Hisako visits Harajuku

At the main gate

sake barrels

Today we started off by going to Meiji shrine.  Meiji shrine is a shinto shrine.  Shinto is known as Japan's original religion.  Enshrined here at Meiji shrine are Emperor Meiji  who lived from 1852-1912, and Empress Shoken who was born 1850 and died two years after her spouse in 1914.  On the way to the main shrine there were lots of barrels of sake with bright pictures on them which were presented to Emperor Meiji every year as gifts.  I thought that the pictures on the barrels were very pretty.

Takeshita Dori

strawberries & cream

After visiting the pretty Meiji shrine we headed to Harajuku.  I have been waiting to go here for two days!  Once we got there, we went to Takeshita St.  This is a famous shopping street in Harajuku.  First we went to a Daiso.  This is a￥100 store equivalent to a dollar store.  We stocked up on gifts and things that we wanted. On our way down the street we picked up a Harajuku famous snack: crepes!  After the delicious snack we headed for a toy store.  I had heard about, in my intense research of Japan, a store called KiddyLand filled from top to bottom with hobbies and toys for kids and adults. I even found a kit to build a tako yaki shop just my size.  Harajuku really lived up to my expectations and I had lots of fun.  It is my favorite so far and I hope to come back.

Ueno Park

Today I visited Ueno.  When we got to Ueno we decided to go to lunch at a ramen shop called Ichiran.  I got ramen with a boiled egg and pork.  It was DELICIOUS!
Ichiran is hakata style ramen.  Hakata style originally comes from Kyushu.  It is known for it's firm noodles, and it's light colored pork-bone broth.  Inside the restaurant all the tables are are separated into individual booths with bamboo curtains that cover the workers in the kitchen.  The reason why they are so separated is so you can concentrate on your food.  You order first at a vending machine, and are given a ticket that you take to your seat.  Then you can fill out a sheet to tell how rich you would like the broth, and how spicy.  I thought the service was excellent.  I enjoyed the whole experience.

After lunch we headed to Ueno Zoo.  There were lots of cute animals including pandas.  On our way out of the zoo we picked up a snack.  It was a small panda shaped cake with red bean filling also known as azuki bean. I'd call this "pandalicious."

Hisako Visits Depachika

After a delicious dinner, I decided to check out the department store in Ebisu Garden.  It is located near Ebisu Station.  I headed straight to the basement of the department store.  This is the food section of most department stores in Japan. I like to have something sweet after meals so I decided to look for dessert.  I found this candy bouquet. I am stocking up for a long day of sightseeing tomorrow as well as tonight. 

Tempura Tendon Tenya

 For my first meal in Japan I ate tempura; (seafood,vegetables and sometimes other things such as chicken dipped in batter then fried.) I tried two kinds of tempura. The one on the top has:fish, two prawns, a scallop and udon ; (the prawns were really good but I liked the scallop the best.)  The one on the bottom is chicken with cheese and an egg (yummy.)

I would totally recommend this place.  Affordable and tasty.  You can find Tempura Tendon Tenya all around Tokyo.  It was a great start to my adventure in Japan.

Almost There!

Hisako on the Plane

I am heading to Narita Airport.  I'm very excited.  Although I am not very hungry, I didn't want to miss this mango sorbet, because I love mangos.  Did you know mangos are very expensive in Japan? Gift giving is important in Japan. Sometimes mangos are given as gifts.  Department stores package them up nicely to be given away.

*I am pioneering this new format on Miranda's blog by writing from my perspective.  Leave a comment if you enjoy this new format!

Meet Hisako

My name is Hisako.  I enjoy running and ice skating.  My favorite food is sushi (especially saba nigiri).  So, I am very exited to be going too JAPAN on my first adventure!!!  I have been researching Japan, and I hear there is sushi everywhere.  I am dressed in a yukata kimono, and ready to explore.