Tokyo Adventures: Part One

For my last weekend in Japan, we decided to take a trip to Tokyo. You cannot live in Japan and not go to Tokyo at least once. It also would cut down on my flight time back to Florida (21 hours of flying and layovers) and who doesn't want to take a long weekend vacation.

We decided to leave on a Thursday after T got home from work. Leaving mid-day or night has worked out well for us. Morning flights are just not my thing but than again neither are mornings in general. The weather was beautiful and I got some photos as the plane took off.

My Last Look at Okinawa

The only tough part about flying into Tokyo at night is the transportation. We had a problem with this when we had a layover on the way to Thailand so this time we were prepared. T had figured out 4 different ways to get from Narita to our hotel in Shibuya. The lady at the Airport Limousine Bus counter was really helpful and we got on a bus that took us almost the entire way to the hotel which is about two hours away. 

I am really picky about hotels. Specifically in foreign countries. I figure we needed to be a good area with lots to do and close to Tokyo transportation. And spoiled as this will sound is nice inside. We may not be around much but I want to look forward to coming back and getting into bed. Not dreading it because it smells or I'm afraid bugs will crawl all over my face at night. Oh and Tokyo is EXPENSIVE! But we got lucky and found a decent deal at the Cerulean Tower Hotel in Shibuya. Everything about the hotel was fabulous except the bed. I had forgotten that many Japanese hotels have Japanese beds and they are hard as rocks! I slept with pillows under me because it hurt my back.

Our Corner Room - Two Views

After we checked into the hotel both of our tummies were growling. Neither of us wanted to sit down and eat a big meal and I was craving fries. So McDonald's it was. We finally found it after walking in the pouring rain for 30 minutes. I promise this was the only time we even glanced at fast food or an American chain the entire trip. I just needed some greasy, salty fries!

We went back to the hotel and T immediately fell asleep but I stayed up until my usual time planning out our trip. Since I hadn't slept well the night before and it was crazy raining outside we took it easy in the morning. We left the hotel to get lunch on the way to our assigned tour at Tokyo's Imperial Palace. The palace and gardens are in a business section of Tokyo so there wasn't much as far as restaurants and shops but there was a small mall nearby. We stopped in and found a cute Italian cafe - Stand T. 

Iced Tea & Iced Coffee with Liquid Sugar :)

We ate pretty quickly and headed to the palace. I was surprised there was actually a huge group of people waiting for the tour (mostly Japanese). T and I were handed these audio players that allowed you to hear about the various parts of the tour. I got pretty bored with it so halfway through I stopped caring. And since I did that I barely remember anything about the palace. 

Here is what I do remember:

We saw lots of buildings. I am pretty sure none of them were the actual palace. 

This building is called the Chōwaden Reception Hall. It is where the Japanese Royal Family greets well wishers on certain days of the year as they gather outside. 

Notice the rain - it was like this pretty much the whole day! When in Tokyo buy a plastic umbrella like they do and for the most part stay dry.

The landscaping is beautiful. I think I took more pictures of trees and flowers than I did of the actual buildings. 

Rain will ruin a good hair day and a cute outfit!

After the tour, we walked around the area and found more pretty scenery. This cute little restaurant was by the fountains and a small lake with a cute bridge to walk over.  All of this in the center of several skyscrapers. It was a like a peaceful hideout in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city.

Cherry Blossom Tree

Walking in the rain for several hours made me crave something sweet. I'm not sure why but this will be a trend throughout the weekend. I am not a sweets person! As we were walking back to the train station we found an underground mall area and a little bakery.

I could eat something from this place for the rest of my life. I was so giddy after picking out our pastries that T gave me a high five for finding the place. The Japanese girl behind the counter laughed at us and smiled and so T gave her a high five. I have a dorky husband.

Thought it was a breadstick - Turned out there was a hotdog inside.

Tomato & Cheese Center

Apple Pastry: By Far The Best!!!

We went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. T decided he really wanted to find an izakaya and I decided we should head towards Ebisu. There is an article from Time Travel, "Tokyo: 10 Things To Do" and there were two restaurants mentioned in the article. However, it is extremely difficult to find a specific place in Tokyo. The buildings are mostly all at least seven stories and the small signs telling people what is on each floor are mainly in Japanese. 

So we gave up and as we were walking down an alley from a place that looked like good food and would probably have an English menu. Jackpot! 

Our Electronic Menu (in English)

Inside Restaurant

We ordered with our electronic menu and we ordered big.

Edamame & Beer

Chicken On A Stick

Bruschetta except with Chili Beans

Yum. Salmon.

T ordered a Hoppy thinking it was a beer. It is actually a non-alcoholic drink (no wonder we thought it tasted like water) that you mix with a shot of sake. It wasn't horrible. Like sake and water.

Spicy Chicken

With our bellies delightfully full we walked back up the alley and found a British Pub. It was pretty packed but the bartender was super nice and when a seat opened up he grabbed it for us. We each had a beer and decided we were just too tired to party. Another long day tomorrow.

