Tokyo Neighbourhoods: Shinjuku

So the thing about Tokyo is its many different neighbourhoods, each with its own character and street vibe.  And since we are staying here, I thought that this is where I would begin: with Shinjuku.

Shinjuku - where the Tokyo city government sits side by side with the many department stores, and the small alleyways of izakayas, drinking spots alongside the beautiful Shinjuku Gyoen park. Where the busiest subway station in Tokyo bewilders the visitor with the multiple subway lines and train lines all up and down the station.

I have to say that we didn't go to some of the more "famous" areas such as Kabukicho or the Golden Gai (somehow tramping through red light districts didn't really appeal) but we did spend time in  Isetan, Keio and other department stores in the area.  And we ate around the area quite a bit (so yes, there will be foodie reviews here).  We also spent an entire morning in Shinjuku Gyoen, just 10 minutes walk from our apartment.  In this quieter corner of Shinjuku, we found convenient little minimarts, little family restaurants, etc.  And we managed to escape the madness of Shinjuku station by going to Shinjuku-Sanchome or Shinjuku-Gyoenmae instead.  This is the part of the city I like - not too far from the city centre to make it inconvenient to get anywhere but at the same time not right in the hustle, bustle and crowds.

Shinjuku Gyoen - Traditional Japanese Garden

We had wanted to spend the afternoon in the Shinjuku Gyoen park on our first day in Japan but the heavy rain put paid to that.  So we had to postpone the expedition to another morning.  Shinjuku Gyoen park is considered one of the top parks in Tokyo and is made up of three large gardens - the Japanese Traditional Garden, the English Garden and the French Garden. There's also a greenhouse full of tropical plants - we did not see the need to go in. Of course, the Japanese Garden is the largest of all!  It is a pleasant strolling garden - with numerous ponds, winding paths, flower beds, and a view of the NTT Docomo Tower from practically anywhere in the garden!

That's one big chrysanthemum

The Japanese adore their flowers and at this time of year, the chrysanthemums are in bloom.  So there are little pavilions set up at intervals throughout the garden, each with their own display of beautiful blossoms.  Huge flowers bigger than my fist; long-petalled spidery flowers; small, spiky-petalled flowers - how could such different flowers all be part of the chrysanthemum family!   

Children "fishing"

Just so the chrysanthemums had some competition, we visited the rose garden in the French garden area.  It was quite a formal arrangement, different from the "natural" feel of the Japanese garden.  But there were shady sycamore avenues on either side; a pleasant place on a summery day.  Indeed, the park was full of families and children, sitting on the lawns and under the trees.  It so happened that we went on a public holiday, so it's likely that parents were free to take their children to the park.  But it all combined to create a warm, happy atmosphere in the park - children running, laughing, blowing bubbles; people lying on the lawn watching the clouds overhead, or sitting and contemplating the reflections in the water at the Japanese garden.  It wasn't as exquisite as the Japanese gardens in Nara or in the Kyoto temples but for a big and crowded city, it is a peaceful and restful place to spend a morning.

For more photos of Shinjuku Gyoen, ck out my Flickr.

By contrast, the rest of Shinjuku is lively and bustling.  We would go around the Shinjuku quite a bit - to shop, have meals or to get to our tour pick up points.  So we had many meals around the area (including a bento box dinner which we picked up from Isetan's food hall - a gourmet experience in itself).  Here are my three favourites:

Tsukiji Sushi

• Tsukiji Sushiko - quick, courteous service and lovely fresh fish!  I had a chirashi don, and I have to say that it did its namesake market proud. It is also a pleasure sitting at the counter watching the sushi chef at work - the quick, deft slices of his knife and the precision with which he places each piece of fish just so.  Not a big restaurant, just a small branch of a bigger chain but worth looking out for on a future visit to Tokyo.

