Part 1 here

Hakone Activities

• Hakone Jinjya Heiwa-no-Torii (Peace Torii) – 3/5

  The 2nd most famous ‘shrine in water’, after Itsukushima Shrine in Miyajima. Pretty long line of 30+ people. It seemed orderly, but some folks took a while to take their photo with it. Also, the line will take longer than it looks because people would rent a pedal boat and go right up to the shrine from the other side (the water), and take a photo with it. Seems like a devious shortcut. We didn’t need the ‘perfect shot’ so we just stood at the stairs area and took a selfie with it in the background.

• Hakone Shrine – 3/5

  A few sets of stairs from the Peace Torii, this shrine was popular among samurai. Check it out if you’re already here for the Peace Torii.

• Hakone sightseeing cruise – 3/5

  Basically comes with the Hakone Freepass; take it if you intend on doing the loop. Nothing too special about it, I would try to get to the exit as the ship approaches land, because you’ll be ‘competing’ with everyone else to get to the ropeway (assuming you decided to loop clockwise). There’s a first class ticket you can get, seems like you get a special seating area and enter via a separate line.

• Hakone Ropeway – 4/5

  Also part of the Hakone Freepass and the loop. The line is quite long but moves at a steady pace as people fill in the gondolas. Excellent view of the area, unfortunately it was not clear enough to see Mt. Fuji that day. Seeing the vents/fumes from Owakudani from the gondolas was pretty neat.

• Owakudani – 3/5

  The area itself was fairly cold given how high up we were. It was cool to see the vents/fumes a little closer. Would’ve been cool to do the trail tour to see things even more up-close, but it seemed to be open to Japanese-speakers in order to follow instructions in the case of an emergency. I tried to still book it with a friend’s address but the GF didn’t feel comfortable with it, so we had to pass on it.

• Owakudani Kurotamagokan – 3.5/5

  Gift shop with lots of regional food, as well as black egg-themed souvenirs such as Sanrio characters, socks, shirts, you name it. There was a line wrapping around the perimeter of the store to buy the eggs boiled in sulfurous water. The eggs were black, almost like a smooth, egg-shaped pumice stone; however, it looked like regular eggs once de-shelled, and tasted the same as well. I would only get it for the novelty.

• Gokuraku Tea Shop – 3/5

  Checked it out since we passed by it. Had souvenirs, modern and more traditional, including the distinctive Hakone wood mosaics (yosegi), comprised of geometric patterns.

• Sounzan Station, and the bus back to Hakone-Yumoto Station

  This is where things went awry on our trip. To get back to Hakone-Yumoto Station, Google Maps said the fastest way was to take a bus from the stop a walk away from Sounzan Station. The bus ended up being really late, an hour if I recall. Also, it wasn’t covered by the Hakone Freepass, and the bus driver angrily (almost vehemently) told us this (in Japanese). Despite showing I was willing to use my ICOCA to pay the fare, he gestured to us to take the cable car to Gora. After he drove off, another bus pulled up (likely the next one, but due to traffic, ended up being 1 min apart rather than 30 minutes) and we got into this one via ICOCA fare. Anyways, TERRIBLE traffic all the way back to Hakone-Yumoto, I’d estimate an hour once we were on the bus. My advice regarding this is, once you’re done with the loop and you’ve seen & done what you wanted, try to get to Hakone-Yumoto ASAP, the traffic seems to get worse as people start to leave the area for the day.

Hakone Food

• Gyokutei – 4/5

  The ryokan we stayed at in Hakone came with dinner and breakfast. Dinner was a traditional kaiseki, which came with shirako (fish sperm sac). I couldn’t quite stomach it, but the rest of the dinners were quite tasty, very seafood-focused: scallop, oysterball, uni, tuna, amberjack, seabream, tofu, wagyu, taro, miso soup. Breakfast was a traditional breakfast with a grilled whole horse mackerel, fish sausage, tamago, among other sides. Very excellent.

• Hakone Cheese Terrace – 5/5 (GF’s) – Tabelog 3.49

  Per the GF, not too sweet, the right amount of creaminess but without feeling gross, which is a worry when going to Asian (cheese)cake places. basic is good, would want to try the other flavors next time.

Tokyo Activities

• Tsukiji Outer Market – 2/5

  We walked by after breakfast to Tsumugi. A good amount of tourists at 9:30am, some shops weren’t open. Similar to Nishiki or Kuromon Market, lots of wagyu on a stick and other tourist trap-ish food are available.

