{"id":1774,"date":"2025-04-22T03:50:38","date_gmt":"2025-04-22T03:50:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aerowalsh.com\/cr\/?p=1774"},"modified":"2025-04-22T03:50:42","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T03:50:42","slug":"mon-21st-april-tokyo-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cr.aerowalsh.com\/?p=1774","title":{"rendered":"Mon 21st April – Tokyo (City)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

CR:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is our last full day in Tokyo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today’s two activities were pick up train tickets for tomorrow (which for some reason must be collected in person the day prior from the central train station) and visit a formal garden. We got a train to the main station and then walked to the gardens and then walked back to the hotel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’re doing around three hours of walking each day I’d say. The weather has had a big positive impact on our trip, as I don’t know if we’d get as much out of the day if it was raining or really cold\/hot. Walking in Tokyo is exceptionally easy. Foot paths are wide, back streets have few cars and it is a very flat city. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DW: The areas around our hotel are all sort of this vibe. Medium density residential with most of the regular services scattered around. In this photo you can see the 7-11 we got breakfast from and the coffee shop we followed it up with.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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CR: Makes complete sense, no questions needed.
DW: I have comprehensively mastered the Tokyo metro. I am like Neo looking into the matrix. I have never needed the fare adjustment machines and have never missed a stop.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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DW: Big. Modern. Business.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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CR: First activity of the day is picking up train tickets in person for the remainder of the trip. I am glad Declan was well prepared going into the Tourist section of Tokyo Station, as I believe I was not equipped with the ability to complete this task by myself.
DW: A compliment? Impossible. Even the attendant got confused at one point and I had to help her out.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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CR: I still don’t really understand why Declan was so insistent about wanting to go to a Pokemon Centre. I was very unimpressed with this event. The store is chaotic and you spend majority of your time queuing to pay for something. The line behind was for in case there were cancellations to the PokeCafe (sic: note from DW – Caitlin did not use the correct accents on Pok\u00e9mon in any of her writing).
DW: The Pok\u00e9Cafe was a line too far for Caitlin. As cute as those all those themed dishes of rice were, I knew in my heart she was right.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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CR: Ah. That’s why.
DW: My Endure and Survive shirt didn\u2019t quite fit the rest of the vibe in the Poke store. The reader will take note this is the last surviving photograph of Decondo before he gets his fresh new do from the nearby masters.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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CR: Pauline seemed concerned that we hadn’t gone to a department store. As fate would have it, Decondo (as he is known to the Japanese) had an hour to kill before his hairdresser’s appointment and we were close to Takashimaya. Wandering around the food hall presents many delights to the eye.
DW: When I went to book a haircut the lady asked \u201cName?\u201d, I said \u201cerrr, Declan\u201d, she said \u201cDecondo?\u201d, I said \u201chai\u201d, we all had a good giggle and thus, Decondo was born.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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CR: Such as this mega squid.
DW: Thankfully there was plastic on everything.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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CR: One aspect of Japan that I really appreciate is that many of the restaurants are small and have a unique floor layout. Lunch today was a good example of that.
DW: Bad news Cait, while you were at the bathroom the waitresses were flirting with me. You can see me in the back right corner of this photo playing it cool as I knew you were watching.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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CR: Except when we walked in and took a seat I didn’t realise it was an eel eatery. We opted for the ‘mixed set’ that featured both grilled and boiled eel. I wouldn’t have gone in here if I had realised what was on the menu (a common theme to our meals) but it ended up being very tasty. Also, it made me ponder: eels are an exceptionally weird animal.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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DW: It is easy to forget that Tokyo is inherently a water city when you are surrounded by buildings all day.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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CR: We take Pauline and Leo’s advice and go to a traditional garden. It is indeed very peaceful and pretty. We did a lot of walking again today so we had a sit under a cherry blossom and chilled out for half an hour. Today was beautiful weather. Clear blue skies and a light chilled breeze.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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DW: We found some more cherry blossoms. This is the second photo as Caitlin said she didn\u2019t look happy enough in the first one taken immediately prior.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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CR: We walked home from the gardens and on the way we stumbled across what must be a semi-famous street that specialises in grill-at-table. We started with squid, which gets cooked and then a staff member cuts it up and coats it in butter and squid innards. Then we had the signature chopped pancake. The cabbage is wilted a little bit on the grill, then a circle is made with empty space in the middle, in which cream is poured. Salmon roe and rice cakes are added to the cream and chopped to combine. Then the master brings the outside cabbage into the mixture via this chopping motion and the whole thing bubbles away. Finally cheese added on top to melt. In summary: choppity chop chop chop.
DW: I am skeptical whether the pancake man was a true master. He didn\u2019t have the ladies referring to him in the third person as Master everytime they spoke with him. I like Master culture. So far we have engaged with sashimi master and haircut master.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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