, including ones that are transparent.

Thanks to the 6’4 Chinedu for taking the picture above the crowd for me.

It was already lunch time by the time we made it to Shibuya, and we happened to overhear someone walking out of a restaurant say “I take everyone here”. That was enough for us, so we headed down. We were treated to a fantastic lunch of Chinese food. Writing about food is not my forte, but it was awesome (including the un-pictured dumplings).

 

As I mentioned before, there are vending machines everywhere. What’s cool is that they actually have both cold (expected) and hot (surprise!) drinks in the same vending machines. Since it was cool and rainy, we got a quick canned coffee (yes you read that correctly) from a vending machine before heading on.

We called ahead and managed to get a reservation for 3pm at the Sakurai Japenese Tea experience. A few metro trains and a 15 minute walk and we found ourselves in the peaceful harmony of the tea house.

I found the tea experience to be extremely relaxing, especially coming from the hustle and busyness of Tokyo. The view from the window was beautiful, and the tea was enjoyable. With the experience, we were able to select one tea and a small sweet snack (made with bean paste). The tea I selected was “very Japanese”, and I enjoyed it. We also got a small plate of little sweet treats that were very good, and then a roasted tea. Our tea maker was fun to watch. She was extremely precise with our tea making as she ensured the water was the perfect temperature, and as she poured our tea with precision with just the right grip on the china cup to ensure every drop was delivered perfectly.

We were not supposed to take photos, but I am from America, and I had to take a few anyway. They aren’t very good but at least I remember being there. 🙂

The best part of the experience was sitting, relaxing, and enjoying the tea process. We were there for roughly an hour and a half, and it was a very rejuvenating experience.

We took the train back to Shibuya and walked from there towards Shinjuku. It was a nice walk through the city at night. We even ran across the Mario Kart tour along the way.

And then it started raining pretty hard and we all ended up fairly wet. Because of that, we decided to hit a metro station and ride the train back to the hostel. I love that Tokyo has some many interesting little spots, like this green piping above an escalator in a small, random metro station. Attention to detail never lacks in Japan.

We went back to the hostel in Shinjuku to rest and dry off for a few hours. I got a good hour nap in as well, which was much needed. Jet lag is tough to shake sometimes.

There is a famous alley in Tokyo called Omoide Yokocho. This translates to “Memory Lane”. The locals call it “Piss Alley”. It is a narrow set of alleys that is filled with small Yakitori (grilled meats) shops and bars. We headed over there for dinner.

This gives you an idea of how small the restaurant actually is. The blond haired woman is the bar owner I mention, and she has her back to the street right behind her.

We actually had a great time at the little shop. We had several Sake and made a few friends sitting next to us. One, a self-proclaimed “famous dentist” said this was the best bar in all of Tokyo. Who knows… but there was another bar owned from a few blocks away there eating and drinking, so maybe its true.

Meeting people is often the most fun part of the trip. The dentist helped me learn how to correctly order more Sake. “Sakemotto o kudasai”.

We also passed my bar, the Brian Bar, which has a second floor. Good to know.

Tokyo is great at night.

You may have thought Godzilla was just a movie idea but I assure you that you are wrong. He is very real. Evidence, here.

This is a great place to mention that I find the Japanese people and culture to be simply amazing. They seem to be constantly good-spirited, fun, happy, and patient… all while living in an environment that is often shoulder-to-shoulder. People are friendly, welcoming, forgiving, understanding and generous in every case.

After dinner and Sake, we headed over to another historic area of Tokyo that is a few minutes from our hostel called “Golden Gai”. Its one of the few places that has survived WWII air raids, earthquakes, fires, and the like. There are literally little bars everywhere. We looked around for one that didn’t have a cover and were invited in by a lively group of travelers from France, Australia, and a few other places I’ve forgotten.

They had a nice selection of different Japanese Whiskeys.

We made friends with the group from France and hopped to another bar with them. It wound up being a late night. We finally arrived back at the hostel around 3am. If you don’t have self-control, you could spend your entire night out in Tokyo. Most places don’t close until 5 or 6am.

We, however, are responsible adults and had an 8am train to catch, so we called it a night. I will be back in Tokyo for about 48 hours before heading back home, and will likely revisit Piss Alley and Golden Gai. It was a great time, and is not to be missed.

Cheers!