By Day 4, brother and I were ready to drop so we took our time and woke up slow. We had breakfast around 945am, just before the buffet closed. After that, we went back upstairs to take a nap. We were exhausted.
Around noon, we ventured out to do some exploring. At my insistence, we took the subway to Ginza. I’ve heard stories about how amazing Tokyo’s train system is so I felt it was something we had to experience. It was so clean, efficient and organized. We got from Ikebukuro station to Ginza with no problems at all.
We walked around Ginza for a bit. It’s like 5th Avenue, with all the top brands lined up in a row.
Of course there’s a Lamborghini just parked on the street, as if that’s totally normal.
We went to Brand-Off which is a department store that sells all sorts of branded items. The highlights were all the Hermes Birkins. I don’t understand how they have so many and the stores themselves have none.
Window shopping an expensive bag made us hungry so we stood in line for these Belgian Waffles. They just smelled so good and the line was really long so we jumped on the bandwagon and purchased some. They are indeed yummy. If you ever find yourself at a Manneken, definitely try the Almond one.
Mummy wanted real food so we found a small tempura house called “Casual Tempura Restaurant.” We didn’t understand anything so we did the point and order. Thankfully they have very nice window displays, it was easy to indicated what we wanted.
We got back to the hotel and rested for a bit. Around 7pm we went in search of Ramen. We learned that Ikebukuro (the area where our hotel was) is famous for its ramen. It is called “ramen battle ground.” From the bus en route back to the hotel every night, we would pass by this one ramen house with a line perpetually out the door. We got curious and Dad said that we HAD to go to that one. If people are standing in line, we had to see what the fuss is about. Clearly by now, we are suckers for any place with a line. I wish buying cars worked the same way.
So this place is called Mutekiya. It only has 18 seats so we ended waiting around 45 minutes for a table. Thankfully, they take your order beforehand so you don’t have to wait too long once inside. It is known for its double-boiled ramen broth. We didn’t know this at the time and had no idea what to expect.
The ramen was delicious for about 5 minutes and then it goes downhill from there. When the soup cools, you start to realize how thick and mushy it is. The fat starts to surface and you get “suya” and start to feel your arteries clogging. Some of our tour-mates said they got dizzy afterwards. The taste and flavor is good but the ingredients are not. I think we’ve satisfied our ramen quota for the next 5 years. Unfortunately, we’re unsure if ramen is really served this way or just Mutekiya’s specialty. I’m pretty sure we can try better ramen elsewhere though.
Our night ended with buying Hello Kitty themed pasalubong. 🙂
Day 3 of our Tour was a trip to see the breathtaking Mt. Fuji. It was very cold and we were hoping to go all the way up to Station 5 (about midway up the mountain) but the weather was bad so we didn’t get very far. Nevertheless, here are some photos of us, the famous Mt. Fuji and romping in the snow.
We were the most rowdy family in our tour, running around the snow, throwing ice at each other. We were also the most delinquent and rode the bust last, every single time. Woops. We were rarely late but almost always, last.
For lunch they FINALLY took us to a Japanese restaurant where we feasted on a Bento Box and some udon. It was delicious. We thoroughly enjoyed it but overheard many members of our group say that they disliked it. I guess to each his own.
I found this toilet sign funny. Oh Japanese Engrish. I guess for some people using the toilet is a “performance”
Souvenir Shopping afterwards.
After lunch, we drove to Hakone (very pretty town), past Lake Hakone (beautiful lake) and up to Hell’s Valley.
On the bus Miwako taught us some Japanese:
It’s a volcanic mountainside where you can see smoke rising up from fissures in the ground. You can smell the sulfur, it smells faintly of rotten eggs. Hence my brother’s expression in these photos.
There we ate some Black Eggs. They are eggs that are boiled in spring water and then steamed. The spring water is rich in a mineral that sticks to the egg’s shell. When it is steamed, the mineral oxidizes and turns black. It’s a chemical thing, I didn’t understand it much. Every egg is said to prolong your life by 7 years. I ate two, my dad ate like..3 or 4. They’re just plain hardboiled eggs. Nothing too terrific about them except that they’re black and you’re eating them on the side of a volcano.
