It’s a long way to the top, if you wanna eat it all
Day 6, Tokyo: Sensō-ji (浅草寺) Temple in Asakusa, an Anime lover’s paradise in Akihabara & a visit to Harajuku.
BACKGROUND: This day marked our first real foray into the many temples and shrines around Japan. Starting off in Asakusa, we made the early morning trip to Senso-Ji Temple.
DESTINATION: Sensō-ji Temple in Asakusa, Tokyo. Little did we know that today happened to host a traditional shrine celebration! This was later on to be known as Sanja Matsuri (三社祭)- a traditional Shinto celebration in honour of the founders of the temple. The street just outside the entrance was absolutely packed with men and women decorated in special garment robes and more. There was also a sort of portable shrine in which a team of men were carrying on their shoulders amongst the sea of people. Drums were hit and the mass of participants took to the streets:
After the procession had made its way far from the entrance, we walked in. We immediately noticed on eye level that the grounds were covered with food and amusement stalls. Looking up a little higher, you’ll spot the beautiful multi-level pagodas surrounding the main temple. You’ve really got to see it in the flesh to really marvel at the beautiful architecture.
Exploring more of the temple foreground, you’ll walk through cute bridges into the gardens and ponds filled with koi and karp:
MEAL: Karage Chicken + Takoyaki for Brunch (Ha! What an excuse to get into the substantial food so early in the day :P). Can I just say, that my friend and I have not stopped missing the food stalls of Japan. We reminisce the tastes, the smells, the value for money and the accessibility. All produce is fresh and cooked right there, and the Karage Chicken and Takoyaki were no exception.
Now I’m all about the condiments. There’s nothing worse than having to suffer through a dry, flavourless piece of food, so if a place has sauce/toppings at an arm’s length- they’ve already earned some points even before I begin eating. And this is why I, particularly loved Japan.
Upon gorging on what was essentially fried chicken, fresh lemon slices as well as Japanese mayo, chilli mayo, barbeque sauce, wasabi mayo etc were sitting on the table; ready to be slathered on. Hello flavour town! And you guessed it, it took the chicken to a whole new level. The lemon juice brought some acidity and sourness to the slightly salty batter of the chicken and was quickly absorbed into the coating. Topping it off with some Kewpie mayonnaise…and we were truly considering just eating chicken for our entire meal. My god was it amazing. We still think about it to this day.
Moving onto the Takoyaki, which by the time we got to the stall, the batter had just been poured into the Takoyaki grill plate moulds. We saw the batter splash about, and then what we witnessed next made us want to cry with joy. The stall owners started dropping in HUGE chunks of fresh octopus tentacles into each mould and then proceeded to cover it with more batter. Yup, we knew we were getting our Yen’s worth, for sure!
Note that in Japan, most of the Takoyaki we sampled is cooked medium rare. Medium rare in the sense that the outside of the Takoyaki is slightly browned, solid and holds its shape. But as soon as you take a bite out of these bad boys, it breaks down into a thick goop of octopus, green onion and all the molten, tasty goodness of the Takoyaki batter. Don’t think for a second that this is undercooked- it’s the way it’s meant to be 🙂
Rating: 5/5. Serving size and taste alone gets both these food stall items top marks. It’s just a case of simple, homey food executed extremely well- definitely beats most fast food alternatives any day.
DESTINATION: Dragon Ball Z toy hunting in Akihabara. I’d promised my brother that I would return with something awesome from Japan. He happens to be an avid Dragon Ball Z fan, so it made sense for me to get him some crazy die-cast model.
Unfortunately my experience with obtaining something like this was not as easy as I thought it would be. It could have been due to our lack of research and knowledge of the places to go, but we had gone to the ‘big 3' of Anime toy collection stores and pretty much struck out.
We found that most of the merchandise stocked in these stores were either super old or second-hand. So we would consider this place more of a mecca for avid video game enthusiasts and Cosplay and figurine collectors. However, they did possess quite a large and impressive collection of Manga. Of course, these are all in Japanese.
DESTINATION: Don Quijote (ドン・キホーテ), Akihabara, Tokyo. Forget about Daiso. This is literally the BEST Japanese discount store to ever exist. Why? Let these pictures do the talking:
The range of just mere ‘stuff’ you’ll find in this store is insane. Literally. Insane. Every single bit of space other than the narrow walkways provided through the multi-levelled store is taken up by a variety item. From Matcha flavoured Kit Kats, to funny headwear and costumes, to basic everyday electronics and clothing, you’ll find it all in this store. Without exaggeration, you could spend a good few hours inspecting each level and the items on offer. It was absolutely baffling- I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. In a good way of course!
