This was my second full-day in Tokyo and I was super excited to see my friend Adam for the first time in 4 years. I got a lot of walking in the day before, so I allowed myself to sleep in and relax in the apartment til he arrived. There was very little on our agenda for the day: Asakusa and Shibuya.
After scooping Adam up from the closest subway stop, we headed back to the apartment for an hour (or so) and then set off for the afternoon. I wanted to take it a little easy on him, since he flew in directly from London, so I did not plan a remotely aggressive itinerary.
Our first stop was at a little cafe/pub directly outside the Asahi Headquarters, where we had a lil pizza to give us some energy and tide us over until dinner. Afterwards, we wandered around the main Asakusa market area for a couple hours and took a brief look at the Sanja-sama (Asakusa Shrine).
After connecting with Adam’s friend Zara, we decided to meet up with her in Ueno and head out to Shibuya for dinner. Though I preferred to do Shibuya when we had more time, there’s nothing quite like having someone show you around a place and help you find a good restaurant to eat at.
Destination Okonomiyaki – this is a must-try for anyone visiting Japan. It is a Japanese pancake packed with a wide variety of fillings. We chose a couple different varieties, and ordered some extras; giant prawns and yakisoba. This place had an English menu and allowed visitors to try their hand at grilling their own items. It was great fun and very yummy!
After having our fill, we walked around Shibuya for a bit before our energy left us completely. It took us an hour to get back to our apartment and we were exhausted, but quite content.
We went to bed (relatively) early and prepared for our next adventure – Ueno Park and Tokyo Zoo!
What’s your favorite Japanese food?
