Two weeks in Tokyo was quite the experience. Dan and I really are so fortunate to have been able to experience this. This past week in the evenings after work we were able to check off some of the remaining sights and activities from our list.
We spent most of the day on Sunday wandering around the town and markets. We had a few souvenir’s left to purchase, and accomplished most of our goals at the Nakamise Shopping Street, adjacent to the Senso-ji temple.
That evening, we headed over to the Kabukichō district for a very special evening at the Robot Restaurant! We had heard from friends that had been to Tokyo before that we should check it out, and Anthony Bourdain recommended it – so we basically had to! What an experience this was. It was incredible! Robot Restaurant isn’t really a restaurant – it’s more just for drinks during an hour and a half entertainment show. Everything you think of as being weird or wild about Japanese culture, was wrapped up into this one show. Amazing. Lights, crazy high-pitched voices, anime, robots, dancing, weird outfits, techno…it was all there. I couldn’t stop laughing and smiling because it was so unbelievable. If you’re in Tokyo – YOU HAVE TO GO! Seriously, one of the best choices we made. 100% only in Tokyo experience!!!!
Monday was a Japanese Holiday [part of the Happy Monday scheme – it was Marine/Ocean day], so my office was closed. I spent the day wandering around Ginza, which is the shopping district and is very similar to Regent Street/Bond street in London. I also took this opportunity to embrace another Japanese cultural experience – a Japanese nail art manicure. I’ve seen MANY women with crazy nail art while we’ve been here – and I figured while Dan was at work, this was the perfect time to try it. And let me tell you, this was such an amazing experience. Not surprising, but the nail salon was beautiful, and SO clean! And the nail artist’s are so incredibly kind and have such a great attention to detail. I’ve never been treated better while having a manicure. Because I didn’t speak any Japanese and they didn’t speak any English, I could only choose what I wanted from a book of designs. And as soon as I opened it up, I got a little nervous because they were all very wild. I flipped through the book and finally settled on the most subtle design I could find 🙂 An hour and a half later – I left with about 50 layers of gel polish on my fingers with some glitter, rhinestones, pearls and even some seashells 🙂 And I love it! This was definitely another “when in Tokyo” moment!
Monday evening we went out for a sake tasting and dinner with Dan’s team. We checked out an Indian restaurant which was super delicious. KP’s (Dan’s colleague) family is Indian, so it was fun having him there to pick out all of the dishes for us to try. Everything we had was so yummy. Who knew we’d have such great Indian in Japan!?
Throughout the rest of the week, we indulged in Japanese cuisine. See some of the pictures of the food and drinks we’ve had below: [and Dan slurping like a boss with some ramen!]
Our last night in Japan was spent with Dan’s work group celebrating our special time here. Overall, Tokyo was such an amazing experience. It taught me to embrace peace and quiet. For such a large city, everything just flows so easily and overall is very peaceful. Although busy, the streets are quiet and people walk orderly. Same on the public transport. The locals are so kind and always greet you with a smile. I love London, don’t get me wrong…but London is tiring! Everything is loud and you’re always running and are on the go. Tokyo was a nice break from the mad dash.
Kanpai Japan! You were a gem!
glaseradventures.com 
Love your commentary Kirsten!! So descriptive!! Sounds like you are really embracing your adventures!! Enjoy! Cheri
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