More Tokyo

We are staying is the cutest hostel, Grapehouse Koenji.  It’s a hostel for only women and has a very calm vibe, located in the super cool Koenji neighborhood.  A handmade onigiri for breakfast and we were on our way.

We spent the whole day shopping around in Shibuya and even though I bought some pretty cool stationary and some other random stuff it was way too much like Times Square.   The Shibuya Scramble Crossing is an iconic tourist attraction in Tokyo where people pour into the streets from all directions.  I don’t know why this attracts so much attention, but it’s famous and we were there.

Also famous is the Genki Sushi conveyor belt sushi place.  It was pretty good,  by US standards anyway.  It was bright, not so clean in a trashy way, and loud with tourists.  We ate our fill for only $4.50 each.  The ordering is kinda cool on an iPad, then the conveyor belt brings it straight to your spot on the counter. If I never go back to Shibuya I won’t be sad.

Back in Koenji we went to Poem Cafe, a really cute place where we had the whipped cream fruit sandwiched on fluffy white bead and the best iced coffee with whipped cream that I’ve ever had.

The evening ended with a subway ride out to Ikebukuro Station to eat at Kissui, a ramen place that makes its broth with roasted fish stock.  It was so extremely excellent with deep flavor, and not a hint of fishy taste.  My friends Sean and Noriko Sakamoto wrote a Tokyo Noodle Guide almost 20 years ago that featured this place.  It was so worth the trip.

At most ramen places there’s a ticket machine where you put your money in, hit the button for what you want, and give the ticket to the person behind the counter when you sit down.  Sometimes there’s an English translation at the kiosk and sometimes not.

There’s going to be more Tokyo tomorrow if you want to come back and check it out.