Hello and good morning to all…for the first day, we had walked enough for the whole day, and yet our hearts were yearning to explore more of Tokyo, so let us start the day by stretching! (Stretching sound) these eyes are used to waking up at 6.30am in the morning, so they will open automatically just like the sound of an alarm clock “Kringgg, kringgg, kringgg”!!! Wake up Kathy, Wake up!!!!
Straight to the toilet. In Japan, dawn prayers are at 5am in the morning. Once we had taken our bath, we went down for breakfast. Don’t spend too much time in the toilet because it is cold outside. It is sufficient to wash your face, brush your teeth and wash your body lightly with warm water. It is good enough to bathe once a day, don’t overdo it to avoid the skin from getting too dry. You know what will happen when the skin gets too dry, it can become itchy…
My face looked all puffed up due to the early morning wake up. But it looked all freshened up after I had some food.
The breakfast array in Shijuku Prince Hotel was not bad at all… I couldn’t decide on which dish to take as they all looked so palatable.
This hotel serves very healthy breakfast… no wonder the Japanese are so healthy…
Here are fruits… the best part was the lychees. Even the 5 star hotels in Malaysia don’t serve big juicy lychees like these. This hotel, which we had stayed in, was only a 3 star hotel but the food was served is equivalent to those of a 5 star Hotel. This is a breakfast that was eaten to my heart’s content.… =)
These salmon cuts were really fresh… I took some… and they were delicious… in Kuala Lumpur, the only place I could find salmon cuts would be at Shushi King, so I must eat to my heart’s desire! Haha…
The Japanese love to eat this as they claim that Natto does beautify the skin and is beneficial for our internal health.. would love to try and see how it tastes like..seems interesting..
These were also vegetable dishes. Not sure of the round-fish-ball looking food though…
Soups…
Took these for the first round.. most of the Japanese hotels serve food which we can eat as they would serve fish and vegetables only… so don’t worry…
Porridge… I don’t know what the black stuff was, but it was delicious…
This miso soup was oh-so-delicious. I had often ordered this soup back home in Malaysia but none tasted as delicious as those served in Japan.
There were so many drinks to choose from… there were juices, coffee, tea… all you need to do is just press and your drinks would fully appear … hehehe
The red drink was not watermelon juice – it was tomato juice. Wasn’t that great? I think they must have blended raw tomatoes to make this juice as it seemed so thick. Why didn’t I try it? Erk!! Don’t think I can swallow it down …
There was also collagen juice… fancy drinking collagen juice from a hotel breakfast bar, isn’t it? Hahaha… while one has to pay about one hundred ringgit for a bottle of collagen juice in Malaysia… hahaha
The white drink was Calpis… tasted so good. I don’t know how to describe the taste… but it was so delicious… hahaha. The pink one was the collagen juice…
Though it seemed crowded, the Japanese were really quiet during meal time. Could not see them talking or playing with their phones while eating.. not the same case with us… we are as noisy as blowflies when we eat… hahaha
Poached egg..
This was Natto, one of the traditional Japanese food. It tasted almost like ‘tempe’ (traditional Malaysian and Indonesian food made from fermented soy beans). The main ingredient in Natto is fermented soy beans.
Could not finish this – it tasted bitter and smelled funny… It is said that Natto goes well with rice. No wonder all the Japanese have soft, smooth and beautiful skin…
Was not able to finish the lychees, saved some in the handbag just in case if I got hungry later… hehehe… Bus arrived at 8am…
Hato Bus / The Imperial Palace
For Day 2, we boarded the Hato Bus. The Japanese are very punctual… if the bus is scheduled to leave at 8am, don’t dilly dally or you will miss it…
We were heading for Asakusa & Nakamise Street… The temperature at this moment was 3℃…
In the bus…
Hey, the Tokyo Tower! Snapped this while in the bus. Tokyo Tower would be our next destination after Asakusa & Nakamise Street!