Despite the cold, brother tried this Yellow Custard Ice Cream. Made from Egg yolks so it was ridiculously creamy. You can already imagine how many calories are in this. I shudder.
After this we went to Gotemba Premium Outlets. This outlet is similar to the developers of the famous Vegas and New York outlets with all the brand names. Heck, it has a YSL and a Balenciaga. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the tour guide only gave us an hour and forty five minutes!!! I was practically running through all the stores. The rain made it even more challenging. My brother was disappointed, he wasn’t able to get anything. I melted my credit card on a denim YSL Cabas ChYc bag 🙂 I went through buyer’s remorse for a little bit because it was so expensive (it’s probably the most expensive thing I’ve purchased for myself) but I’m okay now. I’m using it and I love it so it’s worth it. Plus, the Y stands for Yee. 🙂
Dinner was at another Japanese restaurant. It’s buffet but different from what we usually know. I didn’t know what to make of it, my family and I had difficulty finding things to eat. Here’s some pictures, maybe someone out there in the internet can tell me if this restaurant concept is a “thing” in Japan because we didn’t really get it.
I don’t know if I did it properly but this is what my plate looked like afterwards.
After dinner, when we got back to the hotel, we made it a point to visit Don Quijote – 7 floors of shopping bliss. They sell anything under the sun, from Hermes Bags to False Eyelashes. We were exhausted so we had no more energy to really shop here.
It was rainy and we noticed that most Japanese had these clear umbrellas.
It’s Day 2 of our Tokyo Sojourn.
Despite being exhausted and tired, brother and I force ourselves to get out of bed for a trip to Disneyland.We were very sleepy. Breakfast went by in a blur.
On the bus our tour guide – Miwako Saito – gave us lessons complete with visual aids. I appreciated these, I felt like I was in school. I was nodding off though and took a nap in between her lectures. Definitely felt like school.
It was a very cold day, we got to the park before it opened. There were lots of people.
We waited outside a while. To amuse ourselves, we took photos. My ninja brother.
My parents begged off this activity because they were exhausted and according to them they already graduated from the Disney Days..meaning, they already paid their theme park dues when brother and I were still little. Needless to say, it was just Bro and I to experience Disneyland as adults. The last time I went was in Orlando when I was a pre-teen so I was pretty excited. I even researched and mapped out which rides I wanted to try. No one is too old for Disneyland. Or maybe I’m just young at heart.
Here was my list of to-do’s and to-see’s:
- Pirates of the Carribean
- It’s a Small World
- Jungle Cruise
- Peter Pan
- Pinocchio
- Cinderella (not a ride but I didn’t know it at the time)
- Captain EO (also not a ride but a 3D feature)
- Buzz Lightyear
- Stitch Show
- Haunted House
- Race Circuit
- Monster’s Inc
- Pooh’s Hunny Hunt (don’t laugh at this name, the wait for this was 2 hours long, we didn’t bother)
- Mickey’s Philharmagic
- Snow White
Yes, I know. There are no thrill rides on here like Splash Mountain or Space Mountain. It’s because my brother and I are big babies, we can’t take rollercoasters or heights so we did all the baby rides. Laugh all you want, I don’t care.
So we got inside the park and head straight for the Buzz Lightyear ride (#8 on our list). Miko gave us a Fast Pass which allows us to schedule and be “priority” on the most popular rides. The Fast Pass is an interesting system which I won’t explain here. But it explains why people run to get into the park, it’s because they want to get tickets on the popular rides first. We walked leisurely and got our Fast Pass tickets and a schedule for 1:00pm – 2:00pm. Keep in mind this is at 9:30am and our schedule was for 4 hours later.
We had some time to explore. The park was quiet in the morning. We took so many pictures with the castle because it was quite pretty.
The fun thing about Disneyland are the HATS. We had a lot of fun with these. I resisted the temptation to buy a few for myself. I guess there are indeed some things I am too old for. What a shame though. If only I were 15 years younger. I settled for a purple knit beanie with tassels.