 

Hiroshi

My last week in Okinawa, I had a little companion for the long days while T is at work. Meet Hiroshi!

I was beyond excited when I found out we would be taking care of him for a whole week. I had tons of plans to take him on walks to stores close to our place and even take him to the beach. I was supposed to get a rental car for one of my last days on island but we went last minute one afternoon and oddly there were no cars left. Super disappointed. So without a car and it rained almost every day, we didn't have much opportunity to get out. The one day it was beautiful outside, we left the apartment to go on a walk and found ourselves greeted by this.

Yes, a chicken! This little guy saw us standing on the first floor landing and heard the dog bark and started coming after us. I may be a small town girl but I am NOT a farm girl. I don't know anything about chickens and scared I was going to be pecked by a wild one decided it was best to run back upstairs. Once inside our place, I decided to sneak back downstairs and see if it really had followed us. And it sure had, it was squawking on the second floor. When T came home he was gone. Gone to where; the corn field, a tomb, or maybe a neighbor has a pet chicken?

Hiroshi really makes me miss our kitty back at my parent's house. Excited to go home so soon!

 

Last Home Cooked Meal

For my last night with Tom, I wanted to go all out with dinner since I know he will miss my cooking. At least he better. Knowing how much he loves tacos and all the trappings of a good Mexican meal it was a no brainer. Taco Tuesdays are our favorite!

Our lovely dinner included the basics for the best tacos and then I made guacamole and queso. Our lovely friends Caralee and Paul had come over for dinner earlier in the week and brought us a bottle of wine. We decided this was the best night to open their gift.

I will miss cooking for my husband for the next few months. But by then we will have a big kitchen with lots of room and appliances for me to cook even better meals. My little domesticated heart cannot wait!!

 

Date Nights

At the beginning of my stay here we would have at least one date night a week. Either dinner and/or a movie. Well after a few weeks for unknown reasons we stopped having date nights. It was just easier for T since he was working extremely long hours and sometimes not getting home till 6 or later. 

But with my departure fast approaching, date nights were reinstated. Most of the time these date nights included one or more of his friends which just made it even more entertaining as I often would be pulled into conversations only guys would have. This happens all the time but I don't think I will ever get used to it. 

For our first date, we decided to go to a restaurant that everyone must go to at least once while in Okinawa. CoCo's Curry. You will hear about this restaurant from the moment you get there until you leave. Some people swear it is the best and strangely addictive. It was pretty good but not my favorite (best curry later in the post). The salad dressing though was amazing. I don't know what that stuff was but I could have drank that straight from a cup. About the curry though, beware of the spice levels! I love spice and got a level 4 (Level 10 is highest) and couldn't finish it. 

We followed up our next date night at a Noodle & Fried Rice restaurant. It was highly recommended to us and I love fried rice! Jeremy came along. Many restaurants in Japan have vending machines where you decide what you want by pushing the respective buttons for your food and drink. It makes it a little difficult with just a picture and no description but I don't think you could go wrong at this place. 

T and I both got the fried rice, garlic rice, and dumplings. And J ordered a noodle bowl and dumplings. The fried rice came with the egg cooking so you had to stir it into the rice fast so it would fully cook and not burn. The food was delicious and extremely filling. I left with a full tummy and a food baby. 

Tom stirring in the egg

We decided to continue with our Japanese themed date nights. We went to an izakaya just up the street from our apartment. Another recommended place which turned out to have some of the most interesting decor. 

You could eat in huts over water!

My planning skills were off that day and we didn't make a reservation so we ended up sitting at the bar. But I thought it was cozy and I loved looking at all those chandeliers.

They didn't have an English menu but most of the items had pictures. So it didn't seem too difficult. Find a picture that looked appetizing and order it. Between the two of us we ordered avocado slices, taco sushi roll, steak with a spicy soy sauce, edamame, a plate with a variety of sashimi, and well a plate of something unknown. The picture looked like chicken but it definitely wasn't. I delegated that dish to the "only in Japan." 

WHAT IS THIS?!

For our final night out I knew exactly where to go: SomChai (Thai). We have been to this place several times and it was one of the few restaurants we went to when I visited last summer. I love it and will miss this tiny little place for their delicious food.

Every time I go I want to get something else because everything on their menu sounds amazing but I flake because I want their curry. I crave this stuff despite knowing I will likely leave with my mouth on fire. Every meal comes with soup and you can pick rice or noodles with your curry. The soup may be basic (very few veggies in a chicken broth base) but I love it. I even found a recipe so I could make my own.

After we got I food I kind of forgot to take pictures of it. That is just how much I love this place.

We had successful date nights even though it rained every single time. While I am ready to get back to being able to order and understand what I have ordered, there are so many diverse restaurants in Okinawa. Unlike the US staples of Chili's and Macaroni Grill - don't worry they have those on base if you ever need a refresher of what a chain restaurant taste like.