That was Duck Liver? I see...
Another weekend of Tokyo awesomeness! I wish I lived there :/
This time, I met up with some of the co-ops in Japan from other cities! Pretty fun people!
I decided to start my day early on Saturday, and ended up arriving in Tokyo at 9am. Since they were coming in from another area, and took the Bus instead of the train, I was there by myself for the morning. I went over to Kinokuniya (huge bookstore) in Shinjuku to buy myself the second Kanji practice book (woo! I finally finished the first one!) and just to browse around in the Takashima Times Square.
Since the shops opened at 10, I had to wait around for a bit. It's pretty funny watching people get ready to storm Takashima mall at 10. Everyone is gathered by the doors standing there while all the sales clerks were getting their daily briefing. And then once the doors opened a mad rush of people just rushed in!
Anyway, after I got my books, I went to the mall only to be sent on a wild goose chase.
Here is the transcript.
Me: Hi, I'm looking for a gift shop. Is there one in this mall?
Information Desk: Yes, there is one on the 8th floor
I go up to the 8th floor. The place she pointed out as the "gift shop" was a kimono store (Let me add Kimonos are ridiculously expensive. over $1000 just for a basic one). A bit puzzled, I went over to sales clerk and asked the same thing.
Him: Yes, it is on the 11th floor
So up to the 11th floor I go! Look around, see a bunch of electronics shops. Good time killer. No Gift shop.
Me: Excuse me, where is the gift shop in this building?
Sales: 5th floor!
Alright then... 5th floor it is.
Or not... The 5th floor was men's formal wear. So after that I just gave up and moved along :P
Over to Shibuya to walk around and check some of the stores before we met up for lunch. Found a new wallet and found that there was a second Apple Store in Tokyo! Couldn't get in though, because some U.K. artist was in there performing or making a fool of himself... One of the two. Anyway, I then headed to roppongi for lunch.
So, this took two subways (which confused me because Shibuya is a decently large hub and roppongi is pretty popular) and let me just say the Toei Oedo line is buried deep within the bowels of the earth. It took three flights of stairs just to get to the normal subway's track! THREE!
Anyway, the restaurant we went to was in Roppongi Hills, which is a very very classy neighbourhood.
We ate at L'atelier de Joel Robuchon.
As you probably guessed from the name, it was ridiculously expensive (but awesome none the less ;).
Apparently this guy is one of the world's best French Chefs... and the service and food was amazing.
I wasn't sure what the first soup I had was (It was all in French. I don't remember my French!) but it was good. But my second course was La Foie Graux on Risotto, which I found out was Duck Liver after I finished eating :P
Amazingly tasty, though!
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, just checked out the rest of Roppongi (read below), checked into the hotel, walked around some more, went for Dinner (which was good, not as good as lunch though. haha. Apparently the place we ate was where President Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi ate) , walked around some more, and then went to bed.
Next day also pretty uneventful, walked around more, had Starbucks (mmmm), went for lunch with a Waterloo grad working in Tokyo, went to shinjuku then headed home. Unfortunately, I left Tokyo earlier than I wanted to on Sunday. It was raining and just overall a not so pleasant day, so I just went home :/
Oh well, still a fun time!
Roppongi: Other than Roppongi Hills, complete trash. Roppongi is one of the most "foreigner friendly" parts of Tokyo, except its more of a hub of all things wrong with the foreign countries. It's just really nasty atmosphere and felt not like Japan. I hate it. Roppongi needs to be leveled and rebuilt! Except for Hills ;)
edit: changed wording. I didn't mean anti-Japanese. I meant doesn't feel like Japan.
This time, I met up with some of the co-ops in Japan from other cities! Pretty fun people!
I decided to start my day early on Saturday, and ended up arriving in Tokyo at 9am. Since they were coming in from another area, and took the Bus instead of the train, I was there by myself for the morning. I went over to Kinokuniya (huge bookstore) in Shinjuku to buy myself the second Kanji practice book (woo! I finally finished the first one!) and just to browse around in the Takashima Times Square.
Since the shops opened at 10, I had to wait around for a bit. It's pretty funny watching people get ready to storm Takashima mall at 10. Everyone is gathered by the doors standing there while all the sales clerks were getting their daily briefing. And then once the doors opened a mad rush of people just rushed in!
Anyway, after I got my books, I went to the mall only to be sent on a wild goose chase.
Here is the transcript.
Me: Hi, I'm looking for a gift shop. Is there one in this mall?
Information Desk: Yes, there is one on the 8th floor
I go up to the 8th floor. The place she pointed out as the "gift shop" was a kimono store (Let me add Kimonos are ridiculously expensive. over $1000 just for a basic one). A bit puzzled, I went over to sales clerk and asked the same thing.
Him: Yes, it is on the 11th floor
So up to the 11th floor I go! Look around, see a bunch of electronics shops. Good time killer. No Gift shop.
Me: Excuse me, where is the gift shop in this building?
Sales: 5th floor!
Alright then... 5th floor it is.
Or not... The 5th floor was men's formal wear. So after that I just gave up and moved along :P
Over to Shibuya to walk around and check some of the stores before we met up for lunch. Found a new wallet and found that there was a second Apple Store in Tokyo! Couldn't get in though, because some U.K. artist was in there performing or making a fool of himself... One of the two. Anyway, I then headed to roppongi for lunch.
So, this took two subways (which confused me because Shibuya is a decently large hub and roppongi is pretty popular) and let me just say the Toei Oedo line is buried deep within the bowels of the earth. It took three flights of stairs just to get to the normal subway's track! THREE!
Anyway, the restaurant we went to was in Roppongi Hills, which is a very very classy neighbourhood.
We ate at L'atelier de Joel Robuchon.
As you probably guessed from the name, it was ridiculously expensive (but awesome none the less ;).
Apparently this guy is one of the world's best French Chefs... and the service and food was amazing.
I wasn't sure what the first soup I had was (It was all in French. I don't remember my French!) but it was good. But my second course was La Foie Graux on Risotto, which I found out was Duck Liver after I finished eating :P
Amazingly tasty, though!
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, just checked out the rest of Roppongi (read below), checked into the hotel, walked around some more, went for Dinner (which was good, not as good as lunch though. haha. Apparently the place we ate was where President Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi ate) , walked around some more, and then went to bed.
Next day also pretty uneventful, walked around more, had Starbucks (mmmm), went for lunch with a Waterloo grad working in Tokyo, went to shinjuku then headed home. Unfortunately, I left Tokyo earlier than I wanted to on Sunday. It was raining and just overall a not so pleasant day, so I just went home :/
Oh well, still a fun time!
Roppongi: Other than Roppongi Hills, complete trash. Roppongi is one of the most "foreigner friendly" parts of Tokyo, except its more of a hub of all things wrong with the foreign countries. It's just really nasty atmosphere and felt not like Japan. I hate it. Roppongi needs to be leveled and rebuilt! Except for Hills ;)
edit: changed wording. I didn't mean anti-Japanese. I meant doesn't feel like Japan.
posted by Matt at
2/26/2006 06:47:00 PM
