Day 6: (Tokyo) Tsukiji, Ginza, Ebisu, Daikanyama, Roppongi

breakfast.

I'm quite sure I ate quite a bit more than that, haha.... but that's just me.

ok. it's way too early to get up.



but not too early for a photograph!!



wow you could smell the fish from the subway. when we weren't sure which exit to take, hanbin quipped, 'just follow the aunties and the fishy smell.'

we're here!











i was still in my sleep deprived state and there was so much activity that i didn't see where i was going... and got run over by one of those gas carts the fishmongers use to transport the fish. this is the MOST UNPLEASANT PERSON i've met in the entire trip. he didn't warn me to get out of the way, he just ran me over (IT REALLY HURT, YOU!!) and then zoomed off without even looking back. wow you couldn't be more cold about what you just did, you jerk!

my mood was ruined so i just stepped aside and nursed my ankle. for sure, the fishmongers don't care for all we foreigners who come sniffing around tsukiji. but hey, that was really nasty.

just remember everything is at least twice the size of the in singapore. the scallops and haam - 3 times the size, at least.

They're not cooked, but I'm hungry already.

the auctions:











after we left the fish market (i was still rather upset) we headed towards where all the sushi restaurants were. we saw daiwa-sushi and sushi-dai...





but couldn't find sushi-ban, so we just picked one that looked decent.

(Sushi-bun, actually, but I say bun as in bread, vs actually saying boon as in... something good cos... it's cuter.) If you can, bring some internets to Japan - will help you in deciphering stuff when you have to, like planning locations the day before.





oh oh food is coming hehehehe



the chefs:



*sob* OHTORO







THE PRAWNS WERE GREAT!!



the urchin was fishy. acks.

They were also very sweet - I just didn't like the texture. Somewhat sandy.



i do not like squid. but the 2 silver fishies flanking it were AMAZING.



the best part of the meal? UNAGI (say it like Ross and point two fingers to your temple and turn them slowly).

Yep - bony, but you DO NOT FEEL THE BONES AT ALL THEY JUST MELT IN YOUR MOUTH LIKE ICE CREAM OR SOMETHING MELTY.



the other customers:



THE VERY SATISFIED US!



was it you who knocked me over??? *beady eyes*



it was only 730am when we left. the idea was to go to shinjuku's tokyo metropolitan government office to view mt fuji but the day was so cloudy, i didn't think mt fuji would be visible. so alvin had an idea - LET'S GO AND QUEUE FOR HIDEMI SUGINO! in ginza!

thank goodness we had the address, so we went straight down because although we were all full from our 3600Y breakfast, alvin and i always have space for cake. hehe.

i don't understand this!! but it looks funny.



'security system works now.' FAILLL!!!

Actually, the fail is also in the very bad photoshop.



having my early morning fix - yuzu smoothie:



we got lost in ginza because the map was marked wrongly and the address of hidemi sugino is VERY deceiving. in the end alvin had to sms his sister to get directions. it was in an entirely separate area from where we were walking circles in!! but i guess thank goodness we're not at the other end of ginza.

when we reached there, there was only one other guy in front of us! thinking we were quite lucky, we happily walked to queue behind him... only to realize that they only open at 11am.

KIDDING RIGHT??!?!?! THAT'S 2 HOURS AWAY!!!!!! T_T

we queued anyway. nothing better to do ma. it's so early in the morning!!!











the staff are in and preparing:



LONG QUEUE MAN...

Actually at the other end of the street they were filming something, so it looks more crowded than usual. Still, people queue like crazy for these cakes, I bet some of the extras in the filming would too. They pretty much blocked off the road to traffic for the filming, but in the midst of it a crabby old man in a nissan GT or something kept inching forward even tho the crewmember tried to stop him. I think the crewmember feared for his life too. Filming was stopped for the old man.

YAY TIME FOR NOMNOMS SOON!