• Ippodo Tea Ginza Mitsukoshi – 3/5

  One of the department store basement locations. The original is based in Kyoto (which I recommend going!); the brand is considered a purveyor of matcha to the imperial family. Limit on matcha in place. Got the fall seasonal matcha, and some hojicha. There are at least 4 in the central Tokyo area, all department store basements.

• Itoya – 4/5

  4 stars for the casual, 5 for those into stationary as this is stationary heaven. There’s a whole floor dedicated to fountain pens. Other stuff include non-fountain pens, journals, paper, greeting cards, stickers, pretty much anything around stationary. Staff are knowledgeable. Most of the floors are pretty packed, so be prepared to ‘shuffle’ a little.

• Ginza LOFT – 4/5

  LOFT is a chain store that’s kind of like a mix of Target and Muji, with a good amount of stationary and beauty products. A little lifestyle-ish. Definitely check it out, I dare you to walk out without buying less than ¥5000. They have a tax-free counter as well! Bought a whole bunch of candy, matcha supplies, and Apagard toothpaste.

• Hands – 3/5

  Similar to LOFT, it’s a chain that has a variety of things. It felt a little like a more upscale Daiso, with home improvement, kitchen, and craft supplies. Definitely doesn’t feel ‘lifestyle’ like LOFT did. We ended up not buying anything here (though going to LOFT first probably didn’t help).

• Wpc. – 3/5

  Umbrella store. It’s a popular Japanese brand, I saw it all over the LOFTs and Hands. They have a lot of lightweight ones. I was looking for their UV0 line, which was not in stock at LOFT/Hands due to it being a summer item. I found it at the Wpc. flagship store. They have several with designs like Pokemon and art. Difficult to find, look very closely at the map, it’s underground.

• The ”Your Name” Stairs (Suga Shrine Otokodan) / Suga Shrine – 3/5

  It’s a bit out of the way, but if you want to see the stairs that were featured at the end of the movie Your Name, it’s this one. There were a few folks here, but people weren’t hogging it, you take turns to grab your photo. The shrine just across the little parking lot, it makes sense why it was chosen for the movie as it’s said to protect against natural disasters

• Meiji Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Avenue – 4.5/5

  25 min walk from Suga Shrine. Almost magical to see during the fall. The street is lined up with gingko trees, with some variation in the colors. If there’s a gust of wind, you can see the leaves falling. This also meant it was had lots of people about, not shoulder-to-shoulder, but you won’t be able to get a people-less photo (if that matters to you).

• Shoyeido – 5/5 (GF’s)

  Incense brand established in 1705 by a Kyoto Imperial Palace staff member. Well-known brand with a shop in Ginza.

• Ancora – 5/5 (GF’s)

  Per the GF, “lots of customizations, and Ancora-specific inks, great gifts for stationary lovers, expensive, be prepared to spend a lot”. Ancora is Sailor’s flagship store, and has two special inks for sale, one only on a day with a full moon, and one during rainy days.

• Ghibli Museum – 2/5

  The famous Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, near Kichijoji. We went here blind, so we didn’t know what exhibits were here or anything. The ‘beginning of movement’ room was quite interesting and thought-provoking (explaining how animation came about), I really enjoyed it. Outside of that, I was quite let down. I expected more ‘learning’ given ‘Museum’ was in its name. There wasn’t too much to see, exhibits-wise, though I’m sure some of it had to do with the fact that the special exhibits room and book room were dedicated to Yuriko Yamawaki, a children’s book illustrator who seemed to have no direct connection to Studio Ghibli, and the featured short film wasn’t in the Studio Ghibli style I grew up watching (e.g. animation of a popular children’s book). The room with Hayao’s ‘workshop’ and sketchbooks were interesting, but didn’t have any labels/signs/panels to explain things. Personally, it feels a bit ‘incomplete’. I think the only areas in the whole museum that had information about what we were seeing were 1) the ‘beginning of movement’ room, and 2) a big one explaining the book illustrator’s biography. In my opinion, unless you are a Studio Ghibli fan, I would skip this or at least deprioritize it, especially considering the hurdles (difficult to reserve, and somewhat out of the way). Fortunately, the tickets were quite cheap. I do think the spirit of the museum is captured in Hayao’s thoughts here, but I also think there’s only so much you can glean from just ‘looking’ (just my two cents). My reservation experience and tips

• BOOKOFF Kichijoji-eki-kitaguchi Store – 3/5

  Last year, I didn’t have great success finding the volume 1’s of the popular manga (Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer, mainly) at the BOOKOFFs, but eventually found it at the Kichijoji BOOKOFF. And like last year, I couldn’t find Dandadan and Kagurabachi until once again, Kichijoji’s. Take that for what you will.