Purchasing bus tickets at the Hamamatsucho station…
This was the meeting point for the Hato Bus Tour…
Yeay, free gift! A magic pen – magical because your writing can be erased if written on paper… isn’t that magical! Hahahha *OK, not funny…
This was the Hato Bus which we were travelling in, the whole day…
Hato Bus provides Muslim and Halal friendly tours… the package includes tours to interesting locations in Tokyo and meals at Halal restaurants and prayer stops. For more information, please click on the Hatobus Official Website
http://www.hatobus.com/en/
This was our tour guide for the day. His name was Kozo… He spoke fluent English so we had no problems in communicating with him…
Just the five of us! We could play chasing games inside the bus… hahaha
A Tokyo map was provided in the bus… that can be used as a guide map…
Kozo is seen here briefing us on our destinations…
We had 5 destinations… so dear feet, please behave yourselves and please do not act up like you did yesterday…
At awe with the beautiful sight of Tokyo city…
Speechless…
The trees were unique…
If you must know, on the left side was the original sight before modernization… the trees were planted way back by the ancestors. On the right were the modern constructions… one can see the difference between the old and new…
Even the garbage truck is clean… the truck does not smell as their waste is managed well… There is a schedule for the garbage pick up according to the days.
During our stay in Tokyo, not once did we see congested roads, such as those found in Kuala Lumpur… Tokyo roads are orderly and the drivers drive courteously…
Asakusa
This is the map we are to use in Asakusa to find our way out, we hung onto this map just in case we get lost…
Try and guess what this is? It is a dung… oops… sorry that I called it to my liking. This is the Golden Flame… Asahi Beer Building… the Japanese call this Tahi Golden..
We arrived at Asakusa & Nakamise Street. This was the bus parking lot, it was so spacious…
Aladdin was the name of our bus…
Our bus driver was always smiling – I loved looking at him. He would bow his head and say ‘arigatau gomaisu’ every time we disembarked the bus... and his smile lasted throughout the journey…
OK, remember the bus plate number please, don’t board the wrong bus… coincidentally there were 2 or 3 other Hato Buses parked at the same lot…
Sensoji Temple is also known as Asakusa Cannon Temple. It is a Buddhist temple located in Asakusa… Sensoji Temple is the oldest temple in Tokyo as it retains the oldie vibes such as its building architecture…
In front of the Cannon Temple Main Hall…
The locals believe that the smoke can heal and prevent sickness and diseases…
Hozo Mon (Middle Gate)
Banana covered with chocolates of various flavours… priced around 200yen (RM6)..
Hey, Takoyaki! I wanted to have some… but it’s OK, we will get some at the other place…
Looked tasty, I was tempted to buy… hehehe
This was how it looked like on the inside… And most of those people here were tourists. Today, I had met Malaysians, Indians, Thais and Koreans. This was the second archway. Isn’t grand that the temple has two archways… hehe
This row that is filled with souvenir shops is called Nakamise Street. You can find a wide variety of unique and interesting traditional Japanese souvenirs… If you need to find souvenirs for your parents and siblings, you can get them here… though, I can’t say that they are really cheap… especially when you convert to our currency…
This reminded me of the Kimono for Raiisah that Abah had asked for… Upon looking at the price, I just passed by… hahahah
Keychains…
Cute Japanese slippers for decorative pieces…
Got some cheap souvenirs here…
It was crowded at this time. I had to squeeze through to get to the other end of the street…
Do you think people would gawk at me if I were to carry this bag on me? >_< hehehhe but the bag is so cute, right?
Isn’t this handbag pretty? I was tempted yet again to buy until I saw the price…
Hello Kitty cake… so cute… Aime said we could eat this…
In Japan, please do not simply try on the shoes. You can only try if you are sure you are going to buy… if you decide on not buying upon trying, the shopkeeper would give you a piece of his mind – which I personally experienced… hahahahah… “Sorry sir, I was just trying it out… please don’t get mad” *run away*
Beautiful and simple cotton bags – I had bought 2, 1 each for Mom & Mother in Law…
Hey! Ice cream!
Kinomos in many designs and colours.
Slightly nicer fridge magnets which were priced at 450 yen or more…
These Japanese sandals are priced at 4,990yen (RM150) a pair… I cried looking at the price… I wanted to try them out but I was too scared that I would get scoldings just like the other time… hehehe
The inner carvings were so beautiful… carvings of a dragon, if not mistaken
OK, finally at the temple’s archway!
