chikaramochiya

Chikaramochiya has been in business since 1690!

Their most well known item is the Gongoro Chikaramochi

Oblong shaped mochi is topped with oblong sweet bean paste

I read something online that if you purchase this, it needs to be eaten that day.

Unfortunately they do not sell this version individually or in small amounts.

We instead tried their Gyuhi Chikaramochi...120 yen each

This version has gyuhi (soft mochi) wrapped with sweet bean paste

This is bite sized and perfect for trying.

I'm glad we tried this and would get this version again.

Several things in this area of Kamakura that I had been wanting to see...

Gokurakuji station...which has been used in many J-dramas

Gokurakuji...very peaceful temple

And Goryo Shrine...there is a train crossing right in front, so you can see the train up close...short video here.

We were surprised to learn that Goryo Shrine is right around the corner from Hasedera!

Chikaramochiya

18-18 Sakanoshita

Kamakura, Kanagawa

Closed Wednesdays

Hours: 9:00-18:00

*cash only

tokyo tower

After dinner, we said goodbye to V and A and they took a taxi back to their hotel.

As we made our way to the train station, we went to check out the line to go up to the Observation Deck at Tokyo Tower.

In the past, the lines were krazy so I had never been up there (at least I don’t remember ever going up there)

This time around the lines were manageable, so we paid our 1200 yen per person and went up to explore.

All sorts of sights

Reflections of Tokyo Tower in the surrounding buildings

Lamborghini Countach convoy...

And then we checked out Mannekin Pis before boarding the train.

Foreigners were out and about, thankfully it was not as krazy crowded as before the pandemic.

 

yakatabune

Last night, Satoshi had the opportunity to have dinner on a yakatabune.

Yakatabune literally means house boat.

The usual price for dinner on one of these boats is 10,000 yen (per person, tax excluded).

Satoshi and his department entered a company lottery of sorts and were chosen to go, everyone had to pay a small fee and the company paid the rest.

They had lots to eat (and drink).

And the sights from the boat were beautiful.

I didn't get to experience this but if you have a chance to go on one of these dinner cruises, you should definitely try it.

If you are interested, this is the boat company that they went on...Funasei.

around ota ward

In Tokyo, there are 23 wards. The ward we live in is called Ota.

Tuesday, Satoshi took the day off to do some errands and also so we could explore the Ota Shijo, a huge wholesale market which is rather close to Haneda airport.

There are separate buildings for wholesale flowers, seafood, fruits and veggies.

When we arrived (at about 8:00) all the auctions were done for the day.

Auctions prices for the veggies and fruits that day.

While walking around, you'll see boxes and boxes of fruits and veggies all organized by types.

All the workers zipping around on their turret trucks...just like Tsukiji.

We were walking on the floor of the market (and felt like we were in everyone's way) and afterwards found out we weren't supposed to be walking on the floor of the market...oops!

Near the back of the market are several eateries.

We had a late breakfast at Sanyo Shokudo.

Satoshi had their ebi fry (fried shrimp) set...1100 yen (tax included)

While I had their pork ginger....1000 yen (tax included)

Both meals come with freshly sliced maguro (tuna).

Everything was delicious!

Since Ota Shijo is a wholesale market, there weren't any retail shops for us to buy fruits or veggies and even though there was no real signage as to where to go to view the market we were glad we were able to get a "feel" of the market.

They only open until 15:00, so be sure check their schedule (for days of closure) and go early.

Afterwards we walked about 30 minutes to the Oomori Furusato-no-Hamabe Park which is apparently the only area in Tokyo where you can enjoy a sandy beach.

From where we were standing, I wasn't too sure where the sandy beach was though...

Nearby is the Oomori Nori Museum. For over 300 years, nori (laver) used to be a huge business including "nori farming" in Tokyo Bay until it came to an end in 1962.

It was neat seeing all the different tools that they used to farm the kelp...like these geta (wooden shoes).

The nori farmers would look like this model...

If I read the display correctly, nori farming would run from Summer to Autumn and the harvesting would take place during the coldest months (December to February).

Even though I am not totally fluent in reading all the Japanese characters, it was interesting to see all these displays.

Still so much more to explore in Tokyo and I'm glad we got to visit these places within our ward.

Ota Wholesale Market
3-2-1 Tokai
Ota, Tokyo
Hours: 5:00-15:00, closed on weekends, holidays and some Wednesdays

Sanyo Shokudo
3-2-7 Tokai
Ota, Tokyo
Hours: 6:00-14:00, open when the market is

Oomori Furusato-no-Hamabe Park
1-1 Furusato-no-hamabe koen
Ota, Tokyo
Hours: 5:30-21:00, closed December 29-31

Oomori Nori Museum
2-2 Heiwa-no-mori koen
Ota, Tokyo
Hours: 9:00-17:00
Admission: free
Closed every 3rd Monday and during New Year Holidays

out and about

Near the Toramon area is Atago Shrine.