• Kitanomaru Park – 3/5

  A nice park area near the Tokyo Imperial Palace, it has a great maple grove called Momiji-bayashi, which is perfect to see the autumn foliage. Lots of open space for a picnic.

• TOBICHI Tokyo – 3.5/5

  Basically down the street from GLITCH COFFEE, this is Hobonichi’s Tokyo store. It’s much easier to get to compared to Kyoto’s, and maybe double in size in terms of offerings. The Junji Ito collab were sold out. A must for Hobonichi/stationary fans.

• CARD WINGS – 3/5

  A card shop I randomly browsed in Akihabara. The Pokemon stuff were expensive like Osaka’s, but the Union Arena cards they had on display caught my eye. They feature IP like Bleach, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Demon Slayer, so I picked some cheap ones (not sure if these were overpriced like Pokemon).

• Tokyo National Museum – 5/5

  Super impressive museum. Showcases a lot of the cultural aspects of Japan, particularly around art. Good amount of objects related to Buddhism. Excellent collection of lacquer, and samurai-related objects. My favorite part is the amount of information displayed on the wall when entering each room, and a good amount of objects had a description, purpose, etc. You would need at least half a day just to go through it, and we didn’t even get a chance to go through the Heisekan and Toyokan galleries. Kids might be bored here, but I think this would be great for an inquisitive middle/high schooler. Tickets were only ¥1000, and appear to be free for anyone under 18.

• Meiji Jingu – 4/5

  A Shinto shrine in the middle of a forest in the middle of Tokyo, which is impressive. There was a wedding ceremony in procession (didn’t even know you could book Meiji Jingu of all places). More interestingly, we came the day before the Niiname-sai (harvest festival), so there were crops and food lined up all along the wall, donated by farmers, businesses, and even a 5th grade class from an elementary school. The grounds are quite large, and there’s a few things to see like the wall of sake barrels, the Camphor Tree ‘couple’, Torii gate, the garden, and a museum.

• Tokyo Christmas Market in Meiji Jingu – 3/5

  There is an entry fee, but if you book online in advance, you get a mug. Just a Christmas market in a park area. The outside perimeter is comprised of food stalls, and the inner stalls have merchandise. Everything did seem to be Christmas-oriented and mostly appear to be handmade. There is a Christmas pyramid to take photos with. There’s a stage with some random dancer/singers. Good for kids I guess.

• @cosme TOKYO – 5/5 (GF’s)

  Probably the largest beauty/cosmetics store in Japan, right near the entrance to Takeshita Street in Harajuku. It’s known for their highlight their top product choices within each category. Per the GF, “overstimulating, concentration of all the beauty things I want, felt like I was on top of people wherever I was.” It probably didn’t help that we were visiting during the Japanese Labor Day weekend.

• Shibuya Crossing/Scramble – 4/5

  Could be worthwhile to visit one of the cafes with windows that overlook it, but I found that I enjoy being part of the crowd. Fairly easy to get to the front and among the first to cross the street. When it’s time, some people are practically running to the center.

• MEGA Don Quijote Shibuya – 4/5

  I was mainly there for the KitKats, since I didn’t find too many exotic flavors elsewhere. They had a better selection of flavors than the drugstores, but some were ¥100+ more expensive than at the drugstores. Only they really had the ‘gift box’ style Kitkats at ¥900+. Some of the flavors I got were: Shima lemon, blueberry cheesecake, sakura sake, , Tokyo Banana, Uji hojicha, and Uji matcha. Last year, I picked up a whole bunch of cosmetics for the GF here. Don Quijote is definitely best as a one-stop-shop for the convenience. Tax-free is upstairs. If spending over ¥10000, there’s at least an extra 5% off using this coupon. At least it didn’t smell like sewage like the Shinjuku one I went to last year. Some staff spoke Chinese.

• Hanazono Shrine – 3/5

  The most important shrine in Shinjuku, popular among merchants and artists. I wanted to check this out because they have an antique/flea market on Sundays, but apparently we went during the morning of the Tori-no-Ichi Festival, so it was filled with food stalls and bamboo rake good luck charms. Interesting to see a slice of Japan culture.

• Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building – 4/5

  Has two observation decks, one for each tower, which is a great free option to see the endless expanse that is Tokyo. There are information panels pointing out famous landmarks. Also has a cafe and souvenir shop.

