Right now it is 530am in Tokyo! Just woke up from another restful sleep in my cozy capsule hotel cubby! It really is called cozy capsule and it is cooozzyy! I actually really like their capsules a lot. The capsule and its public amenities are soooo clean that even I, Miss OCD-clean, can walk around barefoot!! And shower and pee without anxiety or uncomfortableness.
Yesterday, we had a full day of meandering, exploring, chasing cherry blossoms, and good food everywhere we went!
For our appetizer to breakfast, we went to 7-11 and got some little snacks before walking to Tsukiji Fish Market.
My boyfriend got HOT black coffee and seaweed onigiri. YES, all of the liquor stores here have a heated section of hot drinks to select from. It’s not just a cold fridge. There’s a hot one too!
I got some hot milk tea and meaty “hamburger” rice cake.
We walked for about 20-30 minutes to Tsukiji Fish Market. Already there were a lot of people at the market! This was about 830am.
Our first breakfast was sushi! (of course).
The edges of Tsukiji had better prices!! As you get deeper, it got more expensive. The fish market was composed of a square block of 2-3 in every direction.
Salmon and tuna chirashi bowl for 10000yen ($10). It was so fresh!!! And the rice was DELICIOUS!!!!! I loved the rice. I could eat that rice by itself without soy sauce!
Then I had some freshly made tamago for 120yen.
There were so many locals eating here. We didn’t even know what they were eating so we decided to try it out. We didn’t even know what we were ordering or how to order. The language barrier is serious.
Her cooking a huge pot of something stew.
This was 750yen. It looked and smelled delicious. It was composed of a variety of meats or organs in different textures over yummy rice.
Also came with tea! BTW, he said no sharing??? You can’t share???? I did anyway.. the portions were too big and I would never be able to finish the by myself.
This is Chidorifaguchi cherry blossom park! We made it just in time for their full bloom in Tokyo. I was so excited. I have been dreaming of going to japan for cherry blossom for many years. Not only was I able to go this year during my one week of spring break, but cherry blossom season started early this year too!! The timing couldn’t be anymore perfect.
I kept walking and walking and came to the first ramen restaurant (FINALLY). We kept seeing sushi restaurants and were wondering where all the ramen was!
Ordered via the vending machine!!! We were so clueless on how to order and the chef finally came out to show us. You put money in, then press whatever buttons you want and the machine spits out a ticket and change.
Chicken and pork broth for around 800yen. It came out looking extremely frothy and bubbly, but after it simmered down a bit, you get this extremely milky texture. I really liked it. The ramen noodles were alkaline and al dente. The pork and chicken was very tender and soft and juicy.
For dessert and palate cleanser, we went into one of the many cute patisserie shops to get red bean mochi.
Then we went to APEX climbing gym! They only charge $16 for a day pass but you have to pay registration fee?! What!!! Oh well.. when in japan, must climb in Japan!
All of the climbing routes are so congested and crowded!!! It was very interesting and different from what I’m used to. They make the routes according to tape marks and even have laminated photos with circles for even more routes.
Right outside the climbing gym is our first tsukemen restaurant! You also order via vending machine!
After rock climbing, we shared a bowl of tsukemen for 850yen. The portions were HUGE! Chef David Chang was not kidding when he said they eat a lot per person. It’s one order per seat so the other person also ordered a side of egg. It’s all about the seating! This tsukemen dipping sauce is different from what I’ve tried in SoCal. The broth is more thin and shoyu. Not fatty at all! Still very good but definitely just a different style of tsukemen.
Love, love every single food I’ve eaten so far. Even the little snacks!
