Le monde de Tokyobanhbao: Blog Mode gourmand

Day 8 : Tokyo Skytree

Fri 9 May, 2014 · Fashion, Food, Illustration, Travel

The early bird catches the worm! Today, we rose early again (but not as early as for the Tsukiji market!) to be there at 8 am, for the opening hour of the SkyTree, the great Tokyo observation tower.

Before anything else, it is a radio/tv broadcasting station (like the Eiffel Tower), built in 2011. It didn’t exist at the time of my previous trip, and knowing that it is the 2nd highest tower in the world (643m high) right behind the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubaï (828m) really motivated us.

To be quite honest with you, ignorant as we were, we had tried to visit it a couple days before, but arrived at 11am. A beginner’s mistake: it was packed! You had to queue for a ticket that allowed you to make an appointment to buy a ticket: imagine the distress!

We gave up and postponed our visit. A wise decision, since if you are there for the opening hour, you get direct access to the ticket booth, without waiting at all.

Here’s my advice: you should either come before the opening hour, or late afternoon/early evening. It’s much easier to access.

Once there, there are 2 observation levels: the Tembo deck (350m), where you can buy a 2nd ticket if you want to go higher up to the Tembo Galleria (450m). We visited both levels, and I wasn’t disappointed.

The view for one is extremely impressive from the 1st level: I had a “on top of the world/world domination” sensation (hehehe, evil laugh), like I was gliding: it’s a vertiginous feeling, quite strange, but that I didn’t find disturbing at all (personally). From way up there, you can really see all of Tokyo, on 360°.

They also set up touchscreens, really useful to locate all the city monuments.

Once on the 2nd level, the Tembo Galleria, you have to take a steep pass – that you can guess on the outfit pictures- to get to the Sorakara Point, the highest accessible area of the tower (451,2m).

Trench H&M
Necklace ASOS
Breton shirt A.P.C
Leather pants La Redoute (déjà vu ici)
Clutch Aquvii (Japan)
Sneakers Converse

Une fois redescendus sur Terre, nous avions rendez-vous pour déjeuner avec mon cousin, qui habite Tokyo.

SUSHIEI (すし栄)

He took us for sushi in our Asakusa neighborhood: here’s the place where we had delicious sushi and chirashi.

Afterwards we went for a little shopping spree in the area: I bought a pretty yukata (that I’ll be showing you soon) and see-through umbrellas in Don Quijote for gifts (=something totally common in Japan, but oh-so-exotic at home!)…

And then, turning an aisle, in the costume department, here’s what happened. Just a family reunion, right? (English translation by Bleu Marine)

Previously on MY JAPAN TRAVEL DIARY :
Notre appart à Tokyo
Day 1 : Sumida Park & Asakusa
Day 2 : Namco Namjatown
Day 3 : Omotesando & Harajuku
Day 4 : Ueno Park
Day 5 : Errances gourmandes à Omotesando
Day 6 : Odaiba お台場
Day 7 : Tsukiji market, Meiji & Yoyogi

Day 7 : Tsukiji market, Meiji & Yoyogi

Wed 7 May, 2014 · Illustration, Travel

Wake up! Because, if I tell you that on the seventh day we woke up at 2:30 am (got to bed at midnight FYI) to go to the auction of Tsukiji’s fish market, you think we are: Brave/ Crazy? (Delete as appropriate). When I think about it now I think the answer is yes indeed…

I have always been told that this place had to be seen in Tokyo and as I haven’t got the chance to do it last time, I gave in to the waking-up duty.

TSUKIJI Market (築地市場)

I asked our wonderful concierge about it and she told me that we needed to get there very early (meaning 3:30-4 pm tops) to get a chance to see the auction at 5 am. Because yes, only 120 privileged (or early birds, as you wish) are admitted to the market, divided in 2 groups of 60 to get to the famous tuna auction (one session at 5 am and another one at 5:25 am).

Picture this : we arrived at 3.15 (we took a cab, as the metro wasn’t opened yet at this time of day) and thought we were the first ones to be there, we finally ended up in the second group of 60 (there were only around 20 spots left after us)… this shows the extreme motivation of tourists !