While killing time, we through the other rides on our list. We chose our rides based on wait time, anywhere from 25-40 minutes seemed pretty good to us.
#1) Pirates of the Carribean – It was in Japanese so it kinda killed the magic. However it’s exactly how I remember it from my childhood. It was a great boat trip down memory lane. A pirate’s life for me!
#2) Jungle Cruise – Again another ride from my childhood. I have vivid memories of my dad taking me on this cruise and me being kind of afraid of the hippos and other animals. My brother and I weren’t really drawn into this ride because the boatman, who basically narrates the entire cruise, did so in Japanese. The rest of the passengers were laughing and “frightened” but brother and I were in blissful ignorance, making up our own commentary.
#3) Snow White – No photos. It was a lame ride. Again in Japanese so we didn’t get it. It seemed kinda scary and ominous though. Many kids came out crying. We just left feeling confused.
#4) It’s a Small World – The babiest ride of them all. This is the ride my mom took me on because it was the least bit scary. Since it’s the most PG ride, it had the shortest line of about 10 minutes. I took my brother on it and we both had a terrific time. Since it was the Holiday season, instead of regular “it’s a small world” the soundtrack was a remix of that with Jingle Bells and other Christmas Carols. It was also decorated beautifully.
#5) Buzz Lightyear – Ummmm awesome. Fast Pass works, we walked right in and waited maybe 15 minutes on a 2 hour ride. The ride itself was super fun, you get to shoot stuff while you ride through. I took photos so I couldn’t concentrate on fighting evil Dr. Whatever but brother really got the hang of it and scored a ton of points.
#6) Circuit Raceway – Again a baby ride. You sit in a little go-cart and ride around a track at minimal speed, guided by a center rail to make sure you don’t turn it into bump cars. My brother was kinda disappointed with this, he wanted to go zoom instead he just kinda went chugging along at a grandmother’s pace.
(driving while taking photos, not safe. don’t try this at home kids.)
#7) Captain EO – We watched this 3D movie only because Michael Jackson was in it. Keep in mind, they made it in the 80’s so it is VERY old and dated. I can’t speak much to this because brother and I took this opportunity to take a nap. Sorry Michael, I still love you. Please don’t be mad.
#8) Cinderella’s Castle – just a walkthrough museum. Nothing special. We just went through it to say we went inside the castle. And of course take loads of pictures. We were both enthralled by the castle. Super pretty.
#9) Pinocchio – Just another cute baby ride.
#10) Peter Pan – photo finished with this ride. With about an hour to go and a 35 minute wait, we cut it really close by falling in line last minute. We finished the ride with about 15 minutes to spare, leaving us enough time to walk to the bus and speed shop.
In the end, the rides we missed (because the lines were way too long and we ran out of time) were: Pooh’s Hunny Hunt (2 hour line), Haunted House (1.5hour line), Monster’s Inc (2 hour), Disney Philharmagic (ran out of time), Stitch Show (it was in Japanese so we passed on this.)
In between rides, we ate of course. Snacking is one of the best parts about being at a theme park. While admittedly, their food prices are what we can consider highway robbery, you don’t have much of a choice. Plus you’re in the Happiest Place on Earth. Why deny yourself some Mickey Mouse shaped food items?
We started off with the Mickey Mouse Steamed Pork Buns. What a pleasant surprise, there is meat and filling in the ears too. It’s like getting a big siopao, two extra mini siopaos and a bowtie!
Next up, Mickey Mouse Churros, some hot chocolate for me and earl grey tea for my brother. So yum we went back for seconds. We love churros. This made us warm up a little, it was very cold.
As if that wasn’t enough, my brother also got a Turkey Leg. These are a theme park staple. The sheer size of it, almost comical, fits right in in the fantasy world of Disney.
We also got some space Pizza with interesting flavors. It was surprisingly good.
I got a pretzel stuffed with cream cheese. It was okay. As pretzel’s usually go, it was very filling.
