I woke up around 7, and with no big, specific plans for the day had a pretty slow morning messaging and arranging the pod, and feeling properly synced to the timezone just as I had hoped. I walked out to wander around the area just outside the hostel- it was a brisk, sunny morning in the mid 40s. Streets were quiet, folks peacefully walking on their commutes. Lots of public workers cleaning and already pristine streets, wearing distinctive helmets. Groups of young schoolchildren in their uniforms, hats, and huge backpacks walked by on their way to class. I grabbed a canned Mr Boss latte with milk (Y130) from vending machine- which to my surprise, was WARM- and headed towards my chosen breakfast spot- a small, no-frills restaurant called Shinpachi Shokudō Shibuya that stood out as one of the better (and also only) spots open so early nearby. Besides me and two cooks, there was a group of 4, a couple friends, and several individuals cycled in and out while I was there. One solo guy ordered a mug of Asahi (8am, mind you) and quickly bounced. Cheers.
Their specialty is charcoal-cooked meats- which for breakfast, is fish. Surprisingly, the space didn’t smell fishy nor charcoaly- not sure how they pulled that off. I got sardines (other options being cuts of salmon or mackeral), which came with miso soup, grated daikon, and pickled veggies. I added a side of green beans for Y30. No tea, but very tasty cold water from a carafe (which I assumed, wrongly, was tea).
Did I stand out front and watch a few YouTube Shorts on how to properly debone and eat a whole fish with chopsticks before entering? You bet I did! And I'm glad I did. Pretty happy with my initial effort at this (granted sardine bones are so small theyre pretty low-risk- in fact, I could have probably just eaten them) and also thanking the cooks for a delicious meal in Japanese- which they both understood and seemed to appreciate.
Seeking more caffeine and wandering, I headed up a little twisty side road and into a quaint, trendy cafe called Good Good Not Bad. Tiny triangular spot, very minimal, playing energetic american funk. No chairs in the place- only metal pipes built into the wall- never seen before and oddly akin to hostile non-homeless infrastructure often seen at bus stops in the US. I got a hot matcha (Y930, about $6- quite pricey for Japan) and let ny phone charge up a bit while plotting my next moves. Obviously matcha is available almost everywhere now, but I rarely order it and figure I've gotta try it here. It was extremely smooth and tasty, with impeccable foam art.
After breakfast, I ambled down the block into my first Larson’s- the other nain convenience store (konbini) chain. I picked up a couple small salty snacks for future me. Across the street, I noticed a man setting up tons of cool little plants outside the entrance of a shop, which caught my eye- knowing full well that going inside would likely only bring me sadness, since bringing plantlife into the US from abroad is technically a no-no. Regardless, I enjoyed browsing a huge and varied collection of mostly small houseplants- notably featuring a whole section for cultivating moss and tiny little terrarium globes, complete with miniature figures and buildings. I snagged a couple bags for future use, thinking it could make a fun rainy winter day activity back home. Just add moss!
Eventually I realized that this shop was actually the 2nd basement level of a department store called Hands, which I had been wanting to visit due to its curated and very wide variety of wares. The map of the place is wild to see- it’s designed over several floors of split levels, comprising probably 20 or so mini-floors in total. Over the next 3 hours, I proceeded to spend time in every single one- some less than others (hello, health/wellness- completely overwhelming array of various beauty products, many with very loud, attention-grabbing displays and screens. Corporate cacophony!). My favorite floors were those related to crafts and stationery- the latter being quite a passion for this detail-oriented culture. Limiting myself to only what I could carry in the cute tiny basket provided, I picked up a few items for myself and others. Another highlight was the ‘small animals’ floor- the final stop on the top floor, featuring a small but varied mix of birds/parrots, reptiles, fish, and small rodents. One parakeet was showing off an extremely impressive ability to swing itself from side to side on its little swing- visibly increasing in intensity when I approached. Someone definitely had their caffeine today.
Forcing myself to look past the extremely reasonably-priced steel frame Japanese bikes on the ground floor, I decided I had spent enough time shopping- for now. All the steps (whose estimated ‘calories burned’ was marked on every single step of the probably 60 small staircases between floors serving as justification for my hunger. I has previously Googled a small, well-rated ramen spot on my map and it was quite nearby, so I checked it out. There was already a few people outside the door of the discrete entrance of the spot (called Ramen Nukaji) waiting for room to open up at the very quaint restaurant- with only 6 or so bar seats, a tiny kitchen area, and hardly any room to walk behind the seats to reach the restroom.