• Brooming, Taito Station Shinjuku East Exit – 4/5

  This is on the upper floors of the Taito Station game center. It might sound crazy, but I wanted to get one of those Japanese photobooth photos with the GF. It actually ended up being a unique experience with something to bring back as a memory of our trip. ¥500 got us 4 poses, and each of us gets to decorate the same 4 photos to print out as a set of photo stickers. Stickers were a little small, but not bad for ¥500, you can pay more for other options. Our machine didn’t seem to allow for retakes, and it was rather fast in between shots. You get a good amount of time to edit your photos. The most hilarious part was during decoration/editing, you can choose various levels of ‘kawaii’-ness so your face gets super-airbrushed and you get gigantic eyes (we opted for the light effect). Only girls or guy0girl couples allowed. Lots of girls here getting photos. There are also makeup areas and clothing rentals as well. I’m definitely going to try for a photobooth experience every trip (whether it’s here or elsewhere).

• 3D Cat Billboard – 3/5

  Popular crowdstopper in Shinjuku. Interesting 3D effect but there’s not much variation in what it does. Could be more interesting if it’s a special event, e.g. Halloween or Christmas.

• Kabukicho – 2/5

  Not much going on outside, there are some suggestive signs but otherwise kind of boring. Definitely don’t make eye-contact with anyone standing in the middle of the street. Just look past them and keep walking.

• Ginza Karen – 2/5

  It’s okay if you want a suitcase to haul your stuff back from Japan. But the pricing and quality didn’t quite make it worth it to buy to use as your ‘main’ luggage. Plus you won’t be able to take advantage of any warranties. Staff spoke Chinese.

• Senso-ji – 4/5

  Tokyo’s oldest temple, with a decent-sized grounds. The entrance starts with the Kaminarimon gate, which is quite grand and popular for photos. After that, you walk down a market street with shops on both sides, before you reach the inner Hozomon gate. This temple is interesting because they have several stations set up for omikuji (paper fortunes), which you pay ¥100 to draw sticks from a metal box. The stick has a number that corresponds to the box you should grab your paper fortune from. Definitely a worthwhile experience. Senso-ji is quite nice to visit at night (open 24/7), though the main hall closes at 5pm.

• KALDI COFFEE FARM Tokyo Solamachi – 3/5

  Specialty coffee store that also carries a lot of international food, I remember seeing a lot from Europe. I arrived 10 minutes after opening and they had already sold out of their green garlic chili oil, which was somewhat viral and was recommended by a foodie friend. Datapoint: they had 8 and limit 2 per person. If you’re interested, I would recommend lining up before opening (they have multiple locations).

• 212 KITCHEN STORE – 3/5

  Also recommended by my foodie friend was the Kikkoman Sakusaku crispy soy sauce almonds seasoning. You use it like chili crunch (e.g. Lao Gan Ma). They have a few other flavors like cashew lemon and truffle. This store near Kaldi in Solamachi carried it. LOFT also carries it.

• Gion Tsujirii – 3/5

  Tea store founded in 1860 with its main store in Kyoto near Yasaka. They have a cafe in Solamachi and sells matcha powder. Didn’t seem as popular as Ippodo or Marukyu Koyamaen.

• Kappabashi Street – 4/5

  The popular kitchenware street. A good chunk of stores were closed, possibly due to it being Japanese Labor Day weekend. Definitely a good spot to pick up souvenirs or practical kitchenware. Lots of commercial kitchen stuff like pans, and even a store that sold only wooden menu stands.

• Dengama – 3/5

  This is the store you’ll likely come across first, right at the start of the street (south end), and across from the giant chef’s head. I went here last year and found some great ceramic pieces. The store was quite packed this year, but (anecdotally) though the ceramics were pricier and less interesting. I bought a very nice matcha bowl upstairs (which has their higher-end stuff), but didn’t see anything as unique this time.

• Narita Airport – 3/5

  A bit far from Tokyo. They have an area that offers day rooms and showers. Lots of shops selling souvenir snacks like Tokyo Banana, ROYCE, etc. Personally, I liked Haneda much more as it’s much closer to Tokyo, has an interesting terminal floorplan, and has a small Don Quijote store, which is great for picking up last minute Japanese snacks and stuff for cheap (and spending the rest of your IC card money).

