Japan
My obsession with traveling to Japan started many years ago, but the passion took a whole new form of gripping desire this past September. Considering we don't get a ton of time off and I love to travel, I need to take advantage of when those opportunities for exploration arise. So as soon as we got the window of January off, the pilgrimage to Japow seemed like fate, and for more than just the snow. 😏
Nozawa Onsen
The term “Japow” refers to the insane amount of fresh powder Japan gets, especially in January. Naturally we had to bring the skis out to take full advantage! Our first thought was to venture to the Northern island of Hokkaido to ski at the infamous Niseko. Having heard so much about this mammoth mountain through travelers, it seemed like the ideal location for the deep stuff. However, upon further research, it seemed like it was a mountain mostly for tourists + it added a significant amount of travel time to get there, so we opted for a more traditional local ski town approach. Enter Nozawa Onsen, a gorgeous small town based around its natural hot springs, free public onsen baths, and a world class ski mountain. When Japan hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics, Nozawa was host to the Ski Biathlon—the event where cross country skiers do a massive lap and then have to shoot a rifle at several targets—what a concept!
Located on the main Japanese island of Honshu—where Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto are—Nozawa only takes about 2-3 hours to get to from the Tokyo-Haneda airport via a few subways, the legendary Shinkansen bullet train, and a local ski bus. We felt this would be perfect for our trip based around the fact that it was our first time in Japan and we wanted to see Kyoto and Tokyo as well. All in 11 days!
Back to planning… Lucky for us, Goose was playing in Austin for NYE, so we decided to merge the trips and use the flight time to Austin from NYC to our advantage. We also took advantage of the late night on NYE to jumpstart our clocks for Japan time, which is a whopping 14 hours ahead of EST! So basically when we wake up at 9AM, it’s 11PM in Japan. Essentially it’s super hard to work remote there so Becky hit that PTO! Our flight from Austin was around 7AM CT. Which was 10PM Japan time, after staying up most of the night, we were perfectly tired and luckily slept most of the way. 15 hours of travel time later, we arrived in Tokyo at 3PM, and headed straight for Nozawa.
The initial impression of Japan was OMG, it’s so clean! This always impresses me about most European airports/transit and Japan was no different. All the subways and train we took were not only clean, but extremely well maintained, and punctual. We even saw garbage trucks in Tokyo that were cleaner than my car at home. We noticed right away that Japanese people take a real pride in their work and that includes people in every type of position.
A quick note to anyone traveling to Japan in the near future. Make sure to fill out the correct pre-entry travel documents and make sure to have your QR code ready to enter the country. It took us a second to get that ready when we arrived at customs.
I’d also highly recommend using baggage shipping whenever possible. In Japan it is not customary to travel with lots of large luggage. There is an amazing baggage shipping service called Yamato Transport. We used them to ship our skis from Nozawa directly to our final destination in Tokyo and it saved us from a super stressful situation on a train later on. Since we had to ski first on the trip and were trying to ski on Day 1, we trekked with our skis on the subways and trains to start the trip, but it definitely wasn’t easy on those Tokyo subways. Further, most cars are not as big as they are in the states so be aware if your skis will fit in a taxi before calling it. More on taxis later!
The Shinkansen train is something everyone traveling to Japan should experience. Traveling over 200MPH, I honestly can’t believe how smooth and quiet the ride is. Be aware that typically most seats are reserved, except for cars 1-3 sometimes 1-4, which are unreserved. Unreserved tickets are more flexible because you can take the train at any time. The Shinkansen come pretty frequently. On our trip from Kyoto to Tokyo, they came every 10 minutes or so which is pretty wild for a 2 hour journey. I get the sense that Japanese people use trains quite frequently as opposed to cars. Almost every train we took was near full.
It is imperative to carry cash with you in Japan. Many places we went were cash only. The trolly on the Shinkansen is cash only, or you can use your metro card! Speaking of which, we opted to add our metro cards to our apple wallets, which helped a ton! You are able to refill directly on our phone, and use it for all trains and subways across the country. Just go to your apple wallet and add the metro card “Suica”—3,000 Yen got us a lot of rides.
