tokyo
6.11-6.15
route
1/ Shibuya crossing>very cheap ramen place
2/ Meiji-Jingu>Enseigne d’Angle>Harajuku>Maisen Tonkatsu>Shino Kitazawa>Ichiran
3/ Tsukiji fish market>Turret Coffee>Ginza(Gekko-so, Sanrio, Muji)>Ozu Washi>Senso-ji>Unatoto(Unagi)>Sekaido
4/ Tsukiji fish market>Tokyo National Museum>Naniwaya Sohoten>Tokyo Tower(saw it from afar)>Shinjuku(Tokyu Hands, Ishtan)
5/ Shinjuku Expressway Bus Station(luggage lockers)>Shin Udon
see
· Meiji Jingu 明治神宫---we took a 30 minutes walk there. on the way, there is very lovely park surrounding the temple. it is in northern Tokyo, so there weren’t too many tourists when we went.
· Shino Kitazawa 下北泽---a little out of the way in the west, but filled with cute shops and i scored a vintage jean jacket here.
· Ozu Washi 小津和纸---a traditional handmade paper shop with great variety and quality. there’s an hour-long papermaking demo available but you have to reserve in advance.
· Sekaido(Shinjuku)---probably my favorite store ever. five full floors of every art-related supply imaginable.
eat
for breakfast we would get bread from a convenience store the night before. we also cooked some simple things like eggs each morning.
· Enseigne d’Angle(near Harajuku)---a underground traditional Japanese coffee shop with a lovely cappuccino. (co)
· Maisen Tonkatsu---every lunch set we ordered was delicious. if you can, get the pricier black pig set, it’s worth it. also nice spacious tatami seating. the line was long at lunch but it moved quickly.
· Ichiran---we tried to go to the ones in Shibuya but there were long lines out the door. stumbled upon one in Shino Kitazawa and there was no one there. in short, no need to wait in long lines at the touristy spots, there are so many shops all around. the ramen was really good. (co)
· Turret Coffee-near Tsukiji market, had a delicious latte. (co)
· Naniwaya Sohoten---traditional taiyaki shop with azuki shaved ice. (co)
· Shin Udon---had to wait in the rain but worth it. recommend beef udon and tempura. (co)
*co=cash only
transportation
google maps was really useful for the most part. make sure you know what train your getting on, as some express ones don't stop at every station. we got the 72 hour subway metro pass but we barely got our money's worth as we stuck to certain regions of Tokyo each day. also the pass did not apply on the keio line, which we had to take to Shino Kitazawa and our airbnb. we walked around 20,000 steps each day.