Undoubtedly a ‘must go to’ destination in Japan. It is the perfect place to stock up on items for the home, pop culture gifts for your friends back home and just everyday stuff that you may or may not need. The best thing about these stores is that they’re located in many urban-dense areas as well as operating to extended hours everyday.
BONUS POINTS: Don Quijote stores know just how much tourists love them. So if you’re lucky and stumble upon one of their larger stores, they may also have a dedicated ‘tax-free-declaration’ area. This is where if you’ve purchased goods valued over a certain amount, they’ll waive the tax on ‘em! All you have to do is show them your passport and your Don Quijote receipt. Note, that because you’re a tourist, they assume these goods will be consumed overseas and not be consumed/resold within Japan. This means that once they have completed your tax-free order, they’ll seal up your recently purchased items in an airtight bag. Should the seal be broken within Japan, you’ll then be forced to pay back the taxes of the goods when you head into the airport.
MEAL: Creamy seafood pasta from Alioli Trattoria. It’s incredible. Japan has such a definitive culture- you see it everywhere; from the deco r of restaurants, to the food and then ultimately with the people. But that doesn’t stop this country from offering outstanding takes on Westernised cuisine. The pasta was Al Dente and the sauce was rich, thick and flavoursome. No piece of seafood was overcooked- leaving my friend and I no choice but to finish this dish with no hesitation.
Rating: 4/5. A great little find in the midst of all the anime and gaming hubs. Come here to seek some solace in comforting and hearty Italian food. The decor inside was also reminiscent of European households- plenty of wooden frames and furniture paired with warm lighting. Bonus; it’s located within a restaurant complex so you can take advantage of some cool air conditioning on a hot day.
MEAL: Yakiniku dinner and all-you-can-eat salad bar at Seiko-En, Harajuku. To begin with, the entrance to the restaurant is a little confusing. You see the big illuminated ‘Seiko-En’ signage from the main crossing in Harajuku, but the actual entrance is hidden within an elevator/foyer entrance behind the signage. Moving on, the interior is strangely decorated with Hawaiian-type flora and trinkets; which strongly contrasts to the restaurant’s almost business/classy exterior.
To the food! OK, I know what you’re thinking, who cares about salad? Why can’t it be all-you-can-eat meat?! I’d usually be thinking in the same wavelength, but listen. These guys offer stuff like OKRA in their salad bar. I completely spazzed out because okra back home is NOT cheap, not even in the slightest, no matter whether they’re in season or not! So you can imagine that I pretty much loaded my plate full of the stuff.
We ended up spending around ¥6,800–7,000 here. In exchange, this gave us an array of succulent and tender slices of beef and pork in which we had to cook ourselves. Being experienced Korean BBQ patrons back home- this was completely fine and even welcomed by us. The meat was teamed with a variety of dipping and marinating sauces; giving you plenty of options for flavour pairings.
Rating: 4/5. We loved this place so much, in our entire time in Tokyo, we dined here 3 times! It is a little pricey, but if you’re the type to go overboard with sides and salads, this is a great, hidden restaurant with plenty of potential to fill your tummy and improve your tastebuds. The staff are attentive and English menus are available.
DESTINATION: Mori Tower Sky Deck at Roppongi Hills. Remember that time when Takashi Ono from Sukiyabashi Jiro gave my friend and I couple of tickets to see the Star Wars convention and get access to the Mori Tower Tokyo City Sky Deck?
Yeah, me too. Young padawan.
The Star Wars exhibition was pretty awesome. On display were the outfits of Darth Vader, Storm Troopers, the Jedi’s, as well some early behind-the-scenes footage of how episodes 4–6 were made. I also remember a replica Death Star being at the entrance as well. All in all, a pretty impressive exhibition considering my friend and I aren’t really die-hard fans.
Now off to the skydeck!
Hands down, this rooftop was a million times better than Tokyo Tower-and this was based on the view at night! It gives a complete landscape view of Tokyo’s mass of skyscrapers and it also includes Tokyo Tower. If you’re after the best view of Tokyo’s city skyline, then your best bet is from the Tokyo Sky Tree.
Atop the roof, there was a line to get a picture with Darth Vader (with your choice of being strangled by him or your head close to being chopped off with his light saber). We now wonder if every exhibition leads to photo ops on rooftop…Either way, even despite the strong, cool winds, this was an experience I will never forget.
Rating: 5/5. Easily. Especially if you get a chance to check this out during the day, you won’t be disappointed.