The cash dominations are 1,000, 5,000, and 10,000. Coin denominations are 1, 10, 50, 100 (most common), and 500. Most things we bought were pretty round numbers. The exchange rate for Japan when we traveled was around 150 Yen to 1 USD, which is quite good for us. Most things ended up being super cheap!
We opted to stay at Nakajimaya Ryokan in Nozawa, which is a traditional Japanese style inn. Most are family run and include a traditional Japanese breakfast in the morning, which was to die for! Contrary to most hotels, ryokans give you the option for a traditional Japanese style room where you sleep on futon mattresses on a tatami mat covered floor. Honestly it was pretty awesome!! I loved the look and feel of the tatami mats everywhere.
Upon entering the Ryokan we were greeted by our very sweet host and told to leave our shoes in a small locker at the front door. We then donned slippers—very typical for all kinds of Japanese establishments, and how they keep the floors and rugs in such good condition!
Before bed, I had to make a stop at the hotel onsen. Onsen are basically hot springs, but as indoor baths, and split into Male/Female rooms because you go fully naked! When we checked in, our host gave us a full instructional video to watch on “How to Onsen”, which was super helpful. Japanese people have so many traditions and honoring those legacies was a really fun and rewarding part of the trip.
Our first day on the slope was gorgeous. Nozawa Onsen had received three massive storms in the two weeks before our arrival. There was SOOO much snow!! We found our way into some powdering trees at the top of the mountain and started lapping. Not a bad lift line in sight! The lunch options at Nozawa Onsen, and I can imagine most ski areas in Japan, are out of this world! Just imagine… $9 Pork Ramen with Chicken Schnitzel on top, a $10 incredible steak with rice and a salad, free hot green tea on tap, and little slippers to put on while you’re eating, instead of wearing your ski boots. I mean come on!! Not to mention, amazing hospitality. We had some of the best ski lunches of all time in Japan, I don’t know how we’ll go back to the US lodges after this lol.
Day One of skiing was also blessed with some very exciting surprises. One of the main reasons I was so excited for the trip to Japan was because I wanted to ask Becky to marry me! It all happened on Day One of skiing, I was insanely nervous, but went for it at the top of the mountain after lunch. She was totally surprised, and said “yes!” We then skied the rest of the afternoon on clouds of bliss and powder haha. I am such a lucky guy. Becky has brought so many wonderful moments into my life. She has taught me so much about relationships and life. I couldn’t be more stoked to share an infinite amount of future adventures with her! This news made for an extra super memorable trip. We soaked up every second of it!
After skiing all day we made way to an outdoor Onsen, which is not traditional, but this method allowed us to hang together in the hot water (bathing suits required). The place was called Sparena. It was about a 15 minute walk from our side of town to the other. The walk allowed us to check out the rest of the nooks in Nozawa. One thing we were totally surprised by was the lack of snow on the roads and the lack of salt. In fact, they don’t use salt at all! All road and snow management is controlled by the hot spring water that flows through various creeks and streams in the town, and even under the roads so snow doesn’t even stick to them. We saw plenty of locals just shoveling their excess snow into the little rivers and creeks, and it would melt instantly and flow off, absolutely brilliant! Below the town, there are fields and fields of rice paddies that use the Nozawa spring water. We couldn’t help but consider the Nozawa rice to be the best we tried all trip, I’m sure the spring water has to do with it!
The following day we were blessed with 6 inches of fresh snow and my god was it fun! We spent a few hours in the morning FaceTiming our families about the engagement and then we were off to the slopes for another of shreddage.
Some notable restaurants we hit in Nozawa were Tengu Sushi (Omakase style sushi place), Tanuki Teppanyaki (an Omakase restaurant, but with various Japanese grill dishes), and Sakai (a very local and traditional Izakaya AKA Japanese pub).
