This is the first time I’ve submitted a trip report, so here we go. Our last trip to Japan was in December 2019, and we knew it’s been way too long since we’ve been back. Each time we go, we try to visit a place that we haven’t been to before…and this time it was Okinawa. We made our base in, as usual, Nakano. And did little to no planning for our days in Tokyo. You might find the Tokyo stuff below kinda boring and repetitive, but it was mostly just a “nice to be back” trip, in which we visited old haunts, looked for books, cool knick knacks, new glasses, a replacement Hanshin Tigers ballcap for myself (which I could not find), and ate lots of food.
Highlights:
– Museum of Roadside Art
– walking across Tokyo Gate Bridge
– Okinawa – all of it
– Ten-en and Diabutsu hiking course in Kamakura
– walking along Shichirigahama Beach (towards Enoshima) during sunset
– Komeda Coffee breakfast set (the Hokkaido yogurt is divine)
– revisiting Taco Che – my favourite store in Tokyo
– Odaiba fireworks – short, but impressive show
– walking, on average, 25,000 steps per day…with a max of 35,000 steps in Kamakura
We hope to be back soon (this September?) with the aim of climbing Mt. Fuji, and staying at least a week in Okinawa.
– Dec 10 – arrive into Haneda, Limo Bus to Nakano, check into AirBnB apartment, Life Supermarket (dinner)
– Dec 11 – Nakano: post office to pick up pocket wifi, Komeda Coffee (breakfast set), Shinjuku: JINS (look for new glasses), Book Off, New Era store (look for new Hanshin Tigers ballcap) Harajuku, dipping soba for lunch (forgot name of restaurant), Hands, Kinokunya; Shibuya/Omotensando/Harajuku: Fender flagship store, Miyashita Park, Mandrake, Zoff (glasses), B-side Label, New Era store, Uobei sushi (dinner); Nakano: Nakano Park, Book 1st Nakano
– Dec 12 – Nakano: Komeda Coffee (breakfast set); Asakusa: Sensoji and street food (mochi, daifuku, croquettes, purin, dango), long walk along Sumida River to Mimani-Senju station; Ginza: Bibliotheque (lunch), Maneken ( waffle), Toy Store, Shiseido Parlor, Ginza 6 and rooftop, Tsutaya, Nara satellite store, Sonoiro Nippon ramen in Tokyo Station
РDec 13 РShinjuku: Mushashino Mori diner (breakfast), Shinjuku-Chuo park; Rappongi/Azabu-Juban: Mori Art Museum gift shop, Azabudai Hills and observatory and Xmas market; Ginza: Jugetsudo (lunch), Hokkaido satellite store, Fukui satellite store, Hokkaido satellite store, Okinawa satellite store, New era shop; Tokyo Station Character St, Pok̩mon centre nihombashi, ippudo tea house; Koenji: Soupies (dumplings) restaurant in koenji, Hard Off, strolling; Nakano: strolling, Premiere St Germaine bakery (snack)
– Dec 14 – Nakano: Komeda Coffee (breakfast set); Akihabara: M’s poplife, Mandrake, Hobby off, Katushin (lunch); walk to Ueno: Matsuzakaya, Ameyokocho, Hobby/Hard off, Ueno park, mister donut, yanaka ginza; Shinjuku: Kabukicho Tower, Shinjuku batting centre, Kura sushi (dinner)
– Dec 15 – Nakano: Becks Coffee (breakfast); Setagaya Borichi, Ogawa coffee lab (lunch), Futaka-Tamagawa: Moorit (yarn store), gluten free cafe (snack), Village Vanguard, Tsutaya Electric; Nakano: Taco Che, Life Supermarket (dinner)
– Dec 16 – Nakano: Komeda Coffee (breakfast set), Zoff Harajuku, Shinjuku Chuo park flea market, Family Mart (fami-chicken lunch), JINS, Subaru Square (Ebisu), Tsutaya Dakaiyama T-site, Kuuan soba (dinner), City Bakery (naka meguro – snack)
– Dec 17 – Cab to Haneda (because I forgot the time of the Limo Bus), fly to Naha, check into Hotel Gran Consort, Po Tama (lunch), Tsuboya pottery street, Uchina Cafe buku buku (snack), Kokusai-dori, Naha traditional arts and crafts centre, shake hands (store), Makishi public market, Rojiura curry restaurant (dinner)
– Dec 18 – Naha: C&C breakfast, ride monorail, Navy HQ Underground Bunkers, Shuri Castle park, Blue seal ice cream, Kinjo stone road, Big Akagi tree, Nuchigafu (dinner), Kokusai-dori, Fukugiya (pastry), Okashi Goten (purple yam shop)
– Dec 19 – Check out of hotel, pick up rental car, Okinawa National Theatre (architecture), Family Mart (breakfast), Tomb Cave, Shamisen shop, Araha beach, Yachimun pottery street, Shimuku Gama cave, Zanpa drive in (lunch), Zanpa lighthouse, cape Zanpa, roadside stop: Ryu-pin (kakigori), Sata andagi store; drive hwy 58 and 449 to hotel in Motobu, check into Sunset Resort Canphou hotel, Kaihomaru (dinner), Umikaji market
