today was supposed to be shibuya day, but due to a heavy downpour, we decided to stay near and spend a day in shinjuku instead.
the first stop was the tokyo metropolitan government building. we ran quickly to the toei-oedo subway entrance, which was luckily situated right beside the hotel. finally get to try their subway, and hey, their subway seats are cushioned - fantastic!!!we alighted at tocho-mae station, and luckily the building is connected to the station via an underpass. the visit was f.o.c and if not for the horrendous downpour, the view would be so much better. i cannot even see tokyo tower, needless to say mount fuji too.
look! their seats are cushioned with warmers...
a view of shinjuku skyscraper district from the observatory deck
left: a view of yoyogi park
right: a view from the southern deck
a bmw building
left: all blurred by rain beyond yoyogi park
right: park immediately the building
we bumped into a big tour group from china. for some reason they annoyed me. sorry for the rant but it seemed like they were unable to queue properly, like to talk in people's face and cut people's path as if there's a prize for cutting your walking lane suddenly. worst still, i find it pretty amusing that they like to turn on flash with a mirror behind them! grrr...
the observatory deck
it was actually a foodcourt for the employees working in the building. their concept was interesting! there was a big menu at the entrance, and after the patron had decided on what to eat, he/she would proceed to a ticket vending machine to pay for the food. in return the patron gets a food voucher which can then be exchanged for food at the respective stall.
the menu of the foodcourt
a patron deciding on his meal in front of the ticketing vending machine
i ordered a sushi set meal for 660 yen (around sgd 10). drinks are free flow - i loved this concept! anyway the sushi was great and i was glad i enjoyed my first sushi meal in tokyo. the taste is just superb! fyi the sushi set was one of the more expensive item on the menu.
my humble sushi set meal
it was still raining by the time we finished our meal. took the train and proceed to shop around north shinjuku. got myself a japanese-styled jacket from uniqlo again. temperature fell further, and by the time we were in the open, we all had misty breaths.
left: takashimaya and times square
right: eastern shinjuku, jr central exit
once adjusted to the temperature, we headed over to east shinjuku to hunt for isetan! after a few turns here and there, we found it. my first impression of isetan was, it looked run-down lol. actually i was expecting a blue-building just like singapore... oopps!
went to the isetan men's building. yes, they have like 9 stories of only men's stuff. we committed a "crime" unintentionally. unaware that the merchandise at each floor must be paid for before moving to another floor, we actually carried our items from basement all the way to the 6th floor until a staff came and politely told us of the situation and settled it for us.
anyway, the shopping experience is great. NEW FINDING OF THE DAY - shopping bags have raincoats!! i would have to applaud the japs for being so considerate. they actually put a rain-coat like thing over our purchases so that the bags and the contained items would not get wet in the rain. and thus i bought an expensive diesel bag...
left: my shopping bag with raincoats
right: night view of eastern shinjuku
tired of shopping, it's dinner time! we stumbled upon a sushi place, which we were to discover later, served great sushi and sashimi!! again, the meal comes with a complimentary roasted tea and a serving of an interesting soup. we order a great assortment of sushi=) the bill finally came up to 3700 yen for 2 pax.
after the meal we decided to explore kabuchicho, and find golden gai (ゴールデン街). the strong wind proved a strong resistance against walking, and making a wrong turning, we were lost. we seeked help in a convenience store, and glad they were able to assist. another interesting point to note was, that all the stores visited had their own locality map to guide lost customers. cool!
golden gai is an area with a confusing array of streets and small bars and pubs and eateries. the place looked deserted, probably because it's weekday and the rain was still pouring down. moved around, exited the place and finally entered the main red-light district.
their brother bouncers reminded me of gang-fights. tall, strong-built and dressed in full-black suits all over the place, it was intimidating. walked around the area and after exploring, we head back. we end up in another part of shinjuku.
anyway we found our way back again via the subway.
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