On our last day, which was perfectly sunny, we ended skiing a little early to explore more of the town. We bopped into a ceramics gallery per one of Becky’s finds and were promptly given a massive history lesson on Japanese ceramics by the woman working there. She even prepared us fresh matcha tea and gave us little origami kimonos at the end of the tour. Japanese people are the nicest ever! We then discovered that apples were a prominent Nozawa food item as a few stores downtown carried massive amounts of different varieties. The apples were basically the size of Becky’s face, they were delicious! After a soak at Sparena we stumbled across a vegan/gluten free cafe called Shizen Cafe. They were having a weekly movie night, this time screening Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away in Japanese with English subtitles. We ordered up some orange wine and treats and settled in. This was heavenly!
Kyoto
All in all, we had one of the most blissful experiences in Nozawa Onsen so it was difficult to leave the next morning, but nevertheless, we were excited to explore our next destination, Kyoto! To get there we took a bus, to a Shinkansen, to a different Shinkansen, to a local Japanese Rail train. Somewhere between the two Shinkansen we hit a 7/11, which if you haven’t heard, is a totally different type of experience in Japan. Their take away food is actually incredible. One of the biggest surprises in Japan was just how good the food quality was in the moments you’d never expect. This was certainly one of them. Bravo 7/11 and bravo Japan.
Our first funny snafu on public transit came when we got on the local JR train. Unbeknownst to us, this train was going to be packed out. So much so that we didn’t even realize our tickets didn’t come with a seat. So we sat down, settled in, got our delicious 7/11 food set up, and then 5 minutes later were politely asked to get the fuck out lol. This proved difficult because the train car we were in was filling in quick and we had our open food + 3 bags to usher around, if we had had the skis, we would have been doomed! But thank god for Yamato! We then were forced into the space between the cars where we stood with our bags for the hour train ride. Honestly, it was pretty comical trying to eat standing up as the train swerved back and forth, we had a great time trying to “surf and turf” ;p. All the hardest parts of traveling always seem to get easier when you’re with your best friend.
4 hours of trains later, upon arriving in Kyoto, it was raining. This was the only non sunny/snowy weather we encountered the entire trip, we got so lucky! We put on our rain coats, whipped out the umbrella, and set out exploring. We popped into several great shops, the first SFERA, was an interior furniture store. They had so many beautiful designs, Becky was loving it!
We then hit a few clothing stores like Ordinary Fits, Kapital, F.I.L. Kyoto, Mumokuteki Goods & Wears. We loved shopping the Japanese fashion brands. The attention to detail on fit and fabric was beautiful. Mumokuteki even had a massive selection of fun food/home wear items that we perused for gifts. We found unique soy sauces, hot sauces, matcha, and ramen!
Speaking of soy sauce, it just hits different in Japan! I don’t know what we’re getting here in the states, but the quality of the soy sauce in Japan was on another level. We took a cooking class in Kyoto as well and learned so much about the Japanese flavors and ingredients. Dashi broth (one of the main staples of Japanese cooking) is a simple broth made from simmering a leaf of sea weed in water and then adding bonito (tuna) flakes. It has that perfectly characteristic Japanese flavor! The cooking class was at a place called Cooking Sun, highly recommend for anyone coming to Japan!
The meals we ate in Kyoto were unique to say the least. Our first night we were lucky enough to get a table at Teppan Tavern Tenamonya, a local teppanyaki spot serving a good variety of gluten free options! The restaurant only had maybe 16 seats and was owned and run by a lovely couple. Something we loved about Japan was that in most of the restaurants, the owner was also the chef and sometimes the waiter. All the chefs took such a pride in their creations, often waiting until you took a bite to leave the table. They really cared about how much we enjoyed the food. Luckily at this first Kyoto restaurant, they provided us with a series of Japanese phrases to express our gratitude. Shiawa-se (I’m happy!) and Oishi-ne (Delicious!) were always well received by the locals!
At Teppan Tavern we got to try our first proper Wagyu steak, and my god was it delicious. We’ve both had Wagyu before, but this was on another level. It was both nicely grilled on the outside and perfectly melt in your mouth, I’ll be thinking about that for a long time.
