Konichiwa!! The motley crew arrive in Tokyo

I've been urging myself to blog about the Japan trip ever since I got back, but somehow I end up playing "Who's got the biggest brain" on Facebook every time I try. Anyway, that FB application is currently down, and I've run out of excuses to put off blogging.


So here goes...the glorious Japan trip that took 6 good friends from metropolitan Tokyo to quaint Kyoto to vibrant Osaka and finally to tranquil Mt Fuji and Hakone.

Day 1 - Arrival in Tokyo + Check in @ our favourite Oakwood Apartments, Shinjuku

After checking in, we were all famished and decided to have an early dinner at a nearby curry ramen shop. Actually we didn't know it was curry ramen until Ms Vong pointed out that the shop smelled like curry. Like all things in Japan, the interior of the shop was tiny and there wasn't a table big enough to accommodate all 6 of us.

Yummy! The ramen was truly satisfying. Next stop - Odaiba, a man-made island half an hour from Shinjuku. Travelling to Odaiba was an adventure in itself, as we took the Yurikamome (special train) that uses the Rainbow Bridge and offerred spectacular views of the harbour and the Tokyo waterfront area. Replica of the Statue of Liberty and view of Rainbow Bridge from Aquacity .
I wanted so badly to ride on the ferris wheel - the notion of cuddling with a loved one on a ferris wheel in the still of the night seemed so romantic. However, we were all bushed and the ferris wheel was quite far from where we were, so we gave it a miss. I will definitely try it if I visit Odaiba again!
By the time we got back to Shinjuku, some of us (Ms Wong and Mr Lee are the usual suspects) were already craving for supper. So the Vongs and us decided to explore the dark and narrow alleys of Shinjuku which turned out to be Yakitori alley. Imagine having ice cold beer with yakitori, ooohh, heaven! We chose this small nondescript shop because it was not as crowded as the rest.
I was salivating when the food came and totally forgot about photos :( All 4 of us were huddled up on the 2nd floor of the shop. Check out the narrow and steep staircase we had to climb to get up there. Getting down was a real challenge too!

Day 2: Harajuku, Harajuku (mimicking the cutey pie voice recording announcing our arrival at Harajuku station)

Harajuku on a Sunday is where Japanese schoolgirls dressed as lolitas (maid costume) and goths come out to play . The Japs are truly a kinky bunch.
Shopping on Takeshita street @ Harajuku was gratifying, as the clothes were relatively inexpensive. There were also many shops selling socks at 3 for 1000 yen! I particularly enjoyed browsing through the "sale" racks for 1000 yen (S$13.50) bargains!
At this juncture, it started raining but between the 5 of us, we only had 1 umbrella. The Vongs and Ms To had to resort to zipping in and out of stores along Omotesandō Hills to avoid getting wet (they just refused to buy an umbrella!)
Junk Yard, a double-storey cool and retro used clothes store. I love the vintage dresses which were really affordable but I just couldn't find something that fit! Bummer!
Rest of the afternoon was spent wandering around Omotesandō, where the gals splurged on Agnes B bags. We also spent a lot of time in Kiddy Palace (which happens to be a 5-storey building). The Vongs and Ms To managed to get their brollies here! Not many pictures taken as it continued to pour and I didn't want to get my camera wet.

In the evening, we walked to Shibuya to meet Tyre. By the time we got there, we were on the brink of collapse. This is us catching a breather on the steps of 0101 Shibuya! I wonder if anyone mistook us as vagabonds or beggars.

Day 3: Experiencing the hustle and bustle at Tsukiji fish market

We woke up darn early to visit Tsukiji fish market as according to my guidebook, activities start at 3am! It's nothing like your neighbourhood fish market though. Over here, an amazing array of seafood is sold, and you will not believe how gigantic the fishes (especially tuna) can be! Plus there was a lively tuna auction going on!

Big fish. Puffer I reckon?
After the auction, we trooped down to the row of restaurants flanking the market and had sashimi for breakfast! Though fresh, we thought the food was overpriced. Still, a must-try, according to my guidebook.
Next up: Ginza. Mr Lee got really excited by this huge Apple store. Unfortunately, it was not open for business yet!
Took a train to Sensoji temple. By then, it was pouring cats and dogs. The rain was a real spoiler! As you can see, the clouds were really pouring their hearts out - my camera managed to capture the rain sticks. We sat around and took lots of "artistic" photos (of ourselves) at the temple.
Exploring the Nakamise shopping street was such a delight! It was fun trying out the interesting Japanese snacks and admiring the lovely packaging of sweets and such on display.
We headed to Ueno next for some bargain hunting! These ubiquitous drugstores are everywhere! And you can spend hours in them. I bought eyelash curler, mascara, body spray, travel-size shampoo, etc from one of these stores.
Below: at the Ameyoko market, 10 minutes from Ueno station. This is perhaps Tyre's favourite part of the trip (he even came back a 2nd time). Bargains for sportswear are aplenty, if you have the patience to dig and jostle with the crowd. And 'they' say there's no fake stuff in Japan, so the Nikes and Adidas were a steal for the price we paid! Everyone bought something here (except me I think) - even the not-so-sporty Kaywei went away with 2 sporty Adidas jackets.
After camwhoring at Sensoji temple with my uber cool Canon G9, everyone seemed determined to get the same camera! So we made our way to Akihabara - the electronics district.
In case you're wondering, no one bought the G9 in the end! Haha
After a very hectic day, everyone was complaining of aching feet and tired shoulders, so we made our way back to the hotel early. The Vongs and Tos wanted to pack dinner back to the hotel, so Vin and I decided to have a special dinner in celebration of our 3rd year anniversary. Check out the view from the 50th floor of Sumitomo building. The dinner, by the way, was undoubtedly the best Japanese meal we ever had, whether in Japan, Malaysia or Singapore!
Detoured to Kabuki-cho, the red light district on our way back to our hotel. It was bubbling with activity, the dark variety, of course. Here, we saw some of the best looking Jap dudes. I wasn't quite sure what they were doing 'cuz they were just standing around, but some of them approached and spoke to Mr Lee (only him, mind you), so it didn't take me too long to put two and two together!

The very inconspicuous love hotels located on a slope on the fringes of Kabuki-cho.
Day 4: Frantic shopping in Shinjuku before we head to Kyoto

Shopping at Shinjuku was lots of fun. There's such a wide variety to choose from! Some of my favourite shops/stores are Salut, Beams, 3 coins, United Arrows and Isetan! Incidentally, Salut is our all-time favourite shop, hands down. It's a lovely shop @ Lumini Est filled with pretty knick knacks and accessories for the home. Best of all, most items cost only 1000 yen (S$13.50) each. We shopped without restraint like there's no tomorrow and lugged 2 to 3 bags of goodies each (even Mr Lee had a few bags!) back to the hotel for storage.

Storing the items was a very stressful affair as earlier in the morning, the hotel staff had already compactly stored our luggage in 2 lockers. The very many extra bags from Salut had to be repacked to fit into the existing lockers and we wouldn't have managed to do it under our time constraint (we were rushing to catch a train to Kyoto) if not for sheer determination (to save cost) and teamwork. Well done!

The Wongs and Tos. All ready to set off for Kyoto. Check out the guys' luggage bags and the gals' sling bags! Same same!

Stay tuned for our adventure in Kyoto, Osaka, Mt Fuji and Hakone!