– Dec 20 – original plan was to drive up to Cape Hedo, but weather was not ideal: Family Mart (breakfast), Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, Ma-Blue garden house (lunch), Cape Bisezaki, Bise village and Bise Fukugi tree road, Warumi bridge, Kouri big bridge, Kouri Island, Kouri roadside stop and souvenir shop, Restaurant Sen~sen~ (dinner), Family Mart (snacks)
– Dec 21 – Motobu: Family Mart (breakfast), check out of hotel, Nago City Hall (architecture), Todoroki waterfall, Sea Glass beach, Kin-kannonji, Kin limestone cave, drive back to Naha; Naha: pottery street (to buy shisas), Yoshinoya (lunch), return rental car, Naha airport, ice cream, fly back Tokyo Haneda, limo bus to apartment in Nakano, Family Mart (snack)
– Dec 22 – Nakano: Komeda Coffee (breakfast set), Waseda shrine (attempt at winter solstice festival but line was way too long), Kuda Kaiken rooftop garden, walk to Jimbocho, Kitazawa books, Paperback Cafe (lunch), Koshikawa Korokuen park (next to Tokyo dome), Muji (Shinjuku- snack), Book Off (Shinjuku), Book Off (Ikebukuro), Sunshine City, Man Riki noodle shop (dinner)
– Dec 23 – Nakano: Life Supermarket (breakfast), metro to Shin-Kiba, Wakasu elevator, walk across Tokyo Gate Bridge, walk road of marine animals (around golf course), north end observatory, bus back to Shin Kiba station, Tsukishima monja street, Tsukishjma monja (dinner – okonomiyaki), Tsumugi (daifuku tea set), melon pan store, monorail to Odaiba, Odaiba fireworks, running asses to cruise terminal stn, Kunikunya Shinjuku, Life Supermarket (snack)
– Dec 24 – Nakano: Ginza Renoir (breakfast), Little Okinawa town, Shimokitazawa, Claris bookstore, Reload mall, Le Papilotes (bookstore), Rhythm and Books, Yoyogi Uehara street, shisen store in Kabukicho, Infinity books (near Skytree), Luxe Burger in Asakusa (dinner), Bakery and Cafe Yamazaki (snack), Sensoji temple and Asakusa at night, Blue Bottle Coffee at Ginza 6, Tsutaya
– Dec 25 – Bills (Harajuku – breakfast), Design Festa, Vintage toy store, Meiju jingu batting cages, Buddhist fox shrine, walk around perimeter of Asakasa imperial grounds, Bakery and Cafe Yamazaki (lunch), Museum of Roadside Art (near Skytree), Sushi No Wa (dinner in Asakusa)
– Dec 26 – Nakano: Komeda Coffee (breakfast set), train to Mitaka, Inokashira park, Kichijoji, Bside Label, Hard off, Book Off, Garage 50 (pizza lunch), Yodabashi, Mr Donut, Koenji, Old Book Sankakuyama (used books), Asahiya (dinner – soba set), Mandrake (Nakano Broadway), Taco Che
– Dec 27 – Eggs n Things (Ginza breakfast), Okinawa satellite store, subway to Naka-meguro, Jpop store, Cow Books, walk along Meguro River, Starbucks roastery reserve, Meguro sky garden, Kono books, Hibiya Park, Boston Oyster and Crab (dinner at Hibiya midtown), Ringo (apple pie), park view winter garden (Hibya midtown 6f), sky garden (9f), Yodabashi (Akihabara)
– Dec 28 – Nakano: Premier St Germaine bakery (breakfast); Shinjuku: Yuzawaya, Kinokunya, Hands, ippodo Ginza: Ippodo, walk down Maranouchi, Tokyo station character st, Denko Sekka (Hiroshima okonomiyaki at Tokyo stn), Life Supermarket (Nakano – pastry), Book 1st Nakano, Cafe inside bookstore, Don Quixote (Nakano)
– Dec 29 – Nakano: Premier St Germaine bakery (breakfast), train to Kamakura, Komachi-dori, Ten-en hiking course, Diabutsu hiking course, Kotoku-in (giant buddha), Benten cave, Enoshima train from Hase to Shichirigahama, L&L Hawaii (lunch/dinner), walk along Shichirigahama beach to Koshigoe station, train back to Kamakura then to Tokyo station, Hibiya midtown, Patisserie and Chocolat Del’immo (parfaits)
– Dec 30 – The City Bakery (Hiroo, breakfast), Arisugawa-no-miya Memorial Park, Tokyo Central Library, walk to Azabu Juban station, Apple store (Omotesando), Watarium gallery bookstore, Aoyama, Aoyama book Center, Kinokunoya Shibuya, Ti Rolando Cafe (lunch), walk through Yoyogi park, Bingo sports (cars), Toronomon Hills and light exhibit, Ringo (apple pie at Hibiya midtown), Sonoiro Nippon (ramen at Tokyo station)
– Dec 31 – Nakano: Komeda Coffee (breakfast set), Tokyo station lockers for smaller bags, back to Nakano for large luggage, Tokyo station, Tekko building, Limo bus to Haneda, Chinese restaurant in Haneda, fly home.
by foetus_on_my_breath