A snap in front of the Kaminari Mon (Main Gate), the main symbol of Asakusa…
Snow… got to see snow in person or what was left of it…
Got to touch packed ice… err… hahaha
If the ground was covered in snow, I would have rolled myself on it… hahaha
Done with Asakusa… off to lunch…
The unique building design…
I wondered what kind of shop it was; it turned out to be a nursing & maternity wear shop… what were those round things?... *run*
Did not look like a maternity shop, right? Only at this moment that we found out that Kozo’s wife was pregnant. He said he would come back and get a dress for his wife and the baby… ooohhh so sweet…
We had lunch at the Malaysian Cuisine…
This is a real restaurant which was officially opened by our honorary Datuk!
The best part about this restaurant was that the waiter could speak Malay.. Many Malaysians who come to Tokyo would eat here…
Rice with a variety of side dishes… all were delicious, especially, the black pepper beef… I felt refreshed after having this rice dish… hehe
Let’s eat everyone… looks like faces that could not wait to dig in… it was great that our food was ready as soon as we arrived, we didn’t have to wait long…
Aime ordered the orginal mojito…
Chili paste… for the Japanese, this was incredibly hot – eye-watering-sweating-buckets-kind-of-hot… but for us, it was nothing… hahahaha
Kozo sweated eating our food… he said “hot… hot”… kept wiping off his sweat… kekeke
All the dishes in this menu were well known Malaysian food…
The food prices are at standard Japanese food prices at 1,000 yen per plate (RM30)…
We had mango pudding for dessert!
One big mug of pulled tea, please! Look at how he pulled the tea!
This is the chef who had cooked our lunch. He is from Perhentian Island… a Terengganu man, apparently… He asked me if I had ever been to Perhentian Island. Of course, I have! hehehe
This is the chef who had cooked our lunch. He is from Perhentian Island… a Terengganu man, apparently… He asked me if I had ever been to Perhentian Island. Of course, I have! hehehe
The interior was simple and beautiful…
Taking a picture with the owner of Malaysian Cuisine…
Get to drink the pulled tea at last… Pure Malaysian at that!
The Japanese version of Mamak (Indian Muslim) tea… hehehe
Tokyo Tower
After lunch, we headed to the Tokyo Tower! A much awaited destination!
Kozo snapped from this angle… pretty, isn’t it? Apparently, he took classes in photography… no wonder he took beautiful pictures…
This is the ticket counter to go up to Tokyo Tower…
Only 900 yen (RM27) per person…
Could not read the brochures written in Japanese? Fret not, brochures in English are also available…
We got sweets! Only when we had arrived back in KL, did I remember that I had these sweets with me all along…
In the lift, going up to the top… Don’t be nervous! Just take deep breaths! hehe
We were so awed just by looking at how densed Tokyo was! Tokyo was huge!
Full of buildings… well, it is Tokyo after all, not a desert… In Tokyo, the view would be of high rise buildings and roads with many people on them… No hills or mountains… But then a visit to Japan will not be complete with not going to Tokyo, just like coming to Malaysia, without touring KL, and like travelling to Kelantan without stopping at Kota Bahru… err… can that be alright? The feel is important, right?
Like looking at paintings…
This was a mystery ball. When Tokyo Tower antenna was under construction, this ball was found on it. It was removed, but the ball reappeared on the antenna… no one knew who left it there. In the end, the ball was kept here for public viewing…
Can see you Mount Fuji in the background! The mountain was not so obvious because it was too bright outside…
Does this give you the shivers?
Peace! Hehehe… felt great to be sitting on this glass window and looking down…
Not the slightest bit dizzy… lalalala
Nyah was already looking scared… hahaha
Aime felt slightly dizzy but she kept her cool… hehehe
We spent between 15 to 20 minutes at the top before leaving…
The history of Tokyo Tower …
Hello Kitty… want one? Naaahhh… forget it!
Quite a range of souvenirs that are being sold here…
On the way to the mosque, we were briefed on the methods to wear yukata. Yukata is similar to kimono, but with thinner material and is worn in summer. Kimono on the other hand is worn for formal functions.