While walking around the park, we even ran into a parade! We were super excited. What is Disneyland without a parade?! The only thing missing were the fireworks but it was still bright out.
All in all, we got a lot done. We made 10/15 attractions and got to stuff our faces with Magical Food. Brother and I had such a great time. We already agreed we would go to Disneyland in LA to experience all these same attractions in English. 🙂
After Disneyland, the tour took us to a CHINESE RESTAURANT for dinner. Again there is something seriously wrong with this itinerary. I am in JAPAN, having Chinese food?! WHAT?! In fairness, the food was decent. Still, I would have preferred Japanese food.
When we got back to the hotel, Brother and I mustered up all our energy to walk around Ikebukuro with our well-rested parents. We bumped into a Takoyaki truck which we couldn’t resist.
We also walked through Tobu’s food section where, since it was late at night, the food was on sale. We picked up some sushi and gyoza at a steal. Impromptu picnic in our room!
Called it a night. Onto Day 3!
Before traveling to Tokyo, I had all these expectations:
- I would see harajuku girls walking around the street.
- I would not be able to afford anything.
- I would see Hello Kitty plastered everywhere.
- Sushi/tempura/udon would rain down upon us like manna from heaven.
Honestly, I think we went to the wrong places. I thought it would be loud, wild and vibrant like what you see in the movies (pardon me, I know this sounds ignorant) but it turned out to be a lot more ordinary than I expected. It was just like any city, albeit a cleaner, more efficient and organized one. Hence, I didn’t feel as if I got the true Tokyo experience. Often, I found myself thinking “This is it? This is all Tokyo has to offer?” There were so many places we didn’t get to visit (Shibuya, for instance) that left me wanting more. I think it was the tour we chose, it was focused primarily on shopping and not so much on sightseeing. It’s okay. Perhaps one day I can go back.
However, I must say, the food was TERRIFIC. I have to give it to them, the Japanese love food and for good reason. My brother and I came prepared to chow down so we spent most of our time foodtripping.I have gained 5 pounds. No joke.
We left Manila early morning. Dad bought Economy Comfort seats so we could relax for the 3-hour flight. The food was decent. I like Delta’s mini-tv’s. I got to catch up on Suits (one of my favorite shows) and snooze a bit. Arrival at the airport made me nostalgic. I used to stop over at Narita a lot en route to New York. The difference is, now I get to step out of the airport.
Backstory — We joined a tour called Scenic Japan. The local travel agency was Rakso Travel. Their Japanese affiliate was Travelliance Global. I will blog my comments about the tour separately.
Scenes from the bus
First Stop – Toyota Megawebs! Since we are in the car industry, I was quite curious about this. I thought it would be really entertaining and informative (like an interactive museum). However, it turned out just to be a glorified showroom where you can see ALL of Toyota and Lexus’ vehicle lineup and even test drive some vehicles. It was interesting in a way because we rarely get to look at vehicles we don’t sell but more than that, there’s not much else.
The Famous 86 (Identical to the Subaru BRZ)
After walking around a bit, we lost interest and ventured towards the nearby mall – Venus Fort. While our companions hit the shops, we went searching for food. We were hungry.
Meal #1 in Tokyo – Udon. Maybe we were a combination of hungry and excited but I rank this as my best meal in the entire trip.
My food – Beef Udon. SO GOOD. SO SO SO GOOD. I could happily eat this forever. I’m not even that big of an Udon fan but I loved this. That’s how good it was.
Parents’ meal – Karaage Udon. They loved this as well. They liked that the chicken stayed crunchy, the broth wasn’t greasy and was really flavorful.
Brother got Cold Soba + Tempura meal. I was so busy eating my food I didn’t even bother with his. He finished it all though (not surprising) and rated it quite highly.
After Venus Fort, we head to another mall called Diver City. (Why are you taking us to so many malls?)
Right when we walked in, we saw a Hello Kitty Store (expectation #3, fulfilled) selling these cute H. Kitty pastries. They are like pancakes but filled with your choice of custard, chocolate or cream cheese. We bought these, twice. They were so cute my dad felt bad for eating them. But no lies, they were really good, not too sweet and great to munch on while walking around the mall. I had way too much though that I had a stomachache after. Might have been the H. Kitties waging a war in my digestive track.
