(Part 1: https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/19dh7a5/tokyo\_trip\_report\_2\_months\_part\_1/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3)
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**Day 30: Sick**
**Day 31: Ueno/Akihabara**
I had a very late lunch at Café Renoir around Ueno, before squeezing with the crowd at Ameyoko Shopping District. But as things were overpriced and many items looked like fakes, I turned back and followed the tracks to 2k540 Aki-Oka Artisan. It was like a little shopping district under the tracks with many artisan shops selling leather crafts and local goods. One of the more interesting find was RECOfan, which sold a good variety of 2nd hand discs and records, and 2nd Base, a film shop. Afterwards, I hung around Akihabara to revisit Bookoff and a couple of bookshops, then heading back early in preparation for my trip the next day.
**Day 32: Karuizawa**
Boarded the Shinkansen at 7.50am for a day trip to Karuizawa. The whole journey took about 1h, and when I arrived, I realized that most shops in the main shopping street was still closed. Hence, I decided on the route from the Karuizawa Shaw Memorial Church back down to the station. The Karuizawa Ginza Dori has interesting shops, with a wide variety of food to try, especially the area around Church Street. After stopping for pictures at St Paul’s Catholic Church, I headed to Kumoba Pond. Being summer, the view was not extraordinary, but it was nice to just walk around the perimeter of the pond. Got a simple lunch at Karuizawa Kappo Kei, which served a 3-course lunch for 4300yen. Relatively new shop with good food. While I initially planned on visiting the New Art Museum, entry fee was slightly expensive, hence I went back to the station. Worried that there will be no tickets left, I got my return ticket for 730pm. After reviewing the list of attractions around, I waited for a bus that comes every hour to Karuizawa Erz Toy Musuem. Many beautifully crafted wooden toys, but the space was a little small, and I spent about 1.5h here.
Here was when my calculations went wrong. I got out of the museum at about 4pm, and since the next bus back to Karuizawa station was at 4.30, I thought that I would just visit Karuizawa Taliesin and catch the last bus at 5.30. So, after spending 1h looking at ducks and the pond, I left at 5 to wait by the bus stop, as the park was closing. Turned out I was waiting at the wrong pole in the wrong direction, hence the bus just zoomed past and I was left wondering how to get back. Google Map says that I have to walk 30min to another bus stop, but my phone was at 10% battery and I seriously panicked, as it seems that it was going to rain. Thankfully as I was heading back to Kazakoshi Park trying to get a taxi, I saw a bus that drove past and flagged it. Forgetting all my Japanese, I was just frantically saying “Karuizawa Eki” to the driver, and he so nicely changed the bus route and brought me back. While I originally planned on spending more time at the Prince Shopping Plaza, I only had about an hour before boarding the train back, hence I did not manage to get anything. I arrived back in Tokyo at 8.30pm, tired, hungry and lost trying to find my way out of the gates with the crowd around. Dinner was a simple onigiri since all other shops were closed and bentos were sold out. Really eventful day, but will really recommend Karuizawa as a short trip from Tokyo, especially the skiing resorts in Winter.
**Day 33: Ikebukuro**
Queued to try Mutekiya Ramen at Ikebukuro. Not bad, but definitely overhyped. After spending some time at Bookoff checking out some classical music, I went over to Sunshine City to get souvenirs for my family. Dinner was sushi from the basement of Ikebukuro Parco.
**Day 34: Otemachi/Nihombashi**
Was craving for Cantonese food again, hence I went down to Kanro at Waseda. I ordered some dim sum and a peach gum dessert, which was soothing for my sore throat. While I planned on visiting the Museum of Modern Art Tokyo near the palace, it was nearing closing time, hence I merely explored the palace grounds. Honestly, it was beautiful, but not as impressive as I had expected. I thought walking around the perimeters of the palace while looking at the architecture around was a better experience. After, I went over to Eslite Spectrum Nihombashi. There were many interesting Taiwanese products, but they were seriously overpriced. I decided on a soba and a corn skewer for dinner at Soba Kitchi.
**Day 35: Roppongi**
Visited the Suntory Museum and National Art Centre today, thought that the glass works at Suntory was a more worth the time. Hung around at National Art Centre until closing, to get dinner at Brasserie Paul Bocuse Le Musée (3 course 4,600yen).
**Day 36: Ueno**
After a quick lunch of yakisoba at (bad), I headed to the Tokyo National Museum. As it was a weekday, the whole area was quite empty. The area was very big, I only managed to finish with the Japanese Art and Buddhist art sections. Time was still quite early when I went back, but after trying to walk-in to some French restaurants with no luck, I settled for a grilled pork dinner at an Italian restaurant.