You can’t simply fold the belt. The method is to tie it really tight…
You have got to stretch towards the back in order to put on the headdress… hahaha
Oh, this is how you tie it. It’s that simple…
All done!
Tokyo Camii
This is the only mosque in Tokyo (Tokyo Camii). The building is magnificent and beautiful. We stopped to perform our shalat here.. the mosque has 2 levels and the top floor is where the main shalat hall is located..
The Tokyo Camii sells Halal products too…
Decoration pieces…
The function hall…
The ablution area…
We had to go downstairs for ablution…
Entrance to the top floor…
The architecture has Turkish characteristics as the Turkish Government was the main contributor for the building of this mosque.
The Shalat area for ladies on the top floor…
We left for Shibuya Scramble Crossing for refreshments and some rest…
http://www.tokyocamii.org
It was 2oC if I was not mistaken…
We got to see Shibuya Scramble Crossing while sipping our tea… we continued our journey once we had finished off our tea…
*cough* Good thing I am married… hahaha
The gentleman in purple was Ni Iguchi San… He was the client who organized our stay in Tokyo… such a cool guy!
Sipping more tea…
Shibuya
This was the statue of the most famous dog in Japan - Hachiko
There was a sad story behind this statue. There was once a dog named Hachiko who would always accompany his master to the Shibuya train station to get to work. In the evening, the dog would come back to the Shibuya station to wait for the master to return. One day, the master passed away and did not come back. Hachiko would wait every day for 9 years hoping to see his master again… Isn’t it sad? He waited every day for his master… such a loyal dog…
This was the train that Hachiko waited on for 9 years for his master…
Managed to get inside the green train…
Can you really read, or are you just pretending to read? hahaha
He was playing peek-a-boo… such a sporty tourist guide he was… gave us VVIP treatment…
We wanted to play peek-a-boo too…
The temperature was 2 degree Celsius…
This was the place where the Japanese released all kinds of tensions… work pressure, marital pressure, anger, personal problems – just about anything… but mostly here were the elderlies, I could not see any youngsters here… this is considered their gambling spot.
Collect as many silver beads as you can and exchange them for cash…
This place would be so flowery in spring time…
Marunouchi
This was where our tourist guide dropped us… we headed for dinner next… Tokyo Station can be seen behind us… we were heading that way for more picture taking sessions… vavavavaa!
Stopped by at KITTE Department Store which was just next to Tokyo Station…
Tokyo Station in the background… English design… it was an old building…
With the backdrop of Tokyo city at dusk… think it was only 5pm then…
The three of us were hungry, let’s look for food… couldn’t stay too long outside, it was cold!
Forgot that the door opened just by touching… search high and low for the button to press to open the door… hehehe
And there was the music option… as the Japanese are timid people, they will play some music when they ‘shishi’… what is ‘shishi’? it is passing water – that’s how Raiisah puts it... kekeke
We have this fashion boutique in MidValley too –MUJItoGo…
Small bean bag, there were beans inside the pouches… can play jackstones with these…
Mall steps with red carpet installed, looking more like hotel steps…
At this point, my feet were killing me… T_T At one glance, this looked like a pedestal, but it was not. It was a casing for the fire extinguisher. The extinguisher would have long been stolen if it was in Malaysia… it is difficult to find seats to rest in Japanese malls, so if you plan to hit the malls, please make sure that your feet are good and strong, OK?
Managed a selfie in the restroom… hehehe
Japan is well known for vending machines – they even sell handbags through these machines… sophisticated technology indeed…
Shinjuku
From Tokyo Station, to JR Chou Line to head back to Shinjuku…
Was glad that I had this… it was cold outside, hence we got hungry faster…
Looking for a place for dinner…
Could not make out the name of the restaurant. Aime chose this place… Nyah and I were fine with it as long as the menu showed tasty food… felt like ordering everything… hahahah… we were so hungry…
You just need to order through this... no need to call for the waiters…=D
As usual, before the arrival of the rest of the order, Edamame was served…
Aime and Nyah choosing the tasty food… I was fine with anything as long as it was tasty and filling…
When you are hungry, you just want to order everything. There were squid, fish, salmon, salad and many more…didn’t know which to choose…
The workers in this restaurant could all speak English…most restaurant workers in Tokyo do not converse in English so if you plan to eat at a Japanese restaurant, be sure to do some research on the address and name of the place… best to print it out together with the address… it would make it easier to ask the locals when you have the information with you if you get lost…
Salmon sushi…
Yeay, I got to eat Takoyaki… among the 8 Takoyaki, only 1 was hot… and yes, I had the hot one… and it really was hot! Even the Malaysian small chillies could not beat this…
Few dashes of chilli powder on the soy sauce to make it tastier…
Fried tofu, really soft… can be eaten just by itself and it would still be delicious…
Grilled octopus…
Salad… looked simple but mouth watering… hahaha
Calpis drink… I just love this drink… slightly sourish… a must try if you come to Japan, it will not disappoint you!
