Honeymoon in Japan (Tokyo) Pt 3

Tokyo Nightview seen from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

After saying our Goodbyes to the tour members at the Narita Airport, we board a coach bus to Citadines Tokyo Shinjuku. Well, if we are more familiar with the route in Tokyo, we can board a train that will bring us to the Shinjuku Marunouchi Station. The hotel is just 5 minutes walk from there.

Citadines Tokyo Shinjuku is located within walking distance of the Shinjuku East area, one of Tokyo’s thriving urban centres. It is situated close to the Marunouchi and Toei Shinjuku subway stations. The Citadines Tokyo Shinjuku has a modern concept which is a mix and match between a hotel and privacy of an apartment.

Personally, I think it is a really good deal and is also very suitable for long term stay. The apartment hotel room comes with electric stove, kettle, fridge and cooking utensils, just like a small kitchen. It also has a comfy queen bed with one extra sofa bed for third person. During our stay, we also opt to go 'Green' which means we do not require daily cleaning and change of bedsheets. This also helps us save 2,000 yen a day. The staff are friendly, speaks good English and is very helpful explaining directions of the places we wanted to visit.

This is our room at Citadines Tokyo Shinjuku.


















Once we had settled down in the hotel, we went to Harajuku. It was around 4p.m. and was raining lightly in Shinjuku. However, when we arrived in Harajuku, it was raining and the wind is blowing quite strongly. We had to hold our umbrella firmly while trying our best not to step on the water pool by the roadside.

Harajuku is a nice place for shopping. Although I thought I will be seeing someone dress in 'gothic' clothings or 'cosplay', I only saw passerbys with work clothes on. Haha.. maybe it was still a weekday??!

We did not manage to shop alot as it was quite difficult to walk around while it was still raining, so our local friend bought us to an Izakaya. The name made me wonder if there is anything to do with "kaya" (a type of Malaysian coconut jam for bread spread). Of course, it has NO connection to it at all!

The name "izakaya" is a compound word consisting of "i" (to sit) and "sakaya" (sake shop), showing that izakaya originate from sake shops that allowed customers to sit at the premises to drink.

Here we are at the Izakaya in Harajuku. Izakaya is a place for after-work drinking. I guess, people do need to de-stress after a hard day work, right?!

Here, you can order different types of small dishes to accompany the drinks (normally contains alcohol).

If you prefer something sweet, you can always order something like us. Sake with fruit juices or fruit concetrates.

A drink or side dish can range from 300 yen - 800 yen.

It is a nice place to go with friends, however, if you are a non-smoker, you might want to check if there is non-smoking section in the Izakaya.

After our Izakaya session, we took the subway back to Shinjuku and walked towards the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. My ears pop a bit while the lift goes up to the observation deck. We went to the top-floor panoramic observation decks for a Tokyo nightview. It is free of charge to the public and contain many gift shops. They are open till 11 pm on weekdays. Use of cameras is permitted, but tripods are forbidden.

Our 9th Day in Tokyo leads us to Ueno Park, Ameyayokocho Street and Akihabara. We bought bento and drinks from the nearby convenience shop before taking a subway to Ueno Park. Three of our tummy were making grumbling sounds while on the subway as we can smell the delicious food inside our plastic bags.

Once we reached Ueno Park, we found a bench and goobled our food. Since Ueno Park is a public park, it is free of charge. However, the park is a bit dirty and some parts are not well maintained. Ueno Park is also home for the homeless people. Tents are seen around the park. Ueno Park is very spacious and has different attractions which consists of three museums, a shrine, statues, a zoo, picnic park and pond. Flowers are blooming but no sakuras as we were a bit late.

A Buton Flower

Tents of the homeless people in Ueno Park. It is a sad fact that there are homeless people even in Tokyo, a rich and developed city.

We spent about an hour in Ueno Park, we exit through a different gate to get to Ameyayokocho Street. This street sells both local and imported foods. It also has a variety of eateries, game stations and Pachinko outlets. We like the shop selling soft cream (ice cream cone). Its sesame flavor is the best.

We had our lunch at the nearby restaurant which is along the way to the subway station. It serves delicious soba. A set lunch which includes a serving of soba(hot or cold) , a bowl of rice with fillings of choice, green tea and pickles. ALL this is just 800 yen. What a bargain!! It was a delight-FULL lunch. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the restaurant.

 

Left: Salmon sashimi with Rice & Hot Soba.
Right: Unagi Rice & Cold Soba.

After a heavy lunch, we took the subway to Akihabara. This is a shopping heaven for my hubby since most of the shops sell electronical items from cameras, computers, TV and all types of accessories.

A Busy Akihabara Street

Cosplay girls are seen promoting cafes and drinks.

We spend nearly 4 hours in Akihabara, walking up and down different shops hunting for good bargains of electronical items. We also went to have a look at the cosplay theme cafeterias. We did not drink inside as it is quite expensive. A fee is required if you wanted to take photos with these cosplay girls.

Then, we had our dinner at a nearby Ramen shop along the walkway back to our hotel.

Hot Ramen in a cold rainy night. Slurpppp!!Extra Char Siew (Pork Slices) Ramen Soup.

Delicious Kim-Chi Char Siew (Pork) Ramen with Hard boiled Egg.











We left to Osaka on Day 10. Before departing to the Tokyo Shinkansen Station, we had our breakfast inside our hotel room. It was raining outside, so we bought take aways from the convenience shop next door to our hotel.

Hubby and My Breakfast. We spend about 400 yen on our take away breakfast.

This is the Shinkansen station where you can purchase food and bentos to enjoy while riding on the Shinkansen bullet train. A huge variety of food to choose from and is very crowded with people.

Bye Bye, Tokyo!! Hello, Osaka!!!