Today, friends fly in from home. I will be leading them around. Went to get breakfast: onigiri with furikaken, onigiri with tuna mayo, curry fried rice, vegetables and a comforting bowl of miso soup. thought about going out to see the new Unicorn Gundam statue in Odaiba but the constant rain from yesterday really hampered those plans.
since I was right next to the station, bummed around here for a bit. In the Grand Passage, their is a bento store. We will be taking the Shinkansen west in a few days.
We will need to pick up something to eat during the 3 hour train ride. Sure they sell bentoes and other foods and drinks but you cant beat the selection here
One level below at Gran Sta, there are more choices open to you for your journey. All so tempting and the choices range from the simple to the elaborate.
Afterward, a quick two stop jaunt along the Yamanote to Akihabara. Much of the weather has kept the consumers away for now. Plus I think it still may be a bit early since most stores dont open til 19am
Bleak and desolate, not what I usually expect but come to accept
Yodobashi is always worth a look to see the newest gadgets and toys. Just outside is a shop selling their goods below. The place is called Sweets Paradise and they dont sell bowls of noodles but cakes and desserts. The bowl of ramen is actualy an apple cake of sorts,
Perusing through Yurakcho station, a favorite hangout of Youtuber John Daub is this little drink vending area where sakes an beer flow as freely as sodas and coffee drinks
A new complex has gone up near Hibiya Park. The usual assortment of shops and restaurants with some entertainment.
Apparently, this new Godzilla statue replaced one that was here before. Of course this would be one from the newer movies instead of the more classic features.
As in Shinjuku, where Godzilla also has a presence, Toho Cinemas has a branch with their partner in crime
After my goodbyes, I headed to Shinagawa to recount some of my usual spots that I frequented. At a conveninece store, I noticed the World Cup themed bottles from Coke. Also went to the grocery store to check out a few items I may need to bring back
Shina tatsu hosts Tetsu and a number of noodle shops underneath the tracks of Shinagawa. They are know for their tsukemen and the unique way of warming soup
No one likes cold soup. After you have finished with your noodles and no longer have anything to dip with, you can enjoy the dipping medium as a soup by pouring hot broth they gladly provide
If that is not enough, you can ask for the yakishi. They hand you a heated chunk of metal to submerge into your remaining liquids. The bubbling and curtains of steam reminds one of a cauldron of witch's brew.
Time to get to Haneda for the meet up. bought my sim for my phone via Amazon a few weeks back. Not sure what would be available at Haneda. People always talk about Narita but not so much about Haneda. I think has just as good a selection with automated and manned locations
Also found another selection of can designs for Coke that you can buy by the set. The World Cup and the locations set. There are 2 for Tokyo. The second representing Ueno and its pandas. The baby panda celebrates 1 year this month
It was getting to dinner time. Hopes were to take dinner at a sit down place near the station. There wasnt too much of a selection near where we were staying
A few factors reduced us to buying bentos and other items to bring back and eat at the abode. Very few tables with very few chairs to handle our large crowd. Hunger and fatigue from the flight brought little patience and increase demand for instant ghratification. So we enjoyed our meal with our party and discussed the happenings of the day and details of the followin day
