Posted on January 20, 2019
As we grow more and more comfortable with traveling to the Tokyo area, there are certain things we make sure to carve out time for. :D
- Bake Cheese Tarts -
First year we went to Japan, I caught an episode of Tokyo Eye 2020 where they went to Jiyugaoka and stopped by BAKE, a place that more or less only serves cheese tarts. So... we went and I stood in like for 30 minutes in the cold and ordered 2 cheese tarts and 1 soft serve cone. The tarts were fresh out of the oven and absolutely delicious. I was kicking myself for not ordering a full box of 6.
Then low and behold, they opened a kiosk in Ikebukuro station near the exit closest to our hotel. So you guessed it, just about every time we pass by (as long as there isn't a long line), we order 2 cheese tarts and eat them in our room. We haven't found other cheese tarts that we like as much.
And yes, I know they've got kiosks in California now, darn it!
- Riding the Rails -
One thing I've always loved about Japan was the ease of public transport. Admittedly learning the routes is another story, but being able to get wherever I need to go without a car is a huge plus... This coming from someone who rarely drives. ^_^;;_
- Vending Machines -
Nothing like checking out all the various vending machines. Each one is different and I like perusing their selections. I'm probably more picky than I should be about my choices in teas or juices, but it's SO nice to have choices other than soda, especially un-sweetened teas!
- Book Stores -
This actually includes music shops and supply stores. I've learned to schedule large sections of time to check out these shops because part of the joy is randomly finding stuff you weren't even looking for. We spent half a day in the Shibuya Tower Records listening to various stuff at their listening stations and started a deep dive into the world of Japanese City Pop. We also found the Junkudo Bookstore near Ikebukuro station and good GOD it is like... 9 floors of amazing... and it's not like we can even read Japanese all that well.
- Family Restaurants -
Hitting Gusto in our area each morning for breakfast is part of our routine. We sit for about an hour, recapping the day before and planning out the rest of the day, depending on the weather and how we feel.
The meals are pretty tasty and not terribly expensive. The endless soft-drink bars are probably my favorite part.
If we can't decide on what and where to eat, we usually default to a family restaurant nearby so we can sit and eat whatever we feel like. ♥
*****
There are a bunch more stuff not on this particular list, but these are kinda representative of the kinds of things that we look forward to each trip.
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