On our second day in Kyoto we visited Fushimi Inari, one of the most famous shrines in Japan. I’m sure you’ve seen pictures of the countless orange Torii gates which cascade up beautiful Mt. Inari. This is not to be missed, even if it is touristy and crowded. Best to go early as we did and get a little quiet time. I also highly recommend finding the hidden bamboo forest path! Apparently it is much more expansive and more secluded than the most popular Arashiyama bamboo forest (of which we skipped). Well I at least know for sure it’s more secluded because there was no one there but us. It was truly magical. Here are the directions to finding the bamboo forest! One thing we did was purchase some postcards at a shop on the way down from the mountain and they provided us with a pamphlet with tons of information on the shrine. Definitely look out for something like this because there were no free pamphlets near the entry.
The other major shrine and temple we visited was called Kiyomizu-dera. This temple is located on a beautiful hillside overlooking all of Kyoto. Again, going early will help to beat the crowds! Here you can walk around the small old streets of Gion as well. There are certain streets where “No Photography” signs are put up, and those are the best streets to walk down. You will feel transported back in time, it is so special.
Some great things to check out in Gion would be Matcha Garden, where you can get a very very very tasty matcha latte, as well as purchase an antique matcha bowl; Kyoto Ceramic Center for any potential pottery gifts you want to get!; the house of the famous ceramicist and wood working artist Kawai Kanjiro, which is totally breathtaking, just wait til you see the kiln!; and Hario Cafe, a beautiful place to get a coffee! We definitely were on a bit of a ceramics kick here in Kyoto. We also got to check out a real Raku firing kiln at Raku Studio Waraku, the shop owner was so exited to show us their whole process, it was awesome!
The two other dinners we got in Kyoto were also insane, but for two different reasons. The second night we were there we sought after 100% Buckwheat flour Soba noodles, which are naturally Gluten Free (good for Becky!). The search process led us to a small restaurant called Masaemon. Apparently known to have the best GF Soba noodles in all of Japan so we had to go for it. Once we arrived at the restaurant we knew we were in for an interesting experience to say the least. The restaurant was owned and fully operated by one man who didn’t speak a word of English, in fact he spoke to us entirely through a vocal translator device. Another table was just finishing up as we arrived so it was just us and him with some quiet plucky Japanese music in the background. Something we noticed immediately was a cloudy fish tank in the center of the kitchen featuring some small fish. It did not look to sanitary, but I figured it was just for decoration. Boy was I wrong! I guess we didn’t pay too much attention to the menu when we booked the restaurant for the noodles, mostly because it was in Japanese and we figured it would be kind of normal. Lo and behold, the first course was horse sashimi!! AKA raw horse meat with a raw egg on top. Man, this was crazy. As of a few months ago, I am coming off of being a vegetarian for 7 years (for a few of those years I was fully vegan). Switching back to eating meat was based on health reasons and because in some cultures you really can’t experience the full spectrum of flavors unless you eat some meat. This was a pretty extreme case haha. The chef even went on his translator and said “If you have a weak stomach, you may experience diarrhea.” I mean, who says that?! Haha, this guy was wild! Becky, who was recently receiving a ton of news about her Aunt’s sick horse, who just went through surgery, was having a real tough time morally. She pulled a napkin to toilet move with most of her horse, but she did have a few bites. The chef gave us a ton of meat by the way, this was a massive appetizer and we each had one. I did my best as well, but it was hard to finish the whole thing.
Meanwhile, while trying to eat the horse, our chef was busy snatching the fish from the fish tank. I guess they weren’t just decoration! He proceeded to hold one fish in each hand and bring them over to the table as they squirmed in his hands. He put them near our faces and said “Next course!”. It was absolutely wild. This was a mad man! Soon enough he had brought the fish back to the table, but this time, one was fried, and the other was raw sashimi style, but not just any kind of sashimi… Sure enough he took this sashimi to the next level. The head and tail + vertebrae were still attached and the sashimi meat was where it would have been on the fish’s body. But the craziest part was that occasionally the head and the tail would start to move. I mean jeez!! We were eating the body of a fish that was still moving. I felt horrible for the fish, but I guess this was a very traditional restaurant and we didn’t want to disrespect the chef so we had to dig in.