I had heard descriptions of the ‘ticket’ system used in many restaurants for ease of ordering, but never really understood it until seeing for my own here. Just inside the door was a small beige machine with a simple LCD screen, coin slot, bill slot, probably 20 or so buttons (each labeled with a menu item or an addition/topping). As more money is inserted into the machine, little red lights illuminate for buttons of menu items you currently have enough money inserted to purchase- dynamically updating as more coins are added. Very cool and satisfying! Once the selection is made, tiny little tickets are printed out for each item, which you then hand to the server or cook behind the counter. I put in my order (spicy ramen with soft-boiled egg and green onion, as well as a featured beer- Wald schrwarzbier from Passific Brewing- which at Y1000 (about $6.50) cost as much as my ramen! That is to say, all very cheap compare to similar in the US, much less Seattle. Unsurprisingly, the ramen was delicious- salty and flavorful with a mild spice which built over time. Slurping noodles to show enjoyment of the flavor is the way here- so I tried to untrain my anxious American compulsion to eat as silently as possible lest risk annoying everyone in the vicinity. First ramen (hopefully of many) was two thumbs way up.
I had bookmarked the SEGA store on my maps, noticing it was close to my hostel but not realizing it was inside a massive multistory boutique shopping center called Parco- so I decided to wander and explore the various designers’ shops. The whole place was very ‘open concept’, with only very subtle divisions between each store and their dutifully watchful retail associates. Peeking at a few price tags confirmed that pretty much everything here was WELL outside my typical clothing budget- not to mention style tastes and in some cases, body size. I did note a very cool multi-colored tweed button-down shirt which was more than I’d normally spend, but figured it could be a cool souvenir and sat on the idea of purchasing as I continued to meander the mall. On the higher floors, things shifted from apparal to electronic fandom- including a large Nintendo, Pokemon, and Godzilla stores- along with the relatively quaint and unflashy SEGA store that brought me here in the first place.
After making my shirt purchase, I popped into a small and trendy coffee spot that caught my eye (and most importantly, nose) called Torahebi. They offered premium pour-overs with very distinctive aromas- including sake and banana- but I opted for their ‘signature’ roast. As I sipped my beverage while seated on a curved wooden sculpture (no chairs here- only various pieces of woodwork/art), I spontaneously booked an Airbnb ‘Experience’- an izakaya crawl through Shinjuku and a famous area (formerly a slum) packed full of tiny, old bars called Golden Gai.
I had a couple hours until I needed to head to the event, so I went back to the hostel to charge up body and electronic batteries. I figured it’d be very straightforward to take the subway up north a few stops to Shinjuku, where the tour began. However, it was still very much peak rush hour when I headed down into the subway. Took a bit to find the correct track (turns out I needed an above-ground line, not subway- and both have separate tickets)- and fortunately the train wasn’t uncomfortably crowded. And by that I mean, I was one of the last ones able to squeeze into the door, but there was still room for physical separation between the other standing passengers. I’ve definitely been in even more crowded metro trains a few times- coming from a Mariners game once, and going to a soccer game in Mexico City both come to mind as more ‘holy shit’/chaotic experiences. There’s tons of people out walking here and using transit during rush hour, but on the whole it’s shockingly calm, quiet, and organized.
Anyway- I got out and the tour began. It was just me, the guide, an italian couple in their late 20s/early 30s, and 4 Danes- who it turns out was three siblings (a 30-something and early 20s brothers, and their 20 year old sister and her friend), so a pretty small group. The first stop was an izakaya on the outskirts of the Golden Gai called Susabiyu Kabukicho, which wasn’t exactly popping and looked pretty new/sterile. I ordered a sweet potato shochu from Kuro Kirishima. Shochu is similar to vodka in my view, but much smoother and more drinkable, even on the rocks. Would drink again. For snacks, I ordered some tempura (pork belly and eggplant- the latter was quite good), and fried yam slices. It was pretty loud and not really able to talk well- the guide was also quite quiet- so I was pretty ready to move onto the next stop, which turns out was quite a bit more lively.
A few blocks away, we entered an elevator that took us down to the 2nd level basement. I didn’t catch the name of the place, but it specialized in sake. Our guide ordered 4 different rounds- ranging from sweet, to fruity, to hazy and sugary. All of them were good, but only me and the italian guy were drinking everything that was poured in front of us. The Danes in particular were much more partial to the lemon sours and beers. Unlike the first stop, this one was packed with young local getting quite lit for a Wednesday night. Our snacks here consisted of a potato salad (which looked more like a huge ice cream sundae when it came out- but with chives and bacon), fried fava beans (really good- simultaneously crispy and soft), and roasted miso (comes out as a spread on top of a bamboo leaf, which you simply scoop up and eat. very intense, rich flavor).
