Travel / Japan

Japan (Day 4) – Shibuya & Tokyo Tower

By Veron Ang | Tags #Tokyo

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It was only day 4 in Japan. And already, I was craving for pasta!

At noon, we were in an area someplace near Shibuya when an unusual rocket-shaped glass building caught our attention. We spotted the little Italy flag from afar through the glass and realised it was an Italian restaurant! What luck!

Italian restaurant

The design of the restaurant was really quaint. They had English words on the menu too. Phew! Finding places to dine in Japan can get quite daunting for someone that doesn’t know Japanese. Before entering a place, I had to make sure there were English words on the menu or pictures of the food somewhere.

Italian restaurant

An israeli friend of mine faced the same problem when he went to China. He would simply walk right into the kitchen of the restaurant, point to some ingredients and get the chef to cook it. Haha!

Seafood marinara

My favorite choice of pasta — seafood marinara! There was a whole lot of seafood but I wasn’t a fan of the overall salty taste.

Coconut tree structure

After lunch, we spotted this cute coconut tree structure near the Italian restaurant. I found it to be really apt during the hot Japan summer!

Not satisfied with the almost fruitless shopping trip from the previous day, we went back to the Shibuya shopping district again.

Parco Part-2

(I love this shot above. The sky was a gorgeous shade. I didn’t even have to photoshop the image!)

They have some rather interesting naming conventions for buildings. The one above is parco part-2. There’s parco part-1 and parco part-3 nearby. Similarly for the trendy Shibuya 109 building I blogged about in yesterday’s post, there’s also 109-2 in the same vicinity.

G-Shock clock

Spotted at Shibuya: this giant g-shock was an actual functioning clock!

Pretty soon, we had to duck into a cute dessert café for some cool relief! Summer in Japan is really no joke. During my trip, there was news that some 15 Japanese died due to the heat. It was really bad.

The temperature skyrocketed to 40 degrees Celsius at times, but most afternoons it lingered between 36 and 38. It made Singapore seem really cool in comparison. I could buy 6 or 7 bottled drinks from vending machines throughout the day and find myself not having to pee once. Yes, it was THAT hot!

You know what goes great with the hot weather?

Strawberry ice cream wrapped in rice cake sheet

Ice cream! This strawberry ice cream wrapped in rice cake sheet was too pretty to resist! Notice how it was pink and served on a baby blue colored plate? The colors complement each other perfectly, another sign that the Japanese really pay a whole lot of attention to the way things are presented.

Strawberry ice cream wrapped in rice cake sheet

Too pretty! It was yummy too! The rice cake sheet was a really nice touch to this sweet dessert. When it comes to desserts, Hong Kong is probably the only other place that can rival with Japan.

The menu also had calorie information printed on it. For the health-conscious Japanese, this was pretty common.

Menu with calorie information

You know what else goes great with the hot weather? Cold beer!

According to Beni, T.G.I. Friday’s have some awesome and really smooth draft beers. (The dude is a beer ~~addict~~ fanatic who can down 15 pints at one go. So he really knows what he’s talking about!) I recalled seeing a T.G.I. Friday’s in Shibuya the previous day so we spent the next hour walking up and down bustling Shibuya to hunt it down! All this for the sake of beer! Would you believe that?

None of the Japanese we asked had a clue where T.G.I. Friday’s was. Finally, this black dude gave us the right directions.

T.G.I. Friday's

Whoa, seeing that big and bright “Friday’s” signboard sure was a sight for sore eyes!

Draft beer at T.G.I. Friday's

Our hard-earned prize! Beni was right; the beer was really smooth, so smooth that I drank it as though it was lemon tea! I had never finished a beer so quickly before.

Grilled chicken in barbeque sauce

Chicken goes well with beer too. I must, must, must have chicken everyday or else it would feel like something is missing! This particular grilled chicken at Friday’s was awesome. The black sauce, it was barbeque I think, was so thick, my throat became a little sore. But I ate it all anyway because it was that good!

T.G.I.F's

Boy, how I wish we had T.G.I. Friday’s in Singapore!

Shibuya at night Photo by Beni

Both photos of Shibuya above were taken by Beni. Dude must have been feeling blue. He told me that the language barrier makes it difficult to forge any connection with people other than the most superficial. For a modern city with such a high influx of foreigners, the people here know much less English than what I had prepared myself for.

Cool LED animation

Spotted this cool LED animation on an advertisement board. I think it’s for a club or something.

After Shibuya, we made our way to the magnificent Tokyo tower!

Base of Tokyo Tower Photo by Beni

So there we were, standing at one of the most beautiful and significant landmarks of Japan. And neither of us had a decent camera! I had my LG Shine and a compact digital camera that can hardly capture night shots. Beni had only his Sony ericsson mobile phone.

And whaddya know? The best (of the worst) shot was captured on Beni’s mobile phone!

Tokyo Tower Photo by Beni

Tokyo tower is the tallest man-made structure in Japan with a design based on the eiffel tower. I had always wanted to see the eiffel tower, but since that ain’t happening anytime soon, this was a really nice consolation. I was surprised to find out that at 333 meters, Tokyo tower is actually 13 meters taller than the eiffel tower!