Zen

• Zen - a quiet okonomiyaki restaurant in a quiet street just minutes away from our apartment.  Somehow okonomiyaki is a real Japanese comfort food, at least in my book.  Here the okonomiyaki is nice and thick - but perfectly cooked throughout.  We had ours accompanied by sake, edamame beans and grilled oysters.  Again the oysters were cooked just right - moist, and fully of briny flavour.  Service was friendly - the proprietor came by to show us his coin collection (we contributed a 20 cent Singapore coin) and spoke to us via his Google Translator.  Again, worth a return visit.  Neither Tsukiji Sushiko or Zen are in the heart of Shinjuku, and are closer to Shinjuku-Sanchome station.

Shinjuku Izakaya

Small little izakaya somewhere around in the Shinjuku-Sanchome area.  We were walking around looking for somewhere to have dinner when we saw the English menu in the window.  The chef standing at the grill took pity on these poor lost tourists and came out to hand us the menu to scrutinise more closely.  Small, crowded, full of the office workers stopping by before going on their way home.  We ordered tonnes of little dishes, far more than the office workers on either side who had only a light snack with their mug of beer.  We, on the other hand, were imbibing a fruity alcoholic soda.

Of course, one of the best things about dining in Shinjuku was the knowledge that we had only a short walk back to our cosy apartment after....

Tokyo: Braving the Storm

Another year, another trip to Japan! 

We arrived in Tokyo on 29 Nov (Sunday) at around 7.30am.  Of course, we had to choose the very day that Tropical Storm Saola was blowing its way past Tokyo, bringing with it warm air and rain.  Lots of rain.  Pouring down, throughout the day.  Not drops, nor light drizzles, but a thorough downpour.  And our apartment would not be ready for us till afternoon.  

The storm would continue to have repercussions on the rest of our trip.  Find out why in subsequent posts.  But that is why I am beginning this account of our Tokyo stay with info about our apartment, because to be honest that was what we saw most of on Day 1.  That and the incessant rain.

Dashi Chazuke En breakfast

Anyway, since we were at Shinjuku station at 9am and no prospect of getting into our apartment till 11.30am, we ended up going for breakfast in the Lumine 1 basement food court.  Fortunately for us, there are lots of yummy Japanese food stalls there and we found this one, Dashi Chazuke En which serves a Japanese rice porridge breakfast.  Your rice comes with a little pot of dashi on the side, which you pour on top of the rice to make a porridge.  I had sea bream with sesame sauce - yummy.  Fortunately, after this comforting yet light breakfast, we managed to get a cab to our apartment.

As in my last visit to Japan, we had decided to stay in an apartment and we got AirBnB to lend us a hand.  Reading through my earlier post, I have to say that my advice to holiday apartment renters (think location, location, location; check that all the facilities you want are available - washing machine, wifi, beds vs. futon issue) remain all quite spot-on.  Our apartment is in Shinjuku, with two nearby metro stations - Shinjuku-Sanchome and Shinjuku-Gyoenmae.  At 40+sqm, it is indeed luxurious, space-wise, compared to the average hotel room in Japan and at a cheaper price too.  Theoretically with its two sofa beds and one bedroom, it can sleep 6 pax but that would be a tight squeeze.  It’s just nice for the two of us.  There are lots of supermarkets/convenience stores around, and little restaurants for a bite of dinner should we not want to wander about too much.  

Indeed, we were not inclined to wander too much that first day.  Our apartment was still being cleaned when we got there so we left our bags and tried to explore the area.  But the rain continued to pour down so heavily that even our short visit to scout out the nearby convenience stores ended up with our shoes getting thoroughly soaked.  We ended up buying food in the convenience store and bringing it back to our apartment for lunch!  How sad for our first lunch in Japan!  Of course, with the rain continuing to pelter down, we ended up staying in all afternoon and only went out for dinner.  But it was still raining, so we ended up walking around Shinjuku Station and doing some shopping in the departmental stores and shopping centres in the area.

Not a very exciting first day in Japan.  But at least we managed to settle down in our cosy little apartment.