Around 9pm, we headed back up the elevator to our final spot- a karaoke bar. I knew karaoke is huge in the culture here, and over the last handful of years I’ve become a fan of it myself from time to time in Seattle. But never have I been into a karaoke bar like this one! We entered a granite-walled lobby and into an elevator- as if we were going into an office building. A few floors up, we exited and I noticed that every door was actually the entrance to a bar of some kind. We found the door for NearMe Karaoke (great SEO in that name), and entered to find three bartenders, 2 patrons at the bar, and a large empty booth with big screens on either side. Quite an intimate little setup. I ordered a whiskey (Yoitchi) which was quite good and relatively smooth- followerd up by a couple Asahi. Suddenly the bartender came over and thrust microphones in front of the 2 Dane girls as Natasha Beddingfield’s ‘Unwritten’ came on- though they had not requested anything. I’m grateful the bartender did this to break the ice, as afterwards we all rotated around singing songs for 90 mins or so, ordering a few rounds and definitely a much more loosened up vibe than back at the first stop. I chose Cage The Elephant’s ‘Aint No Rest For the Wicked’- which I'm not sure if anyone else was familiar with, but they seemed to enjoy its bouncy nature. And good god, I definitely forgot how WORDY and odd the cadence of that song is at times. It was a challenge but ended up well. Some selections of other folks included ABBA, an ACDC song I’ve never heard of (deep cut from the Italians), an italian song that apparently won the first ever Grammy for ‘best song’ in 1958 (Volare, by Dominico Modugno. Give it a listen), and 7 Years by Lukas Graham (who apparently is Danish!). We said our goodbyes and parted ways.
I decided to spend more time wandering around Shinjuku, as it was only around 10:00 and it was still very busy. I was an easy target for countless bar promoters who would approach me with an extended fist (looking for a ‘pound’), asking what my plans for the night were and that I should go to their bar which had lots of girls and very little clothing. Initially my default was a polite smile and chuckle but ‘no thanks’ but eventually it was happening SO much I just had to start totally ignoring them.
In search of reprieve, I popped into an arcade filled with claw machine games. You’ve probably seen these various places, usually filled with cheap stuffed animals or similar. But the machines here contain significantly more interesting- and random- prizes: everything from the standard stuffed toys, to manga figurines, to instant ramen cups and snacks like KitKats or Pokki. The one similarity with American machines is that these are all absolutely rigged- but at least theyre pretty cheap (usually 100 Yen, or about 75 cents). I tried my hand at a few but mostly watched others’ attempts. I had my eyes on a machine that contained gigantic Pringle cans- like 2.5 feet tall, probably. For some reason, this seemed like a good thing to go for- not considering the prospect of having to carry it around and possibly into a bar. I guess I could probably make some friends by sharing the chips.
Before picking a bar, I walked up stairs to a large shrine just outside the bar area, Hanazono. It was closed, of course, but the doors were clear glass so I could see the ornate interior. As I was leaving, someone from the bar area approached the shrine slowly- gave his donation and then performed the standard ritual, which I’ll explain in a later entry.
I went back into the storied, maze-like series of bar-filled alleys known as Golden Gai. Most of these bars only had room for 4 or 6 patrons max- truly tiny. Many of them had signs outside saying ‘foreigners welcome’, while a small number said ‘members only’.
Side note: Many bars here have a ‘service charge’- similar to a cover, usually ranging from Y600-1000 ($4-8). Often this includes some small bar snacks, but sometimes not. At any rate, it all comes out in the wash as tipping isn’t a thing here.
I found a whiskey bar that looked promising called Bay Window- jazz music playing quietly, a dark wooden bar with a well-dressed bartender, a middle-aged Japanese businessman smoking and unwinding, and a small table in the back with 4 americans. The bartender spoke very good english and reccommended a couple whiskeys- both from beverage giant Suntory. The first was Hakushu- quite smokey and rich, and the second was Yamazaki- much smoother and easier sipping.
After the two drinks, I departed and made my way back to the hostel, walking on the fringes of Yoyogi Park and some residences on a small street. Eventually I popped out near a main road again and decided to treat myself to a short 1.5 mile taxi ride the rest of the way, hitting the hay around 2:30am.