Apparently this shrine is on the highest hill in Tokyo but the super tall buildings surrounding it, makes it feel teeny.

A samurai apparently rode his horse up these steps in a minute, which now symbolizes success.

We cheated and took the elevator up...we did walk the steps down though.

Take your time it is really steep.

Lunch was at a shop we stumbled upon, Benikatsu (Red Scorpion).

Buy your ticket from the machine then give it to the owner/chef.

He'll ask you what amount of noodles you want and the level of spiciness of your dish.

I chose the normal amount and the least spicy for my shirunashi tan tan men (tan tan men without soup).

Satoshi chose the normal amount of noodles and least spicy for his tan tan men (with soup).

He also added rice (which was free).

While you are waiting for your dish, the owner gives you some blanched moyashi (bean sprouts) topped with niku miso (meat miso mixture).

Eat half while you are waiting then add some to your noodles.

I thought this was a brilliant way to eat tan tan men as you don't lose all the bits in the soup because it is separate.

The char siu is so tender it melts in your mouth.

We'll be back to try other items on the menu.

About 20 minutes away is Hamarikyu Gardens.

A huge park in the middle of the concrete jungle.

The 300 year old pine was amazing to see.

As well as the field of cosmos.

We'll be back to see the other parts of the park when the weather gets cooler.

About 15 minutes away from Hamarikyu Gardens is Kyu-Shiba Rikyu Gardens.

This garden is a smaller and quite noisy in comparison to Hamarikyu.

If you plan to see both gardens, buy the ticket that combines the admission, you'll save a little money if you do.

Coffee floats were a must afterwards.

The weather is still blazing, hopefully we'll see some Autumn temps soon.

Still, we were glad to be out and about.

Benikatsu (Red Scorpion) (UPDATTE: no longer in business)
3-1-12 Nishishinbashi
Minato, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3436.2455
Closed: Sundays
Hours: Weekdays 11:00-21:00, Saturdays 11:00-15:00

Cafe La Mille (UPDATE: no longer in business)
2-4-1 Hamamatsucho, World Trade Center Bldg B1F
Minato, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3435.5422
Hours: Mondays-Tuesdays 9:00-21:00, Wednesdays-Fridays 9:00-22:30, Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays 11:00-19:30

nippori, yanaka & sendagi

The past several months, Satoshi's been studying for a test, which I think is to get a license to be a travel guide...anyway, he took the test and is waiting for his results.

He now has time to go holo-holo (galavanting) with me...

Saturday, was blazing! with humidity it was even more miserable.

We first stopped at Ueno, where I showed him Shinobazu Pond, the flowers weren't plentiful, but the leaves still filled the pond.

He was impressed with the size of the pond.

A fifteen minute walk away was where I wanted to eat breakfast...Kayaba Coffee.

This 100-something year old machiya (traditional Japanese wooden house) was renovated into a cafe and has been in business since 1938.

Satoshi had their egg sandwich and a coffee.

I had their pizza toast and an iced coffee.

This place was pricey.

Satoshi wasn't impressed with their coffee.

Dunno if we'll be back, but I'm glad we got to try them.

Down the street from Kayaba Coffee is a statue of Chiyonofuji, a well-known sumo wrestler on the property of the Gyokurin Temple.

In the Yanaka Cemetery is the family grave of Tokunaga Yoshinobu (the last shogun).

I read there are also famous Japanese artists' graves in this cemetery too.

From the cemetery we stopped in at Habutae for some shave ice...totally needed, it was blazing 34C (91F) and with humidity felt like 43C (109F).

Totally gross and uncomfortable.

Rainbow shave ice really hit the spot.

Then we headed to Fabric Town in Nippori.

My aunty had mentioned that she bought some fabric there and wanted me to check out the prices for her.

One could majorly spend the whole day walking around all those fabric and notion shops.

On the west side of Nippori station, is Yanaka.

Yanaka Ginza is a cute little shopping arcade with lots of food and knick knack shops.

There are supposedly many cats roaming around but I think it was too blazing for any of them to out and about.

We stopped in at many of the shops and bought things to try...

Stick donuts that are supposed to resemble cat tails from Yanaka Shippoya.

Bun filled with chestnut and sweet bean paste and a croquette sandwich from Atom.

Scotch egg (hard boiled egg covered with hamburger then deep fried) and chicken and gobo (burdock) fritters from Ichifuji.

Sugar coated and shoyu senbei from Yanaka Senbei.

Lunch was at Risaku.

Satoshi had their daily lunch.

I wasn't too hungry so I had a musubi filled with ume and bonito flakes and another musubi topped with miso.

I had many many cups of cold tea and enjoyed listening to the Hawaiian music they played.

Down the street is Nezu Shrine.

We'll be back to see the azaleas.

We shared a chocolate & cream filled bread and a blueberry cream cheese bread with ice cold coffee milks at Ohirasei to escape the heat.

We did and ate a lot despite the miserable heat and humidity.

Still, we were glad to be out and about.