Having done a good amount of work at the fish we were hoping the chef would bring the Soba noodles next, but after some time he came over and said that he couldn’t bring the next course unless we finished what was on the table! lol. The madness continues. Luckily Becky was thinking on her feet and used the translator to say how delicious the food was and that we wanted to make sure we saved room for all the amazing dishes still yet to come. He seemed pleased with this answer and proceeded to move the fish and horse over on the table and make room for the noodles. Thank god! And let me just say, the noodles were fantastic! Maybe it was just the relief of eating something semi-normal, but they were totally delicious.
The following night we were rewarded with some of the best Omakase sushi we’ve ever had at Matsudaya Sushi. Chef Matsudaya was an absolute wizard. We particularly liked how he would put tiny slices in the fish so they would absorb the soy sauce just a little bit more. It was divine!
Some other spots we loved in Kyoto…
Toshoan. This is a fully GF confectionary store in Kyoto, basically a bakery for sweets. We got the pancakes and they were out of this world!! On top of that, after we ate them, we did not get pancake brain, in fact we felt amazing. Gluten Free is the way on desserts.
Music Bar Universe Gion. A tiny bar run by an incredible bartender! The drinks are superb + there’s a ton of fun games to get involved in. Mario Kart on an old Nintendo and small TV! We played Blockus with the bartender, it was awesome. The atmosphere is a bit futuristic.
Topologie. Awesome Japanese brand, really sick bags with customizable straps. We had a lot of fun mixing and matching the straps and bags. They had a ton of options to choose from, all super sick!
Overall, we absolutely adored Kyoto. I think it is a must hit for anyone traveling to Japan. You will feel transported back in time, yet the trip here is relatively easy with the amazing modern bullet Shinkansen trains. It’s the best of both worlds!
Tokyo
After our 3 amazing days in Kyoto, we ventured onto Tokyo for our last 3 days of the trip. Being such a massive city, during planning we quickly realized we were only going to be able to cover certain areas in 3 days and probably should stay closer to them. This resulted in our hotel being booked right near the Shibuya scramble crossing in Shibuya City. This prefecture of Tokyo is vibrant with nightlife and a perfect jumping off point to explore the rest of the city with a few major subway hubs.
Once we dropped our bags at the Indigo Hotel (booked on points and it was a really nice spot!), we set out to explore the Ebisu, Nakameguro areas which are just south of Shibuya. We picked these neighborhoods for their shopping, walkability, and because they were off the beaten path from the typical Tokyo thoroughfare.
Let’s go into some spots we liked in Ebisu…
Kapital (we particularly liked the Duffle shop, theres 3 levels that go down). These clothes are wild! Plenty of amazing designs I’ve never seen anywhere else and a really fun concept of shop taboot. There are 3 stores within a short walking area, so why not check em all out!
Coverchord (awesome selection of mens+womens + fun gifty items!). This spot was fun, welcoming and not too expensive. They had a lot of outdoorsy focused items as well as handmade ceramics and wooden butter dishes. Good selection of shoes as well. Definitely worth grabbing a coffee at Sidewalk stand next door too!
LURF Gallery. Free gallery, absolutely worth a look! Beautiful art in a variety of mediums from local artists.
Daikanyama T-Site. This is a massive book store!! At the end of the day we found ourselves loving the lounge capability of T-Site. If you walk upstairs you can pay by the hour for lounge chairs + access to a plethora of snacks and beverages, it really is the perfect way to wind down after a busy day. There is a section downstairs called magazine row where you can pick up copies of all kind of mags in various languages. The browsing capability of this book store is off the chain. We felt the curation of the books and titles was immaculate. This is a must do!
Henry’s Burgers. Yo, ever tried an A5 wagyu smash burger? This is THE place! We stumbled in here trying to get some last minute lunch and were totally blown away. These babies are delicious!! They even served up a quality lettuce wrap for Becky, big points in our book!
We didn’t get the memo on reservations at Tatemichiya, but we totally would have gone if we could. This izakaya is classic rock themed and just looked incredible when we popped our heads in. Just make sure you don’t be like us and be sure to call ahead for the rez!
More Ebisu/Nakameguro stops on the Tokyo map below!
