| Favourite places in Tokyo |
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| Imperial Palace Plaza (Koukyo Gaien) Just 20 minutes by bike from our home is 280 acres of green surrounding the Imperial Palace. Areas opened to the public includes Kitanomaru Park, the Eastern Garden and the Palace Plaza. The Palace Plaza is the "emptiest" area among the three. Here is pines, grass and gravels and pretty much nothing else. Before we bought our own bikes, we used to borrow free bikes here (available on Sundays from 10am to 3pm) and bike outside the Palace. We like to spend some time sitting on the grass when the weather is fine. Shinjuku Gardens (Shinjuku Gyoen) This is our favourite garden. We like to bring a book each and spend an afternoon here picnicking and just lying on the grass reading and napping. The 144-acre-garden was built on the site of a private mansion once belonged to Lord Naito during Edo period. (One of my ex-colleagues actually is a member of this Naito family!) The garden is divided into several parts, each has its own style - French Formal, English Landscape and Japanese Traditional. The entrance fee is 200 yen. Mont. Takao (Takaosan) Takaosan, only 599m high, is an easy hike. It is just 50 minutes from Shinjuku by Keio express line. Remember to get off at Takao entrance (Takaoguchi) instead of Takao. There are 7 hiking routes you can take. It takes less than 2 hours to reach the mountain top. If you don't fancy all the walking, you can also take the cable car or the lift chair. The most exciting part of visiting Takaosan to me, however, is not the hiking, but the eating. There is a small shop that sells the most fabulous tempura soba. If climbing Takaosan is not enough a challenge for you, you can go further to Jinbasan. It takes about 5 hours from Takaosan to top of Jinbasan. Kamakura Kamakura is Japan's capital from 1192 to 1333. This old town homes so many temples and shrines that one day is not enough to see them all. The most famous sight in Kamakura is the 750-year-old Great Buddha (Daibutsu). Honestly we are are not very interested in temples and shrines. What attracts us most in Kamakura is the beach along Sugami Bay. The trip from Tokyo out here takes 55 minutes by JR. Hakone This hot spring resort is a comprehensive excursion from Tokyo. Here you can ride a cablecar, take a cruise on Ashinoko Lake, taste "black eggs" freshly boiled in volcanic hotwater springs. And on top of all these, you can enjoy a relaxing hotspring bath in one of the many onsen hotels. The best way to get here is by Odakyu Romance Car (85 minutes) from Shinjuku. The weather, however, is crucial. Once we went to Hakone with Chan's parents in early June, which, we all know is the famous tsuyu rainy season. It's so rainy and foggy that we couldn't even see 10 meters ahead of us. Spoilled all the fun. Ikebukuro Life Safety Learning Center (Bosai-kan) One of the first few places we visited after coming to Tokyo. Here visitors can experience simulated earthquakes with intensity of 6 and above. This is very important to Chan and I since we are from cities without earthquakes. We also learn how to use a fire extinguisher here. Places where we shop Maruzen Established in 1869, this is Japan's oldest western bookshop and has a good selection of English and French books. We visit the Nihonbashi honten almost every Saturday (We call it our private library). Book 1st Another book store with a good English-language section, particularly English magazines. I used to go to the one in Shibuya when I was attending Japanese class near there. Bic Camera Chan's favourite. If he has nothing better to do, he will just go there alone and spend hours strolling on the watch and computer floors. I, on the other hand, like to go to the basement to enjoy a free massage in a momi-momi chair. Takeya Discount store near Ueno. We bought most of our home appliances there. On any Sunday, when you get out from Naka-okachimachi station on the Hibiya line, you will see crowds trying to get into one of the several purple buildings that belong to Takeya. You won't miss it. Uniqlo The Giordano of Japan. Pau Pau Aqua Garden Have I mentioned we have a small aquarium? We buy everything from fish to filter in this shop in Ginza. Hanamasa 24-hour wholesale store with a