Kayaba Coffee
6-1-29 Yanaka
Taito, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3823.3545
Hours: 8:00-21:00 (Sundays 8:00-18:00)

Habutae
6-60-6 Higashinippori
Arakawa, Tokyo
Phone: 03.5850.3451
Hours: 11:00-18:00

Yanaka Senbei
7-18-8 Yanaka
Taito, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3821.6421
Closed Tuesdays
Hours: 9:30-18:30

Ichifuji
3-11-13 Yanaka
Taito, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3827.6582
Hours: 11:00-20:00

Yanaka Shippoya
3-11-12 Yanaka
Taito, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3822.9517
Hours: Mondays-Fridays 10:00-18:00, Saturdays-Sundays 10:00-19:00

Atom
3-11-4 Yanaka
Taito, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3823.2076
Closed Mondays & Tuesdays
Hours: 10:00-19:00

Risaku
2-31-6 Sendagi
Bunkyo, Tokyo
Phone: 03.5834.7292
Closed Wednesdays
Hours: 8:00-20:00

Ohirasei
2-44-1 Sendagi
Bunkyo, Tokyo
Closed Mondays
Hours: Tuesdays-Fridays 8:00-19:00, Saturdays-Sundays 8:00-18:00

takamatsu-ogishima-takamatsu-osaka

On our last day of Silver Week, we got up quite early to catch a cab to the pier.

At 8:00, we were on a ferry to Ogishima.

On my flight to Hawaii this summer, I was flipping through the in-flight magazine and came upon an article about Ogishima.

The island is supposed to have more cats than people living there.

During this time of year, the surrounding islands also participate in the Setouchi Triennale Art Festival.

Lots of contemporary artists display their artwork around the islands, some use abandoned houses.

Since the ferry ride to Ogishima is only half an hour, we were there too early to view some of the art displays, so we went around to the opposite side of the island to see their lighthouse.

It is about 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) from the ferry pier to the lighthouse.

There is a paved road so it is a nice walk.

The scary part is seeing signs that there are inoshishi (wild boar) in the area...

While descending down the incline to the lighthouse, tons of isopods were scurrying out of the way (they look like huge cockroaches!), while huge grasshoppers were in kamikaze mode, a lot flying into us....me screaming...gah!

The lighthouse is rather small, but I loved how they used the sea glass to decorate the signs.

Since the only way to go all the way around the island was to go up a hill (where there may be wild boar), we decided to go back the way we came...

Through the isopods and flying grasshoppers...

Each art display cost 300 yen per person to view, so we only went to see one.

Then we explored the southern part of the island.

There were some cats here and there but definitely not more than the amount of people living there.

We saw a poster explaining that cats on the island are being neutered/spade.

If their ear is "nicked" to look like a cherry blossom petal, then they have been neutered/spade.

Many of the cats that we did see were already neutered/spade.

Since we had some time before our ferry back to Takamatsu, we hung out at one of the only places open, Onba Cafe.

Onba means "cart" or "wheelbarrow" in the local language.

This cafe has a little workshop off to the side and they make custom onba...so cute!

We were feeling a bit hungry, so Satoshi had their ice cream with coffee while I had their chocolate pound cake with an iced coffee....total of 1400 yen for both.

It was nice to be able to sit and just space out.

The island is rather quiet and very peaceful.

We enjoyed our time on Ogishima but were ready for lunch.

Back in Takamatsu, we stopped at the first Sanuki udon shop we saw...Gainayatsu.

Sanuki Udon is the type of udon served in Kagawa.

The noodles are thick and chewy.

Purists eat it with just a little shoyu, while other prefer just a little dashi (stock).

Satoshi had their small curry udon, while I chose their cold niku (beef) udon.

Satoshi's was piping hot.

My noodles and soup were ice cold, perfect for the humid day, while the owner heated up the beef...and while this was sweet-salty delicious, this turned out to be quite gross toward the middle of my meal, as the fat from the beef congealed with the cold soup...

We both agreed that small was just the right size, leaning on a bit too much for me.

I picked up some soy salt by Kamebishi to try. I'd seen this somewhere online and was curious to try it. Soy sauce is dried to a flake type of "salt". I'll be sure to update when we try this.

And then it was time to get on the bus back to Osaka.

We were bummed to find out that the "business" type of bus with free wifi was not to be found on our route back to Osaka...boo!

The weather was overall cooperative, there were some sprinkles here and there, but for the most part, we were able to do and see what we intended to.

I hope you enjoyed our adventure, we sure had fun.

Gainayatsu
1-27 Nishinomatsu-cho, Matsuya Bldg 1F
Takamatsu, Kagawa
Phone: 090.5270.8779
Hours: 10:00-20:00, days off not set call before going

Onba Cafe/Factory
216 Ogi-cho
Takamatsu, Kagawa
Phone: 087.832.3123
Hours: 11:00-16:30
Open mostly for Setouchi Triennale period and weekends & holidays