Tokyo Tower

The steel tower is painted in bright orange and white. At night, it lights up in colors that may vary according to the occasion. During summer, it is lit in white. For the matrix reloaded movie premiere for example, the tower was lit in neon green!

Aerial view of Tokyo from the observatory at Tokyo Tower

There were a couple of observatories at the tower where we could go up to enjoy the view (for a fee, of course). At night, we got a nice panoramic view of Tokyo from the main observatory. The famed Rainbow Bridge and giant ferris wheel could be seen in the distance! (we would be heading there within the next couple of nights. Stay tuned!)

The experience was a memorable one and it reminded me of the time I went up to the 84th level of the Baiyoke Sky Hotel in Bangkok. That was the first time I ever traveled solo. Enjoying a panoramic view of a city should always be part of the itinerary when traveling to some place new.

We remained at Tokyo tower until it closed. Then, we had dinner-cum-supper at a sushi restaurant. My first sushi in Japan!

Salad and chawanmushi

Salad and chawanmushi (steamed egg custard).

Sushi platter

Many restaurants open ’til late in Japan. By the time we left, it was already past midnight! We missed the train and had to take a cab instead. It ended up being a really expensive cab ride, and not just due to the cab fare alone.

During the day’s shopping trip in Shibuya, I had bought 4 guys’ shirts (for friends) and 2 cute bras (for myself). It ended up being another fruitless shopping trip anyway because I left it all behind in the cab! It was worth a few hundred (singapore) bucks!

Surprisingly, I found myself feeling sore not due to the large amount spent on the stuff I lost. It was more of the fact that all my efforts in finding gifts for my friends had totally gone down the drain!

Having formed a really good impression of the Japanese, I harbored high hopes that the cab driver might return my stuff at my hotel (that’s where he dropped me off). Well, he didn’t. The hotel receptionists helped made calls to the various cab companies but nothing came up. Beni joked that if it weren’t for the bras, the driver would probably have returned all my stuff!

Anyway right now I’m already long over the incident, so let’s move on!

Within a cab in Tokyo

Speaking of cabs, do you know that the cab fare in Tokyo starts from ¥660? That’s around 8 to 9 Singapore dollars! For all the cab rides I took, the cab fare always ranged from 30 to 40 bucks. I ended up using the subway most of the time.

Stay tuned for day 5!

Also in this series

Japan (Day 1) - Arrival in Tokyo Japan (Day 1) – Arrival in Tokyo
Japan (Day 2) - Tokyo Disneyland Japan (Day 2) – Tokyo Disneyland
Japan (Day 3) - Shibuya, Gay Parade & Ginza Japan (Day 3) – Shibuya, Gay Parade & Ginza
Japan (Day 5) - Harajuku Japan (Day 5) – Harajuku
Japan (Day 6) - Sanrio Puroland & Takahatafudo Japan (Day 6) – Sanrio Puroland & Takahatafudo
Japan (Day 7) - Marunouchi, Sony Building & Odaiba Japan (Day 7) – Marunouchi, Sony Building & Odaiba
Japan (Day 8) - Kyoto, Part 1 Japan (Day 8) – Kyoto, Part 1
Japan (Day 9) - Kyoto, Part 2 Japan (Day 9) – Kyoto, Part 2
Japan (Day 10) - Ueno Japan (Day 10) – Ueno
Japan (Day 11) - Homebound Japan (Day 11) – Homebound

For more on Sparklette:

About the Author

Veron Ang is the founder and chief editor of Sparklette. She lives in Singapore and has dined and traveled across the world. She also runs Sparklette Studio, a web design and WordPress development firm. If you'd like to connect with her, head on over to the contact page or follow her personal updates on Twitter: @VeronSG.

Japan (Day 3) – Shibuya, Gay Parade & Ginza

Japan (Day 5) – Harajuku

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18 responses

Leave your comment

arzhou (adrian)
August 24, 2007

The food looks so nice! and CUTE!
Reply
Ken
August 24, 2007

Have you ever been to Hong Kong? Although I thought it was hot in Japan, at least it was very dry. In HK, as soon as I walked outside, I started sweating and within minutes, my clothes would be soaked.

I agree; in Tokyo, there are not a lot of people that speak English. I’ve taken about 3-4 semesters of Japanese, and most of the time, it was enough to get around. Only one time did I not know enough — we had boarded the wrong train, and when the guy came by collecting cash, we knew we were in trouble.

I asked “does this train go to tokyo?” (in Japanese) and he said “yes”. However, I did not know how to say “Sorry, we got on the wrong train; can we get off at the next stop?”

