Thursday, August 11, 2011

DAY 13: LAST NIGHT IN TOKYO

YUM CAKE BREAKFAST!
my friend ayumi gave us this wonderful cake when we met with her on the 6th! it's really fancy!

i like how the little symbol looks like the batman symbol haha...


YUM! 

we still have a lot left since we only had a little for breakfast :) plus, we wanted to save room for our tempura LUNCH! we went to a place called tsunahachi tempura in shinjuku. 

we got the cheapest lunch set, and it still came with miso soup, rice and pickled vegetables

first round of tempura! 3 delicious shrimp and a green pepper:

at this restaurant, we sat at the counter in front of the chef and he places the tempura FRESH in front of you! so once we were done eating the shrimp and green pepper, he then places a new piece in front of you! here is kabocha (japanese pumpkin). love it!

and lastly, this was also shrimp, but smaller ones, not the big kind. it was just a cluster of shrimp and delicious, delicious tempura batter hahaha....

the miso soup was amazing by the way. it had these tiny clams at the bottom of the bowl!


afterwards we went into another grocery store to check it out. here were the strairs down into the grocery store:



look at this edamame still on the plant!


and i thought this seaweed strip was too cute. you make a rice ball for your kid's lunch, and wrap this around it to turn it into a "soccer ball"! 

loads of awesome japanese candy

and some of the price tags were digital! thought that was neat.

cute fruit cups

again, all their produce always looks so perfect!!!

and actually, right next to the grocery store is an arcade! haha... 
yummy candy to win...

loads of games...

this was some sort of fishing game...

you look at the huge screen below and get the fish somehow

 
and we liked this game!




you get 1 chance to move the scissors to the right, and 1 chance to move them forward so you can aim them to line-up on the string and cut it!

i won this kitty pillow!


i think it's hilarious it's called a "nyanpire". "nyan" is how they say the equivalent of our "meow" in japanese


and here is erik being goofy with his relakuma ("relax bear" in japanese haha...VERY popular here) that he won!

walking back to our hotel with our giant prizes we have noticed the perfect hedging that they do here. sharp lines! 

very pretty

later on, we got a small snack to hold us over before dinner

i chose inarizushi and it's a thin layer of tofu around some rice! very good!

erik chose curry pan :) also amazing!

the sun was setting and we headed off to our dinner!


the subway entrance we took was actually RIGHT next to our hotel! pretty nice! but it was DEEP! 7 floors UNDERGROUND!

part of the way down to the subway platform

the place we were going to was only 2 stations and 6 minutes away! nice! we're at shinjuku, and the one we want is nakano-sakaue. 

once we arrived, the nakano-sakaue station had this really cute decoration on the wall!

we got out and walked to the restaurant. not far from the station! maybe like 500 feet? anyway here is the sign!

this place was highly recommended to me by my friend sara and i'm really glad we came! she and her boyfriend loved all the food and raved about the ginger ale!

this ginger ale was AMAZING. very "ginger-y" and strong, yet didn't burn your throat. it was SO good. 
they also served this in the beginning but i'm not sure what it was. looked like rice noodles of some sort, and it was good!

the menu here is adorable (no english!) and handwritten with cute drawings!


and they had this projection of a clock on the wall! i loved it!

here are our meals! i got the japanese hamburger...

and erik got the chicken karage, but of course we shared with each other to try them both! haha...both were amazing!

nice and full from a wonderful meal, i took this shot on the walk back to the station. it was on a crosswalk that was above the road! this is a common thing to see in japan because this way people can continue walking and traffic can continue moving!

we got home and since this is our last night in tokyo (well, until our VERY last night before heading home) we celebrated a bit. guess which ones are mine hahaha...and yes, all 3 of these have alcohol in them!

found these at the store too! YUMMY! erik said they went really well with his beer

and a little purple sweet potato bun for dessert. 

off to kyoto we go! SHINKANSEN (bullet train) TIME!

7 comments:

  1. Oooh, the cake looks delectable. What is it called?

    You went to tsunahachi! I totally agree, I loved their miso soup with all the little clams. One of the best miso soup ever in my opinion.

    That seaweed is so awesome! I love how it makes a soccer ball shape.

    LOL at your kitty pillow! Good thing you brought extra empty luggage. I LOLed at Erik’s picture with his teddy bear.

    You went to the restaurant at Nakanosakaue! I am so happy to hear you guys enjoyed the meal… and the gingerale. Isn’t it unlike anything you’re tasted? I’ve never had the homemade kind, and I thought it was so refreshing. OMGOMG you got the Japanese hamburger! And Erik got the chicken karaage- that is so funny! I’m going to have to show Darin that.

    Have a safe shinkansen ride to Kyoto!

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  2. ooo yaya the cake is called "hollander cake" and it also says "fukusaya" on the label. really good!

    and we agree about the miso soup! it has been our favorite one so far!!! so tasty! and OMG that home made gingerale!!!! AMAZING! i know you said it was going to be amazing, but it's another thing to experience it! it truly was amazing!

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  3. I have enjoyed all the pictures and blog about Tokyo--looks like you are having a great time. Love all the food shots!

    Love,
    mom

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  4. Yummy!! I love tempura. That stuff is awesome! Yours looks really tasty!

    Congrats on winning the stuffed animals! Are you that good at the claw game as well? ;)

    Have fun in Kyoto!

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  5. haha, i wish i was that good at the claw game! but get this...for the claw game in japan, if it's too hard, you just ask them to re-arrange the prizes so it's easier and THEY DO. crazy right?! we haven't done that! seems weird to ask! LOL!

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    Replies
    1. omg...I would sell a vital organ for a nyanpire pillow...<3

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    2. hahaha! :D i couldn't believe how BIG it was! it was funny bringing it back to the hotel afterwards though lol...walking to the station, then getting on a packed train with a giant pillow ^_^

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