DiverCity is also known for its life-size statue of Gundam. We aren’t aficionados but we were curious so we went to check it out. Holy cow. It’s big.
Most of our time in DiverCity was spent just passing the time, waiting for dinner. We walked around the shops, found cool things like these giant Pocky snacks and fish-shaped postcards. No joke. The Japanese think of the most random things.
Dinner was at an AMERICAN BUFFET. I was aghast. We DID NOT go to Tokyo just to eat American Food. There are no words for how poor a decision this was. Shame on you tour operator, how can you take us to an American Buffet? That’s just offensive. We’re in the mecca of legendary culinary dishes and you take us to an American Buffet?! Terrible. Just. Terrible. I was really annoyed. We were glad that we had udon at the Food Court otherwise we would have been livid at this crappy restaurant selection. Worse, they rushed us and only let us eat for an hour. We had to be back at the hotel by 8:30. Something about how the driver had to sleep to get up early the next day. This made me doubly grumpy. First American Buffet and then you tell me my driver is a diva. What the heck.
What I wish we had for dinner
Leaving the Mall, we saw a Rainbow Bridge..
Around 9pm, we finally check into the Metropolitan Hotel in Ikebukuro. Room 1921, pictured below. Don’t stay in room 1901. It’s so small. Not for the claustrophobic.
We’re all exhausted but dad, brother and I venture out in search of dessert and coffee. Brr. So cold.
We find a cute little cafe called Italian Tomato to have some cake.
After that, we called it a night. Stay tuned for Day 2.
‘Tis the season to be chubby, fa la la la la, la la la la….
Christmas time is always so busy. There’s parties, reunions and celebrations left and right. Traffic is torture, food is in abundance and people are shopping like it’s the end of the world. (Pun intended since 12/21/2012 turned out to be false.)
It was pretty quiet for my family this year. We were so busy with the business, construction and other holiday festivities that it didn’t really feel like Christmas for us. However, we of course still made time to celebrate Mom and Dad’s 29th Anniversary… and eat. And eat. And eat.
We trekked over to Tivoli in the Mandarin Oriental for an intimate dinner.
Brother and I pre-meal
Bread is endless and delicious.
Starter is Beef Bourguignon with Truffle Mashed Potatoes – Good for two bites, we wanted more of this!
My starter was the Mushroom Cappucino with Pancetta and Chestnut Foam. Very mushroomy. They give you a lot of soup so this would be good to share. It’s okay, nothing spectacular. I wish they put more pancetta which gave the soup a saltiness that it lacked.
Brother got the Tivoli signature salad. He didn’t wanna share so I guess it was delicious. It is not at all good for those on a diet. There’s foie gras, lobster tail and scallops. It’s decadent and worth telling your diet to go on a day off. My brother shared approximately three bites with me and I concur. It is, indeed, delicious.
Dad and Mum got the Lobster Bisque. No comment here (didn’t try it.)
Palette Cleansing but none of us recall what this was. Not that it matters because they probably change it every time
Goofing off with the decor while waiting for our main courses.
Brother got Lambchops as his main course. Again, no comment because I didn’t try it.
My dad and I got the Ribeye. I’m not sure I would say the steak was amazing. Granted, it had good flavor and a nice marbling to it. Quite tender and cooked just right. But it wasn’t love at first bite. I got mine with truffled mashed potatoes and he ordered a baked potato. I used his baked potato toppings to garnish my truffled mash to give it more flavor and texture.
Mom got this gorgeous looking plate of fish topped with caviar.
We were all stuffed and ready to pass on dessert. But they gave us a complimentary cake which was wonderful of them. We didn’t even tell them the occasion, they just overheard and viola! cake!
The damage:
Tivoli’s definitely worth a visit. It’s good for special occasions and those moments when you want to indulge. The portions are large enough to share and the service is impeccable. Expect to drop a lot of cash so plan accordingly.