I even asked “eigo o hanashimasu ka?” (Do you speak english) and sadly, he said “hanasanai”. (No)

All of the food looks good, but I find it funny that you went to Japan for TGIF’s. (American food). I don’t think I had anything American to eat at all while I was there this May.
Reply
acroamatic
August 24, 2007

There used to be TGIF in Singapore. It was at the Glass House, next to Park Mall, where the Fish & Co branch is currently located.
Reply
Daphne Maia
August 24, 2007

TGIF @ JB, anyone? hehe.

eh… how come u go to japan and eat at least one meal of ‘western’ food everyday? shd’ve eaten more dons, bentos, sashimis, sushis, and whatnots. :)

i just read 2 entries at one go. shiokkk. :P MORE MORE MORE!!
Reply
py
August 24, 2007

When I am in UK, I sudddenly feel that our public transport, especially the taxis, are still comparatively cheaper than most developed countries.

The food looks great. I was almost tempted to lick them off the screen. *winks*
Reply
Veron
August 24, 2007

arzhou (adrian): Yeah! Sweet too! And pretty!

Ken: I celebrated my 21st birthday in Hong Kong. Boy, was it the rainy season when I was there. Looks like I always pick the worst time of the year to visit a new city! Anyway I was at T.G.I.F.’s solely for the beer (at my friend’s insistence)! The food was only secondary.

acroamatic: I wish they would bring it back!

Daphne Maia: Whoa, I lost count of the number of bento sets, don and ramen I had! For some reason I was craving for western food after the consistent diet of Japanese food!

py: Yeah. Cab fare in Singapore is pretty decent. After this trip I am really starting to appreciate that fact now.
Reply
Joyz
August 25, 2007

Oh goodness, what a total waste….loosing all your things after a hard day of shopping. I feel really bad for you! Anyway, I expected the cab driver to return it or something…i read that Japanese are the most honest people in the world. They return everything that they see…from wallets to umbrellas!
Reply
Veron
August 25, 2007

Awww don’t feel bad for me babe. I was too careless! Like you, I felt the same way about the Japanese and expected the driver to return my stuff! But I guess there are always exceptions.
Reply
zi ying
August 25, 2007

hey the songs on your site are nice! who are the singers eh? i wanna get the songs!
btw, i would like to ask how much you charge for web designing. email me ya? thanks!
oh and lastly, your life is so interesting! i happened to google it one day and i am still reading it! haha.
Reply
Beni
August 25, 2007

LMAOOOOO… 15 pints? Are you kidding me? I’ll probably pass out after the 6th one :P

I really wish we had a better camera for the Tokyo Tower visit. I fell in love with Tokyo all over again. Wonder when I can go there again *sigh*

Yea it’s really surprising that the cabbie didn’t return your goodies. It’s so un-Japanese. I mean there was this friend of mine who was pissed drunk and dropped his credit card in a cab. The cabbie literally carried him outside the cab when they reached his place. And the cabbie must have found the card in his cab some time late in the night. He could have swiped it away to glory before the night was over, but he deposited it at the nearest koban (police station), and my friend was woken up from a drunken slumber in the wee hours by the police. He goes to the station and collects his card the following morning. Intact. As easy as that.

This must had been an one-off case. Like I said, probably cuz of your bras ;) Japs are quite well-known for their perversion about certain things and acts.
Reply
Veron
August 25, 2007

zi ying: Yay! Glad you love my blog (and my life)! Continue reading ya?

Beni: Dude you can always go to Tokyo Tower again can’t you? And yeah, bring your pro camera this time. It’s such a pity not having any good pictures of the tower during our visit!

Your friend’s story sounds impressive! I don’t know why the driver didn’t return my stuff. Those bras were brand new! What good are they to him?
Reply
Miccheng
August 25, 2007

There used to be T.G.I. Fridays in Singapore back in the 90s. They closed down due to competition. Some bloke came up with a bar called TGIF and stole their thunder.

Pity about the lost shopping though.

As always, a really informative post. :D
Reply
Cobalt Paladin
August 26, 2007

The cab driver probably left it at the nearest police station. I think that is what they do instead of returning directly to the owner. I may be wrong. * shrug *
Reply
Jayson
August 26, 2007

arrghhh …
i wonder what happened to all your shopping purchases now …
maybe the shirts will be worn by the cabby’s kids,
and the bras for the cabby’s girlfriend …
Reply
Beni
August 28, 2007

Probably not. Unless I am transferred back there again sometime in the future. I’m relocating remember? And my trip back there would leave me just enough time to have a drink at PCM with the boys I guess :-)

To make up for the bad shots of the Tokyo Tower, I’ll send you some good ones of Met Museum and the Apple Store.

About your stuff, it’s highly probable that the cabbie did leave it behind at the nearest police station. Shucks! Realization dawns too late!
Reply
Nadia
January 26, 2008

In Glasgow There’s A T.G.I Fridays!! Its Awesome!!

660 Yen??? Geez Louise!! =P
Reply
Benson
April 21, 2008

hey i was wondering where was the giant g shock u saw.
is it near the hachiko train exit? try looking for it but could not find it
Reply
Soeri
January 4, 2009

“when it comes to desserts, hong kong is probably the only other place that can rival with japan.”

Try visiting Greece. Last year I had to try really hard to remain sane while ordering desserts at the restaurants in Thessaloniki.. ;P
Reply