It was such a satisfying time to have dinner here. Thank you Aime, the food was simply delicious and I recommend this place to those in search for a place to eat in Tokyo. Unfortunately, I forgot to snap a photo in front of the restaurant…
It is quite difficult to find a Halal restaurant in Tokyo. In Islam, food during travelling has been debated by many. I once read that it is sufficient to just wash the container that had pork in it before we Muslims use it. Something like that… you can always do your own research on this matter through Mr Google…=D
For dessert, we ordered Cream Puff Tower (590 yen)… it was delicious and there was pudding beneath the puff… it was my first time eating puff with ice cream…
On the way back, we stopped at 7 Eleven – I wanted to get Onigiri. I had been wanting to eat locally made Onigiri since back home… many had said that if I’m in Tokyo, I must try the 7Eleven Onigiri…
Must try the tuna, it was delicious. So was salmon…but we can only eat these 2. Please don’t try anything else…
Their 7Eleven is full of instant food…
The smoking area…you can’t smoke just anywhere you like…
Such a cute car…
Had a thought to get my feet massaged. They were tired and hurting; I just wanted to just drag them after a whole day of walking…T_T
But then I saw the price – RM106… T_T, it’s OK… I will just do it myself in my hotel room…
Wondered what this was – it was an advertisement for houses for rent…
Modern mamak (Indian Muslim) Hairdresser… kekekeke
On the way back to the hotel, we went into Labi Shinjuki branch to find a watch for Affan… This shop is filled with gadgets and electronics…
The lifts…
Could not find a watch for Affan here. They say that the watch that he wanted is now out of stock. Even if there was any, it would have had a different design and would have been more pricey. Am not sure where Affan got the information on a RM30 Casio watch. B, all Casio watches are over 200…
Not sure what game this was…probably drum games… According to Aime, this game is currently a hit in Japan…
Aime asked me ‘Do you want a free massage?” “What? Free? Really?” “Yes, it is upstairs”… So we went upstairs. Though I had earlier thought to myself: “How can a free massage exist in an electronic store…” hahaha
I thought Aime was joking… she was not! Yes, there was free massage!
Such a relief to get my feet massaged. If we were in KL, we would be told off by the shopkeepers in the shopping mall. Only in Japan do they offer 30 minutes free trial. After massaging the feet, we massage the whole body. Wow… this is the best moment!
Done with massaging, we dropped by to get the most delicious chocolate in Japan…
One basket was good enough, or else we would have problems packing…
Ok, this Melty Kiss chocolate is a must if you come to Japan. It is so delicious!
These were all that we took…
I was looking for the white strawberries… maybe they are not in season… could only find the red ones…
If this was to exist in Malaysia, only the machine would remain… hahaha… The cigarettes that are inside this machine are the men’s favourite items*raising eyebrows
Shushi… Yes, it is our favourite!! But we were too full so we could only look on…
Guess what was inside… this was a shushi restaurant… no need for windows or wooden doors, just cover with plastics… hahaha the Japanese are so creative… I kept peeking through wondering what shop this was…
The bread was huge… not sure what was inside the bread but we can see what was on the bread…seemed interesting… I think 4 people need to share this to finish it… quite a big portion…
Heading towards the Hotel… the bed, mattress and pillow were calling for us…
I will stop now… next I will update on Disneysea and the Premium Outlet! Enjoy reading! Good bye! =D