Tokyo Food

• Rokurinsha Tokyo Solamachi – 4/5 – Tabelog 3.60

  I previously had this popular tsukemen at their Haneda Airport location, which was not overpriced given it was at an airport. This was at Tokyo Skytree, at the 6th floor, which has all the restaurants (usually the top floors of the malls/department stores are dedicated to restaurants). I ordered the extra large at ¥1600, which I thought would just be ‘large’ given our portion sizes in Texas, and holy crap that bowl was massive. I couldn’t finish it even though we didn’t really have a ‘lunch’ and we were eating at 10:00pm. It felt terrible to let it all go to waste. Outside of that, the tsukemen was excellent, the broth was nice and thick and the noodles were chewy.

• Tsumugi – 5/5 – Tabelog 3.59

  My GF saw this on IG, which featured their signature 18-dish breakfast that is inspired by Shojin Ryori; one major difference is the presence of meat & fish such as grilled duck, octopus, salmon roe, and fish cake. For ¥2000, it was extremely tasty, with lots of variety. It also comes with tea. My favorites were the grilled duck, braised black beans, and tofu with yuzu paste. Probably my favorite breakfast this trip. It’s right on the grounds of Tsukiji Hongan Temple, and reservations are HIGHLY recommended; some people had to wait quite a while.

• Tricolore – 5/5 (GF’s) – Tabelog 3.75

  Per the GF: “vibes, long wait, 40ish minutes. Food is average. Coffee was good. Would recommend having a bar seat. be prepared for a longer wait if more than 4 people, not sure if they had bigger tables”

• Ginza Kimuraya – 4/5 – Tabelog 3.60

  Oldest bakery in Tokyo and created anpan. Went here last year but they had sold out of the Ginza cream melon bread. This time I got it, excellent, much better than the konbini ones. They also sell Hokkaido milk bread, which was also yums.

• Tendon Tenya Yaesu – 5/5 – Tabelog 3.10

  I love tempura, so I had all the Tendon Tenya locations marked on my map in case we were nearby one for lunch/dinner. We ended up here for dinner on our Ginza day. No wait, but almost all seats were taken. Lots of salarymen. I ordered quite a bit. My GF comments how the salaryman next to me gasped at how much food the server brought to me. There’s a lot of vegetables and fish to choose from, it’s actually daunting how many different sets you can choose from. They also have udon. You order via ipad, and pay at the front. Tempura was excellent, a little oily; yes it doesn’t compare to a fancy tempura place, but for something that’s quick, cheap, and delicious, you can’t beat the value (it probably tastes 80% as good, at a fraction of the cost, obviously ignoring the specialty ingredients). I would love to open a Tendon Tenya back in the US.

• Hirosaku – 5/5 – Tabelog 3.89 – Former Michelin 1 Star

  Found this rec on Reddit. Ended up being an excellent choice. Fairly small restaurant, 4 counter seats and a table. Ikura chawanmushi, Hakasai Anago, maguro & hirame sashimi, tempura (oyster, tamanegi onion, asparagus, Mukago yam), amadai & rice, soba, and apricot monyaki. The chef is quite old, but he and who I assume is his wife are a cute pair in the kitchen. One of the diners was his friend of 30 years, who received a special menu that included grilled beef. Excellent value for a full course meal, and at only ¥6000. Reservations highly recommended (possibly necessary?), reservation by phone only. I used Visa Concierge to book this, which was free and easy.

• MARLOWE Ginza Six – 3/5 – Tabelog 3.25

  Pudding brand in the high-end department store basement. Pudding was quite possibly TOO rich/sweet. The pudding cup is a glass beaker that’s actually useful, and a fun souvenir to bring back as a reminder.

• Ramen Sukoyaka – 5/5 (GF’s) – Tabelog 3.78

  Their specialty is a broth made of clam and chicken. Per the GF, “deep but light broth, chicken was good, no dirt that is often associated with clams”. Also recognized as a Tabelog 100 Ramen in Tokyo for several years in a row. It’s a bit out of the way, but worth going to if you’re in the area for Ghibli Museum/Kichijoji. Order via vending machine.

• Gochisou Yakimusubi Onimaru Kichijoji – 3/5 – Tabelog 3.06

  Popular shop with a variety of onigiri for sale. Decent size, and pricing was quite fair. Recommend checking out earlier in the day as a couple of flavors were already sold out, also likely to be more freshly made.