On our second day in Tokyo we were greeted by our good friend Dylan Morra. Founder of the company Vagajobs (providing jobs around the world to folks who want to travel + work), he was currently on a 10 hour layover on his way to work in Vietnam for a few months. Lucky for us we got the chance to hang with him! After a hotel breakfast, we set out for TeamLab: Borderless, a fully immersive and interactive art museum. This place was not to be believed!! After scrambling in, we almost missed our entry time (doh!), you are transported into a world of beautiful color and fascination in every direction. There are several rooms off of the main corridors you can explore, each with a different theme, the likes of which transport across the borders of the entire art exhibit. Pictures from here are crazy, some of the stuff felt so real, it was hypnotizing. I’d say this is an absolute must do in Tokyo for anyone visiting. We will definitely be checking out TeamLab: Planets the next time we visit!
After parting ways with Dylan we set off to explore Harajuku, a bustling neighborhood famous for its kawaii culture (think cute cuddling/lovable animals or Pokemon). While walking around there we spotted numerous people dressed like anime characters, it was super fun! We even stumbled across another gluten free pancake spot which proceeded to blow our minds, and left us feeling great afterwards, I don’t know how they do it!
One spot we particularly liked in Harajuku was Utrecht bookstore. This small but well stocked spot had a wide variety of very unique and well designed books. We had a lot of fun poking through pages of books such as TypeFace (a small book showing a bunch of different faces just using the characters on your keyboard!).
We also both loved Maidens Shop (both the Mens and Womens stores). These shops were a collection of various brands from around the world with a fantastic aesthetic. I loved the curation of the Mens store, it was very fun, but also super wearable. Prices were not the most expensive but also not super cheap, so just be aware of that. These are probably pieces you’ll wear the crap out off for years to come.
In the evening we set out for an Italian restaurant I had found randomly on instagram called Cadota. It’s on the outskirts of Tokyo and is not very well known by tourists for that reason, but my god was this place good. The Japanese owner/head chef, Naoyuki, was astoundingly cordial and kind to us. He went out of his way to get GF pasta for Becky and it was amazing to see how much care he put into each dish as they came out. The restaurant was only 14 seats, full by the time we arrived, and he was the only one making the dishes, with two servers there to help him out. Ironically I had found this place because of their French fries, which they somehow got a TimeOut nod for, and man were they good! They even made us put on little plastic McDonalds hats to pose for a picture with the fries. Yes it was a little cheesy, but once I tried the fries, I was like this guy can do whatever he wants, I’m sold. Every day Naoyuki shows up early to the restaurant and hand makes the pasta, it was truly delicious. Even the homemade bread reminded me of a loaf my Italian grandmother used to make. All in all, this was probably the dinner I enjoyed the most in Japan, and it was even Japanese food haha. Bravo Naoyuki!
Our final day in Tokyo was action packed. We started off by visiting Betty Smith in Ebisu to make our own custom pair of Japanese denim jeans. We had an amazing time working with the staff to pick out custom buttons and patches and get the perfect fit! After an hour of flair we headed to Shimokitazawa, one of the neighborhoods I was most recommended to visit!
Shimokitazawa felt like the Brooklyn of Tokyo. Vintage stores galore!! My friend and tour thrifting buddy Gillian would be going crazy here! We popped into Mikan Shimokita, a row of small restaurants underneath the train tracks. All the little food spots were packed, but luckily we got a table at Khao Khao Khao, which ended up being a very authentic Thai restaurant. What a delicious lunch!
Afterwards we wandered the streets a bit, popping in here and there to see the local selection of thrift. Our destination was a jazz speakeasy called No Room For Squares. Up four flights of stairs, you finally reach a vintage coca-cola machine, which is actually the entrance to the speakeasy! As you pass through the coke machine, you step into a small low ceiling cozy bar with a jazz band tucked into the back of the room. There’s barely any room to stand so we are quickly ushered to our cozy armchair seats. As we order some teas for this afternoon affair, the band starts up! On tap was a brand new jazz project featuring some young local musicians, two saxophones, bass, keys, and drums. The set started with a very cheesy classic jazz walking bass line, and then all of the sudden, the band ripped into a double jazz fusion extravaganza with the keyboard player shredding synth! It was wild!