THE DOORS ARE OPEN!! i chose 4 cakes, alvin chose 4, and hanbin had 2 while chuu had one.

that's me:



alvin sneaking shots of the cakes:



it's great how they serve your cakes - they take down your order, place your cakes on a board and chill them immediately in their freezer. while you wait, they're actually chilling your cake + plate so everything comes to you chilled. and only 2 cakes at one time so your cakes don't lose their chilled texture.

i'm totally digging this professionalism man. omg i love cake. T_T

alvin's cakes arrive:





wow just look at how fat i'm growing just by LOOKING at my cakes:



alvin's 2nd set:



WOW THIS IS THE BOMB THE LAYERS OF FLAVOUR EXPLODING IN THE FRONT OF MY TONGUE AT THE SIDES AT THE BACK THE AFTERTASTE

*faints*



i'm very serious about cake. i spent 2000+ yen here.

the traffic-less streets of ginza in the weekend:







very pretty kimono girl. chuu reckons that she's going for a matchmaking session.





hanbin catches his 40 winks... WHILE A CUTE JAPANESE SCHOOL GIRL STANDS NEXT TO HIM. EH SO WASTED LAR YOU.



we reach ebisu, and promptly go the wrong way:



but we find really really good taiyaki so it's ok! :)

THIS TAIYAKI IS SO GOOD I WANTED TO GO BACK THERE FOR MANY MORE TIMES. Sadly, I only had one. If this is what heaven tastes like, then it's all here fishy fishy fishy!

we re-orientate ourselves and go to the yebisu garden place.













the yebisu beer museum/factory?



it was upscale shopping so we left after taking these photos... for daikanyama!

but not without buying some of those delectable food stuffs we walked past at the department store.

Tonkatsu sando... is not as amazing as it sounds. Still, it is food. And a man must be fed.



oh the onigiri just right outside the JR exit in the JR mall IS THE BEST ONIGIRI I'VE EVER HAD. it's full of ingredients that're not just pickles. best.

i like daikanyama despite the fact that the shopping is rather upscale. it's very nice and homely, and has a subtle classy taste decorated all over it. i like it.









unglam moment:





the guys waited for us (very patiently) while we were at yet another 300Y shop. here's what alvin saw:



and a child model:





there was nothing much to shop at daikanyama as the prices were out of our budget, so we left for roppongi.





here we are! roppongi hills. :)

HALP!! MEGA STRIDER!!!!









tv asahi:













'give... this... to... VIVIEN!!'





WOW THE ROSES ARE GORGEOUS.









i had a brief moment with a japanese toddler:





it was getting dark, and we should get dinner and just go home a little earlier to pack for checking out tmr. ooh ganchan's at roppongi!! great. let's go. it's so famous man... everyone keeps asking us to go.

we took awhile and a very long walk to find the ganchan... i was really relieved when we found it coz the past few times whenever we wanted to find our eating place of interest it's been pretty long and windy and you get lost very easily. :(

but here we are!



wow great it's empty! don't think the dinner crowd's started yet. good good. ah... here's the menu.......

WHAT. IS. THIS.

'from xxx onwards, there will be a 600Y service charge incurred per head.'

WTH YOU'E GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. 600Y??!?! THAT'S LIKE ONE BOWL OF RAMEN!!!

i took a look at the menu. OMG EACH STICK IS 300-400Y!!!!!!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!!

we were all fuming. this place sucks your money! no wonder there isn't any other person eating here!! OH MY GOODNESS!! it's only yakitori leh!!! so expensive??!?!

in the end we all just gave up and had the set meal - 2700Y i think, for a few sticks of yakitori. i wasn't full from the meal, i was full from the boiling injustice. SERVICE CHARGE OF 600Y??!?! ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!

poor hanbin who was fast running out of cash only had one stick of yakitori WHICH HE PAID 1000+ yen for. wow.

WOW.

here's our meal. i liked the food but i will never return again. 600Y SERVICE CHARGE!! ARGH!!!























the empty restaurant.



well since it's our last time here we might as well take a good picture for memory.



it sucks with the service charge because it makes you want to order more. can you imagine just going in for one stick of the chicken meatball, which will cost you 350Y + 600Y = 950Y??!?!?1

That's what happened to Han Bin. I mean, the food was pretty good, except for the ending dishes, which failed to round off my meal happily. So yeah, not worth the rep that it has. Nor value for money.

for a yakitori restaurant this is the WORST TYPE OF BUSINESS DECISION EVER.

argh thinking about it still makes me pek cek. i don't mind paying for my food leh (as evidenced by meal where we lost it, tsukiji and hidemi sugino) BUT THIS IS TOO MUCH.

we all went home grumbling and kicking stones out of our path. then we packed and hoped tomorrow would be a better day.

this was also the day where we spent the most of food: 3600Y breakfast, 2000+Y tea, and almost 3000Y dinner.

whoops.