OK, so? Was it worth it? I can proudly say “Yes! I have been there!” but I must admit I was a bit disappointed. I heard everything about this auction: “fantastic”, “spectacular” …

Yes it was quite “folkloric” thanks to the master of the auction (let’s call him that), shaking his bell, gesticulating and yelling like jay-Z at a concert. He seems to be yelling the prices and most probably the number of each tuna displaced in front of him: a real Wall Street for tunas.

But it doesn’t last very long (15 minutes) compared to the effort made by the waiting / waking up. So I don’t really know what to recommend you.

If you want to say “I have done it!” then get up early otherwise it is not a big deal if you miss it, the market opens at 9 am and it is quite nice to wonder around its alleys.

That said, it is also customary to carry on with a sushi tasting in one of the market’s restaurants: the fish is therefore so fresh. I had never had sushi so early in the morning (a platter of sushi at 6 am: are you in?), but I really enjoyed the quality.

That said, I thought the sushi chefs tended to force your order (you order the sushi as you go) so if you have a limited budget, say it from the start so that they don’t constantly offer sushi and so that you don’t end up broke, as well as exhausted.

MEIJI-jingū (明治神宮)

What did we do next on this freshly started day? Next stop: the Meiji shrine next to Harajuku: as beautiful as it was back in 2007. I thought about you and put a votive plate (Ema 絵馬) to wish you luck!

In Shintoist shrines, it is customary to write on these wooden plates something that you wish to happen to you (at the costs of thank you messages by the way): So I have made a group request!

YOYOGI Park (代々木公園)

Then, we began to feel very tired so we headed up to Yoyogi Park to admire the flowered cherry trees.

This time, the picnic was cut short as we have fallen into the arms of Morpheus in the shadow of a cherry tree and woke up at the last moment right before a raven had decided to bless us (phew, what a good idea to move at this very moment).

SHIBUYA (渋谷区)

Quick stroll to Shibuya at the end of the day for a private karaoke (I so whished there could be the same thing in France!) and bam! straight to bed!

Day 6 : Odaiba お台場

Mon 5 May, 2014 · Fashion, Illustration, Travel

Odaiba is a large artificial island located in the Tokyo bay area.

Getting there already makes you feel like you somehow wound up in the future, because you need to take the Yurikamome metro line, that works without a driver. If possible, make your way to the seats up front – using lightsaber power if necessary.

Once there, it’s like being in an amusement park, with the giant Gundam robot in front of the DiverCity building.

Sometimes its eyes light up and he spits smoke. My geek side was pretty taken: I stayed in front of it for a good half hour.

You can shop in huge malls: Venus Fort (with, inside, a somewhat kitsch reconstitution of Venice architecture) to Palette Town. Or why not go for a ride in the rainbow ferris wheel?

The “Toyota History Garage” is pretty interesting to visit: it has quite a collection of cars of all centuries (the DeLorean!). Although cars aren’t really my area of expertise, I really enjoyed the tour, so I can imagine someone who would actually know about cars would go crazy in such a place. Oh, and good news everyone: it’s free.

You have a lot of options when it comes to visits: you can admire the view from the top of the TV Fuji building, go see Legoland, enjoy a hot bath at the Oedo Onsen Monogatari or walk across the Rainbow Bridge, Tokyo’s version of the Golden Gate.

The following pictures were actually taken on said Rainbow Bridge, with horrible wind that froze us to the bone. But I can imagine it’s a whole lot more fun in the summer.

As for the outfit, you’ll notice this fabulous accessory I’m wearing on my shoulder. It was a splurge, I bought it in a shop in Omotesando. I thought it was fantastic, just like every single one of Carlotte Olympia’s creations when you think about it.

Now everytime I’ll wear it, I’ll feel like I have a piece of that fabulous trip right there with me. And that’s priceless (well, not quite, but well…) (English translation by Bleu Marine)

My Outfit

Top Baruckello
Skirt &OtherStories
Bag Charlotte Olympia
Tights Velvet de Luxe Wolford
Lipstick L’absolu Velours « Velours de Grenade » Lancôme
Shoes 1461 Dr Martens