The first place on the agenda is Tokyo Station. From Shinagawa, I usually take either the Yamanote or the Keihin Tohoku line. The Yamanote is more frequent but can be more crowded. The Keihin is a bit slower and sometimes skips stops but can be less crowded. Along the way, several trains from the Tokkaido Shinkansen passes me going to and from the Tokyo terminal. These trains are headed out to and return from western destinations like Osaka, Kyoto, and beyond.
As the train pulls into Tokyo, a Tohoku Shinkansen sits ready to leave. These bullet trains head to and return from northern areas like Akita or Aomori. I will be taking both these high speed trains later in this trip to other destinations rather than their terminus.
First Avenue is a group of shops in an underground area just outside the Yaesu exit. There is a cluster of well known ramen shops. Even more shops selling character based goods from toy companies to broadcasting companies.
Rokurinsha is one of the ramen shops that has gotten alot of great reviews in ramen blogs. they are 1 of 2 shops that are open until 10:00am for breakfast then reopen at 11:00am to 11:00pm for lunch and dinner. My start to the day began a bit late so I missed the breakfast hours.
This gives me a chance to walk around the shops before returning to get in line before the reopening. Here is an example of the character shops that you can browse through. These shops include NHK, Fuji TV, Pokemon, Tamagotchi, Lego, Tomy, etc.
Snack shops from different companies have set up locations here as well. Calbee Plus sells products made by this manufacturerer. they are know for their potato chip products
To capitalize on that angle, they sell freshly fried potato chips from this satellite. Fries are also freshly made.
Adjacent to Calbee is Glico Kitchen. Any Glico product you can desire can be purchased here. One of their best know products is the chocolate dipped biscuit stick call Pocky. They sell a giant sized version of Pocky at these locations that come in a variety of flavors and colors
Across from Rokurinsha is a snack/gift shop that stocks the best inventory of Kit Kat flavors in Tokyo. I come here whenever I am looking to buy some. It saves alot of time in trying to hunt them down at convenience stores, grocery shops, or anywhere else that sells candy. I liked the run raisin flavor that I got on this trip. But here you will find a chili, cheesecake, and green tea sakura flavor. I have not done a side by side comparison but on the face of it, these flavors would be similar to the specialty flavors found at Chocolatory. There is also a dark chocolate flavor which may be similar to Sublime.
I get in line a half hour before opening to assure that I will get 1 of the first available seats. Here we have the ticket ordering machine. I chose the second option in the top row.
I am a virgin at ordering tsukemen. Tsukemen is noodels served with a dipping sauce. The noodles are much thicker than regular ramen noodles and are usually served cold. The dipping sauce is thicker and saltier than the soup found in ramen. Though I am not a big fan of the type of noodle, I did find that I like tsukemen and will probably order it again, depending on the weather. The only problem is the sauce does get very cold after several dippings of the noodle. However, I was a slower eater than the other patrons who are seasoned veterans and practically inhale the meal.
Again, I check the line after my business was done. There was moderate growth in the line but it was still not yet noon when the lunch crush would begin. I have witnessed the line stretch clear beyond the corner of the shop
