We stayed in Shinjuku, one of the busiest hubs in Tokyo with countless sites within walking distance. The area around Shinjuku station with its busy crossings is reminiscent of Shibuya but not quite on the same scale. I revisited the area Omoide Yokocho with countless little restaurants in the narrow alleys on our way to and from the metro. Shinjuku National Garden is also a 15 minute walk from our hotel and we spent a morning there before going into central Tokyo for our long anticipated sukiyaki lunch. This was followed by an amazing experience at Teamlabs Borderless which truly wowed the senses.
The sumo wrestling show we attended was not quite the real thing as we did not hit the sumo wrestling circuit at the right time or city, but it did give us an idea of what it's like. I mentioned earlier that the two museums on our itinerary were both closed so we did more exploring of their neighbourhoods with suitable breaks in cool coffee shops. Tokyo, with so much neon, is a great place for night shots and I managed to capture a few.
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| Shinjuku National Garden |
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| The iconic Docomo Yoyogi building once again in view |
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| A delicate capsule reminiscent of a bonsai garden |
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| Emerging fall colours in the garden |
There was a chrysanthemum exhibit celebrating autumn in the garden, showcasing different varieties.
One of the highlights of the day was a sukiyaki lunch at Ningyocho Imahan Honten. The food and presentation was superb and memorable. The restaurant is attached to its own butcher and produce specialty stores in two buildings.
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| Appetizers |
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| Main meal with melt in your mouth wagyu |
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| The impressive Azabudai Hills Mori Tower which houses Teamlabs Borderless in the basement |
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| The entrance corridor leading to a collection of rooms with different sensory experiences |
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| Entry room where everyone just gawked |
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Sitting on the floor you would be totally engulfed in a shimmering magical world
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| The last room where you can colour your own aquatic creature. They will scan it and it will show up on the wall with other creations. I could flip my seahorse by just touching it or even move it to different position. Of course you could also order all kinds of merchandise with your creation on it! |
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View from the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, a short distance away
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| Sumo Warm up exercises |
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Sumo wrestling demo
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| Museum of Contemporary Art - closed, can't even get on the grounds |
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| Plant-filled coffee shop in the middle of nowhere |
Omoide Yokocho area in Shinjuku with alley ways full of street food stalls in the morning and at night
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| Ginza |
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Cats seem to be great attention getters - this one sits atop the Nissan Aura in the glitzy Nissan building at the Nissan Crossing in Ginza
This 3D animated one moves atop a building on a billboard right at Shinjuku crossing, drawing huge crowds below, cameras ready waiting for it to emerge every few minutes in between the ads
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| Shinjuku Crossing |
This wraps up our Tokyo visit, barely touching the surface of that amazing city, definitely one calling for multiple visits.