**Day 37: Shibuya/Ginza**
Headed out at 7am to pick a family member that came to visit at Narita Airport. After unpacking and getting some rest, we visited Omotesando to do some shopping, getting lunch at a local ramen shop first. Chrome Hearts did not have much offerings, so after checking out some shops, we took a break at Pierre Herme, this time successfully getting a seat on the second floor without much wait. They gave us a free cake when we were seated, after which we ordered two nicely plated desserts and drinks. There was a dining time limit, hence we left shortly after for Ginza’s Chrome Hearts. Nothing much here too. Dinner was at Ginza Shabutsu Yoshinosasa, which I would highly recommend.
**Day 38: Ghibli Museum/Ebisu**
After getting breakfast at Café de Crie, we made our way to Ghibli Museum, which I had already reserved tickets on the Japanese website 2 weeks in advance. While the area is quite small, they held many memories for me since I grew up with these movies. I also managed to watch the short film about Totoro and the candy, which was a huge surprise for me. After getting some souvenirs, we headed to Ebisu to see the Evisu shop. Dinner was shabu again, this time from Kintan Daikanyama. This one was slightly more expensive, but I thought the previous night’ one was better.
**Day 39: Shibuya/Roppongi**
Back in Omotesando again, this time to check out the flea market in front of United Nations University every Sunday. After doing some more shopping, we stopped for lunch at Hanamaru Udon, before heading to Roppongi as it begun raining. The search for Chrome Hearts finally ended, with a hat from Roppongi Hills. Not much into luxury goods, we decided to head back early after dinner at Rigoletto Bar and Grill.
**Day 40: Marunouchi**
Since I was sending my family member off today, we decided to hang around Tokyo Station. After dropping off the luggage at the Travel Service Center, we got a simple Japanese lunch at Kushiro in Kitte, before doing some shopping in the nearby malls.
**Day 41: Nihombashi**
My cough got worse, so I finally decided to visit a doctor. After lunch at Dashi Chazuke En, I went over Yaesugai Medical Clinic as they had an English-speaking doctor. Experience was quick and pleasant, after paying for the consult, the doctor handed me a list of medication to get from the pharmacy below, which I paid again for 4 packets of medication. Total cost was about 15000yen.
**Day 43: Kudanshita**
Lunch was fried chicken and rice at Chan Ki Cha Chan Ten. After lunch, I finally visited the Museum of Modern Art Tokyo, which had a good mix of paintings and sculptures. I was not very keen on the special exhibition, hence after spending about 2h, I went over to Nihombashi. Bought a cloud cake at Mandarin Oriental Gourmet Shop (2300yen) and a burger from Boul’ange Nihombashi for dinner.
**Day 44: Monzen-nakacho**
Walked for about 10 min under the glaring sun to Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. Though slightly out of the way, this was my favorite museum in the entire trip. The special exhibition, titled “Waiting for the wind”, displayed artefacts depicting imagery of the 2011 Earthquake and Nagasaki Bombing. The general exhibition side had interesting sculptures and abstract art, which were captivating. Highly recommend. While I wanted to get dinner at the museum’s café, it closed early, hence I found a French restaurant in the neighborhood of Shirakawa. Le Beurre Mou, which serves a 5-course dinner for 4500yen. Delicious and heartening dishes.
**Day 45: Kisarazu**
Got up late, hence I did not make it in time for the last bus to Mitsui Outlet Park Kisarazu from Tokyo Station. Instead of taking the train, I decided to take a longer route, taking a bus to Haneda from TCAT (1000yen), then another bus from the airport to the Outlet (1100yen). This premium outlet is one of the largest in the region, with most shops that one would expect. Spent about 4h here, aiming for the 2nd last bus out back to Tokyo Station. But seemed like there was a delay, and we had to wait about 1h in the wind.
**Day 46: Ueno**
Got a late lunch at Café de Crie, before making my way to Ueno Park, where there was a Taiwanese food fair. Tried the overpriced mango shaved ice, pepper biscuit and soup dumplings.
**Day 47/48/49: Meals**
• Nabeyaki udon from Owariya and bento
• Soup dumplings from The Bao Factory , handroll from Takashimaya and vanilla cake from Hugh Morgan
• Dim sum, porridge and desserts from The Sweet Dynasty and bento
**Day 50: Ueno**
Lunch was at Tokyo Soup Stock. After lunch, I visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum for a special exhibition on Henri Matisse’s works. Very interesting, but I preferred the exhibition “Group Show of Contemporary Artists”. Dinner was a simple and cheap carbonara from Spaghetti Sora.
**Day 51: Shibuya**
Enjoyed an assortment of 5 different cakes from Patisserie Sadaharu Aoki for lunch as the queue for Hanayama Udon around the corner was too long. The plan was to head to Bunkamura Le Cinema today for a screening of “In the Mood for Love”. Lost my way and went over to Bunkamura instead which is currently under construction. Luckily, I managed to catch the movie in time. From there, I went over to Tsutaya for a look, before heading over to Omotesando in search for dinner. Since most restaurants were crowded, I got myself a curry rice from a local café/bar.