• GLITCH COFFEE & ROASTERS – 4/5 (GF’s) – Tabelog 3.65

  Walkable from the Tokyo Imperial Palace. This is their flagship store, stocking only single-origin beans. The lines can get long (the Ginza one was crazy long). Per the GF, “it’s expensive, but you learn a lot. Everything is light roast. The staff’s English was very good, and all 3 guys were very cute”

• Syabu-Yō atre Akihabara 2 – 4/5 (GF’s) – Tabelog 3.06

  The GF was craving shabu shabu, so Shabu-Yo (not sure why this location’s name is ‘Syabu’ on Google) seemed like a reputable chain. We ate with her friend who lived in Japan, who also likes this chain. The wait was at least an hour, even after 1pm. There are lots of meat tiers, which the more types at the higher price point. The tier that included wagyu was ¥2899+tax for lunch, so we settled on that. My GF really liked their curry, and there were a lot of desserts you won’t see in American shabu places. The biggest downside was the meh vegetable options.

• I’m donut? Harajuku – 4/5 – Tabelog 3.55

  Popular donut spot I went to last year, albeit too late in the day, so there were barely any left. This time I lined up right as they were opening as it’s just across the street from the main Torii to Meiji Jingu. The line is a bit long, but they’re pretty efficient. Flavors include matcha, pistachio, anko cream, cacao, and strawberry chocolate raw french cruller. Prices range from ¥220 to ¥480. It was as good as I remember it, mochi-like, and not oily like American donuts. They’re known for using a kabocha-based dough, while unique, I much prefer the wheat ones. Only a 20 min wait at 10am. Worth the wait if your plans can fit in a detour!

• Hakata Gekijo Shibuya Miyamasuzaka – 3/5 – Tabelog 3.03

  Izakaya that the GF’s college friend who lives in Japan recommended. It was quite lively as many tables were filled with people who were out for food/drinks after work. Per the GF, “service was slow, food wasn’t too impressive, and drinks didn’t seem too strong; would have to go with someone who speaks Japanese”. Reservations are recommended.

• Dogenzaka Church / The Church – 3/5 – Tabelog 3.11

  Interesting bar that looks like a church outside and inside. Downstairs you sit in pews (dark aside from the candles), and upstairs (separate charge) is a cabaret-like lounge that’s good for casual conversation, and if you want to see people’s faces. Drinks were not outrageously priced.

• Cois Espresso Club – 3/5 (GF’s) – Tabelog 3.49

  Per the GF, “more aesthetic than flavor, small coffee size, no restroom”.

• Himawari Sushi Shintoshi – 5/5 – Tabelog 3.43

  Might be our favorite meal of the trip. Local conveyor belt sushi shop. The conveyor belt has a good amount of sushi on it, but you can call out to the chefs in the middle for specific pieces. The plate colors denote the price, ranging from ¥150 to ¥600. For reference. one piece of o-toro (fatty tuna) was ¥300, uni was ¥600. Their menu was super helpful, with prices, pictures, and English and Japanese names. Can also order soup and desserts. My favorite thing? Two pieces of smoked duck for ¥150 (yes, I know, at a sushi shop, sue me. But damned if this wasn’t the most delicious thing); I ordered 4 plates of these. The GF, being a bigger seafood-lover, thoroughly enjoyed it. My only criticism is they didn’t have the clam soup or almond pudding. If there is one singular food recommendation from this whole report, it’s Himawari Sushi Shintoshi!

• Minami Aoyama Sokkon – 3/5 – Tabelog 3.06

  Dinner with a Japanese classmate from grad school. What’s special about this restaurant is that they have a candlelit room that is used for traditional tea ceremonies. And as my friend is practicing under the Urasenke school, he performed a tea ceremony before dinner, quite a memorable experience for us. Dinner was kaiseki. I believe there is a special course that comes with tea pairings (which we didn’t get). The meal was good but perhaps a bit pricey for what you get.

• Hatoya Asakusa – 3/5 (GF’s) – Tabelog 3.48

  Viral matcha latte shop in the Asakusa area. Somewhat long line, it takes a while because each drink is handwhisked in front of you (several folks took videos of this process) Per the GF, “milk is different from that of other matcha latte places. You have to add syrup because compared to other places, the matcha was not as sweet, mochi and ice cream didn't add anything to the enjoyment of the latte.”

• Tendon Tenya Asakusa – 5/5 – Tabelog 3.07

  Our final sit-down meal in Japan, and fitting as it’s my comfort food. This Tendon Tenya branch was on the way to Kappabashi Street. Like the other location, I ordered a lot, and enjoyed it thoroughly. One mistake I made was I had ordered off their to-go section, so watch out for that.

All 72 photos compiled here

Thanks for reading all this, and I wish you the best on your next Japan trip (and the associated planning)!