Some more choice Shimokitazawa stops…
Bears. a Mens selvedge denim heaven with tons of brands and plenty of sizes. Found a great pair of Full Count jeans!
Shimokita Chaen Ōyama. THE spot to stock up on high quality matcha to bring home. They do have a limit of how much you can buy, but this is because of the matcha shortage happening right now in Japan.
Desk Labo. A very cute stationary store with plenty of fun gift items!
After a very solid day in Shimokitazawa we went back to our hotel for some much needed chill time. On the way back we stopped at Meikyoku Kissa Lion, a classical music cafe. This place was super unique and vibey. When you walk in, it almost feels like a church. White covered seats all facing the massive vinyl sound system. Must visit!
Our final dinner in Tokyo was at one of the oldest running Omakase restaurants. Featured on Anthony Bourdain’s trip to Tokyo, Ginza Sushi Ko Honten has been in the sushi business for over 140 years (and all within the same family!) We were blown away by the hospitality and craftsmanship here. Sushi chefs take such pride in their work and it really shows. Our chef had been working here for 15 years, but only 4 of them as a sushi chef. Most sushi chefs work their way up from just a server to being able to cook the “egg,” to actually working with the fish. If you haven’t had the “egg” yet, it’s a crazy experience! Basically it’s another sushi roll, but it’s just egg that has been cooked over 45 minutes just by waving hot branches over the tray. Sushi Ko Honten has been using the same egg recipe for their entire history, it was immaculate! Truly this restaurant was a once in a lifetime experience, we were so fortunate to get a reservation.
After sushi dinner we hit a vinyl bar called The Music Bar - Cave Shibuya — which was sort of a western style vinyl bar with amazing cocktails. Western meaning there was lots of space between tables and it didn’t feel too Japanese. Nevertheless, the cocktails were fantastic! We particularly liked one that was a homage to a Harry Potter butter beer! So delicious!!
It was hard to leave Japan the following day so we tried to squeeze in a few more activities such as hitting a local flea market at the Hanazono Shrine in Shinjuku! This was a relatively small antique market, but had some killer items! We picked up a vintage matcha bowl and a beautiful old indigo dyed tapestry for our apartment.
I honestly can’t wait to get back to Japan. The Japanese way of life is built on respect. I felt so cared for and it was really gratifying to return that care to everyone we interacted with. I felt completely humbled by the country and its values. I also feel pretty ashamed at the way some things in our country are run. I would love to see more people caring for the environment around us, not dropping trash on the sidewalk, ordering the correct amount of food and finishing our meals, and taking pride in everything we do, no matter what job or task it is. We learned that in Japanese elementary school, there are no janitors, the children clean the school during a section of the day, even clean the toilets. I can’t imagine the benefits of teaching your children that kind of self reliance and responsibility. I wish we had that kind of social responsibility here in the States. Let’s look after the world around us because it’s shared by soooo many people that are here now and so many people that are to come.
Here’s some more examples of Japanese people respecting each other:
The Japanese always stand on one side of escalators unless they are walking up, in which they make room on the other side of the escalator to allow others to pass.
The Japanese always form lines to board trains or ride an escalator.
On public transportation, everyone is quiet, not eating, not talking on their phones, not playing music out loud.
Japanese cab drivers wear white gloves and suits. They never talk on their phones or playing music on the radio, unless requested. Every cab we took had an excellent driver. No swerving, or harsh stop and go.
Japanese trains and buses are always on time. We didn’t encounter one train or bus that was late.
There are virtually no public trash cans in Japan. You must take care of your own garbage and dispose at home in order to keep the streets clean.
Japanese public toilets are always clean and clear of trash + some of them even have the trademark heated seats + bidet experience that most, if not all Japanese toilets have.
I’m probably going to remember some more to add here later, but long story short, Japan is a world in which I would be down to spend a lot more time. If anyone reading at this point has recommendations of where we should go next time, please reach out! Thank you so much for reading.