It’s been 2 more days, and we’ve done so much walking and exploring, yet somehow I feel like there is no way to ever really feel like you’ve seen it all here…because there is something new to see and taste around every corner. Every nook and cranny of this city is utilized, and it’s so cool to see how these tiny spaces are filled and used. Whether there’s a shrine hidden in between buildings, a tiny space invader staring at you amidst the other visual noise of the city, or a great shop or restaurant in what seems so clearly like an alley, it’s always something.

I was ready to take a step back, or up, and get some perspective and my bearings. On the 52nd floor of the Mori Tower in Roppongi I could see the entire city. Now that I had seen a lot of the city up close it was cool to see it from up high and really be able to put the puzzle of how this city is laid out together. We could easily see the Tokyo Tower, Sky Tree, my brothers building in Shibuya, and even a tiny glimpse of Mt. Fuji in the distance.

 We continued walking through the streets of Roppongi, and then back in the direction we came. The heat, combined with the 24,000+ steps we walked, combined further with jet lag, kind of made the rest of the day a blur for me but I was happy to continue walking and seeing new parts of neighborhoods that we had already walked through. I couldn’t pass up a quick photo op at Gonpachi, the restaurant that acted as the model for much of where Kill Bill takes place. There used to be one in LA as well, and they seem to look exactly the same. Upon walking in, I really just wanted to peak out back to double check that it wasn’t somehow snow covered and that O-Ren and Uma weren’t battling it out live…but it’s 90+ degrees here, that must’ve been the heat stroke/exhaustion/jetlag setting in.

 

We walked past the Prada store that I had been reading so much about as far as the building it’s housed in. I could feel the A/C from outside so demanded a quick stop in, which I quickly realized was a mistake because here we were sweaty and disheveled from the weather and we thought we should walk into the perfectly manicured Prada store?!

We made a quick exit and then walked back towards home and through Shibuya Crossing once again. This time it was actually crowded, people walking in every possible direction…although I don’t think it came close to the sorts of crowds that this crossing is known for.

   

Ramen was on the docket for dinner. We walked up to the place, ordered from a vending machine, received a ticket, handed it to the waiter and sat down at our table. The waiter came to ask how we wanted our noodles, how we wanted our broth, and if we wanted any extras. For this first time out we just ordered everything the standard way. Next time I would add an egg and maybe try spicy broth, but this was a great bowl of soup as is! The awesome thing about this trip is I have time – there will be many more ramen opportunities!!

After such a hard day physically we needed to take it down just a notch. So, we relaxed all morning and then went out in time for lunch. I had read about Kisoji, a Wagyu Shabu Shabu place in Shinjuku, the area where most of our day was going to take place, so we decided to go there. The restaurant was up on the 5th floor, my first meal above ground here, and as you can see since the name of the restaurant is obviously not in English we just had to look through the signs and pictures to figure out exactly where in this general vicinity the restaurant was…they don’t really use addresses here.

Now, some of you know that shabu shabu is one of the meals I love most at home (at Mizu 212!), but after experiencing shabu the way I did here I feel like we’re kind of butchering it at home. The simplicity, as well as the ceremony and process of it all is quite beautiful here. Immediately you are given little dishes filled with your 2 sauces, as well as sides of horseradish, scallion, and garlic, so you can prepare the sauces the way you like them. Usually at home I ask for my sauce to be made for me and I like it extra spicy, but here that wasn’t even an option, so I reveled in the delicious and simple flavors…completely changed my outlook for my next visit to Mizu. Another difference here is after all the meat and vegetables are done, they prepare noodles with salt and pepper and a little soy, as well as the water that your meal was just cooked in. It’s a delicious soup! I didn’t think I had enough room after we ordered an extra plate of meat, but thank god I did. The meal ended with Green Tea two ways – ice cream and hot tea. A nice, long, relaxing meal, but now I was stuffed and needed to walk just a little bit.

         

Our day was going to be a bit “cat” centric from here. First up was a visit to one of the many cat cafes I have heard so much about. Now, I’m a cat lover so I was excited for this, but I have to admit it was too much maybe even for me. I think I prefer the adorably tiny pets at the pet stores here rather than this. However, I’m so glad I got to see what this is really all about…

 

Firstly, you have to wear slippers – so very Japanese. Secondly, these cats are no dummies – they want to talk to you and cuddle up on you if you pay to get some treats to feed them. If you are sans treat, like I decided to be, you aren’t getting any love. It was funny to watch and witness it all but I can’t imagine going somewhere like this on the reg.

 

Next up was a quick stop in Isetan department store to check out their depachika (read:basement food hall). This one is supposed to have the best, and since we visited two others in the Ginza the other day, I wanted to see what this one had on the others. We mainly stuck to the patisserie area and I definitely understand what has everyone talking. If you couldn’t tell I’m loving green-tea (or macha) flavored everything here, and that wasn’t about to stop now. I got a macha croissant and a macha canele from a french patisserie for later. I haven’t had the canele yet, but the croissant was very green inside, yet pleasantly subtle as far as the green tea flavor went.

 

Our last stop of the day continued the cat theme, or Kat I should say. We had read that there was a special Kit Kat boutique with special flavors in another depachika, so we had to see what this was all about. I’ve always been fascinated by candy from other countries – whether it be different flavors that you can’t find in the US or just different candy altogether. I’m not even a huge Kit Kat fan, to be honest, but I couldn’t let special Japanese flavors be out in the world without at least investigating. We haven’t opened any of them yet but it won’t take long before the seals are broken. I’ll report back next time.

Heading to Kyoto this weekend and then back to Tokyo for more. I feel like I’m just finally getting to know and understand this place and now I can start getting into the interesting cultural things I’m finding out about, like mascots and how serious the Japanese take their fruit. But first up, some old world history (and more food) in Kyoto.