**Day 52-57: Food**
• Café de Crie, ramen from local shop and matcha ice cream taiyaki from 鳴門鯛燒本舖
• Pasta from Alport Caffe and muscat grape daifuku from Daifuku Benzaiten
• Chicken ramen from Menya Oto
• Western Cuisine Mugiboshi by Grill Mantenboshi and handroll
• Pasta from Pizzeria Il Viaggio and 燒肉屋 時流
• Hanayama Udon and Le Beurre Mou
**Day 59: Omotesando**
Had lunch at Dashi Chazuke En, before making my way to the JLPT test venue at Takadanobaba. After, I walked around Omotesando and had dinner at Yamawarau (surprised to see many tourists). While I already made a reservation for Amber Palace tomorrow, I decided to cancel it and instead booked a tour to Kawaguchiko since there was no other plans on.
**Day 60: Kawaguchiko**
**Day 61: Tokyo Station/Ginza**
Made a lunch reservation at Arcana Tokyo, since I had my eyes on it for a while. The meal was great, and the staff was friendly, conversing in perfect English. Headed over to Ginza Six to buy my favorite shrimp crackers from Gingoro, while also getting a peach daifuku from Daifuku Benzaiten.
**Day 62: Jiyogaoka/Ginza**
Went over to Jiyogaoka with the intend of trying Patisserie Kost, but when I reached, they were already closed. Walked around the area trying to find lunch, but most restaurants were either having last orders or did not open. Eventually managed to have a terrine from a local café, Café Lisette. Overall a nice place to visit with a large number of international restaurants. As it started raining, I headed over to Ginza again for dinner at Tokyo Soup Stock. Dessert was an interesting kakigori from Marufuku Coffee Shop
**Day 63: Gotemba**
Planned to visit the Gotemba Premium Outlets today as I heard that it was possible to see Mt Fuji from there. After buying tickets online, I almost missed the bus as I mixed up the waiting zones for JR bus services and limousine services at Tokyo Station. The bus ride took longer than I expected, slightly more than 2h as there seemed to be some congestion. It was more interesting to walk around here than Kisarazu Outlet, though I did not manage to catch a glimpse of Fuji as there was slight fog. Spent around 5h, heading back before eateries close at Tokyo Station. Dinner was ramen from the Ramen Street.
**Day 64: Shonan Hiratsuka**
Woke up slightly late today, so when I went over to the restaurants at Takashimaya, most were already closed or full. Ended up getting a 4-course lunch set at Pont d’Or Inno for 5,000yen. An unexpected find indeed. From here, I proceed over to Shonan station for the Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival, where they had colorful lanterns hung across the entire street. There was also a small-scale summer festival with food stalls, from which I got a chocolate banana. Hung around for around 3h, before heading back to Tokyo Station for some soba noodles.
**Day 65: Ginza/Takeshiba**
Tried to walk-in to L’AS, but they were unfortunately full. After some failed attempts trying to find food around the area, I went over to Ginza in hopes of getting a late lunch at Shiseido Parlour, but waited over an hour and still did not manage to get a seat. Hence, I got to K’Minamoto instead, ordering a mango pasta (which was weird) and a mixed fruits mille-fuille. Later after, I headed to Kaigan for the “Frozen” performance by Shiki Theatre.
**Day 66: Yokohama**
After feasting on a sandwich from Orimine Tsukiji Bakers by the road junction, I got on a train to Yokohama Mirai. The weather was pleasant as I made my way down to the Cup Noodle Museum, which was actually quite crowded. Overall, the space was quite small as there was not much to see. Hence after having a quick bowl of Pho at the food court in the building, I dropped by Yokohama World Porters to look around, before returning back to the museum for my slot at the My Cup Noodles Factory. The sky seemed to have cleared, thus I went down to the Red Brick Warehouse, where they had some food stalls (overpriced food again) and singers. Decided to take a rest at Uni Coffee Roastery with a cup of matcha soft serve. Dinner was the cup noodles I had customized.
**Day 67: Roppongi/Toyosu**
After another delicious meal at Látelier Joel Robuchon, I headed over to Toyosu since I had made a reservation in the late afternoon for TeamLab Planets. The weather was extremely hot today, hitting the 36 celcius mark, and hearing mixed reviews about the place, I was seriously contemplating whether to just skip this. But since there was no other plans, I decided to just stick with it. The experience was interesting, and the area did not seem as unhygienic as some had described, but I did not think there was much other than for pictures. Dinner was at Tokyo Soup Stock, finally getting hands on their corn soup.
**Day 68: Ginza**
Spent my whole afternoon packing and waiting for JapanPost, as I had to sent my futon back home. Delivery and packing cost 6,000yen overall. I decided to make my last night extra special by having dinner at Ginza L’art et la Maniere, a cosy restaurant in Ginza. The restaurant was empty tonight, so being the sole diner, the service was patient but not intrusive. The six courses were all amazing and priced reasonably at 16,400yen. A perfect end to my trip.
**Day 69: Airport**
Left the apartment at 8am for Haneda, through the Airport Limousine service. As I arrived early, check-in was prompt, taking about 30min max. At 11.30am, I boarded the plane.