good selection of vegetables and frozen meat. Many restaurant chefs come here to buy ingredients everyday. You don't necessarily have to buy in bulk. Akafudado We were so excited when we first discovered this 4-storey superstore in Monzen-nakacho about 15 minutes' walk from our home. The ground floor is supermarket, the second and third floor sells clothes and the fourth floor sells kitchen stuff and other home appliances. Jusco Chan's new favourite store. Only 20 minutes by bike. Places where we eat Gonpachi George W. Bush ate in the one in Nishi-Azabu when he visited Japan 2 years ago. The place then became so popular that it is almost impossible to make a reversation on the same day. Now 3 more shops are opened - in Ginza, Odaiba and Shibuya. The restaurant serves sushi and soba. You have to specify what you plan to eat when you make a reservation. Sushi no Midori This restaurant is very good for value. Huge pieces of raw seafood on rice. The catch is - you have to wait for at least 30 minutes for a table. We tried going at 4pm. We even tried 3pm, but there was always a long queue outside the restaurant in Ginza. We practically gave up on this restaurant, but evey time we are in the area, we can't help to go take a look to see if we can get in. If you really want to eat in this restaurant, try the one in Shibuya. You will have a better chance there. Toriyoshi This is a popular chain store for yakitori. We tried 2 branches - Harajuku and Aoyama. We prefer the one in Aoyama since there is non-smoking area and the seats are more spacious. Maisen Tonkatsu I don't like Tonkatsu (deep fried pork chop) much. But the one sold in this shop is really good. The crust is not too hard and not too oily. Besides visiting one of the two restaurants in Aoyama and Hibiya, you can also buy Maisen's tonkatsu sandwich and bento in many department stores' basement food sections. Kondou There are so many monjayaki restaurants in Tsukishima it is impossible to choose if you don't know any one particularly good. Kondou is probably one of the most famous in Tsukishima. Monjayaki is Tokyo's specialty vs Okonomiyaki is Osaka's specialty. It's kind of like pancake or omlet. The fun part is: when you order, the waiter will give you a bowl of ingredients and you have to cook them yourself. Le Phare A small French restaurant near home. Lunch set (full course) is 3,500 yen. Grand China (former Crystal Jade Palace) Dim Sum restaurant where we cure our homesick. Located on the 41st floor of Shiodome City Center, you can enjoy the marvellous view of central Tokyo while tasting authentic Cantonese dim sum. Nishiki Dining Folklore Quite a genuine Cantonese restaurant serving Hong Kong-style dishes. Dim Sum here is good. Umai Sushikan Another restaurant in Shiodome area - basement of Caretta Shiodome. This is a restaurant chain with five shops in Tokyo. For 2,000 yen you can already enjoy a very good sushi set with a sake. Try to sit at the sushi bar and chit-chat with the chef. If you don't speak Japanese at all, just point at whatever you want to try. (My experience - I pointed at a beef-like piece of meat and asked the chef whether it was fish. The chef said yes. Actually it's kujira, ie, whale...) Chiyoda Sushi A takeaway sushi chain with over 200 shops all over Japan. Chan says this shop's sushi is the best in Tokyo, even better than expensive restaurants. A bit exaggerated I believe, but surely sushi here is fresh and cheap. Ginza Cozy Corner This cake shop is our favourite. It has the best chou and eclair. And really cheap compared with other cake shops in Tokyo. Tenya Tempura on rice. I know I know. This is just a fast food chain but we like it. Komoro Soba A chain serving soba and udon. Favourite Sunday lunch when we don't want to eat much. Squid tempura on soba is just 310 yen. |
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| A relaxing Sunday in Imperial Palace Plaza |
| Hanami season in Shinjuku Gyoen |
| Mont. Takao |
| Daibutsu in Kamakura |
| Akafudado in Monzen-nakacho |
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| In Ikebukuro Bosai-kan with Fung Fung and Eva |
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| In Hakone with my nephew Fung Fung |
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| Takeya in Naka-okachimachi |