Went to Takeshiba over the weekend and visited "Tokyo Portcity Takeshiba" I was in the area for other reasons, but just happened to stop by because the building looked interesting. Turns out I was right! The inside of the building had a bunch of really nice shops and was showing a futuristic VR robot being used to stock shelves in a convenience store. I didn't stick around to read everything that was being shown on the screen but this photo seems to be saying how they've created a VR system where users won't feel VR sickness, which I'd actually not heard about before, but it seems to happen after long periods of VR use and is similar to motion sickness I guess. The other photo looks like a simple picture of a sink but it actually has another really cool futuristic feature. The little slot on the right can actually disinfect your phone using UV. I couldn't take a photo of the actual process since I only had one phone but I tried it out and it was really neat. You just remove your case or anything else you have attached to your phone and pop it in and wash your hands. Takes like 30 seconds, about how long it should take to wash your hands, so it's a really convenient feature. Cool place though, I definitely recommend paying it a visit!

Winter in Japan

"Winter in the Japan"

"Winter in the Japan"

Winter in Japan

The beautiful winter illumination in Tokyo Station.

Went to Ootoya again and ordered something new. The dish used to come with meatballs if I remember correctly but it seems they changed it to fried chicken. Goes much better with the meal in my opinion and the grated radish over the top of it was a nice touch. I also really liked the pumpkin croquettes, I'm used to just normal croquette's (I'm not even sure what they're filled with), but this was a nice change of pace and was kind of refreshing, probably because it felt very healthy lol. As always all of the side items tasted great and it was all only ¥740, so pretty much a steal if you ask me

Went to a place in Nihonbashi called Hakata Dojo (博多道場) and had a really nice lunch. It's like an izakaya but it had a really nice lunchtime atmosphere as well. I ordered the 日替わり肉ランチ which cost about ¥1000 but it tasted great. I really liked the moyashi that came with the beef plate, lots of flavor and the moyashi were really juicy as well so that was nice. It was a really nice place overall, I'd like to go back and see what it's like at night, maybe they have some special courses or something as well. I really liked the lanterns though, I think that's probably what contributed most to the place having a nice atmosphere. That and it wasn't exceptionally loud like some izakaya I've been to. Also the interior was decorated quite nicely as well, besides the lanterns.

Roppongi Walk

Went to Hachioji over the weekend and had a blast exploring the area. We were able to check out the Musashi Imperial Mausoleum (Emperor Taisho and Emperor Showa's Burial Sites), eat some amazing food at a restaurant called "Gonsuke" (ごん助) and a bunch of other stuff. The Musashi Imperial Mausoleum was really amazing, it reminded me a lot of Meiji Jingu Shrine with the wide gravel paths through the forest, although I have a feeling this forest is natural and not man-made. Also the burial mounds seemed really traditional and reminded me of the burial mounds from the Kofun Period. The restaurant Gonsuke was so incredible. They had all sorts of different course menus and it was my first time trying boar meat too lol. I haven't had game meat in a long time so it was really cool getting to try it again and cook it over an irori (I think it's an irori) with actual coals. Can't wait to go back and explore the area again more. I'd love to hike up Mt. Takao and see everything else the area has to offer. Beautiful city

It is the illumination of Roppongi Keyakizaka. The night walk was very nice. Canon EOS R5 Canon RF35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM Black Mist No.05 Filter

【In the Urban Forest】

Beautifully illuminated rainbow bridge during christmas. The photo was taken from Tokyo Tower.

Was shopping the other day in Nihonbashi and saw this akabeko and thought it was really cute so I decided to take a photo of it. The name was quite funny to me as well. Instead of the usual "akabeko" this was a "nemubeko," or "tired-beko" basically, and you can see how the eyes are actually half way shut instead of the normally wide-open eyes, giving it the tired look lol. I've always wanted to try an akabeko experience as I love traditional Japanese crafts and akabeko in particular seem really fun to make. I've read a few posts in another places of people trying akabeko workshops and having a really fun time. I haven't used papier mache since I was a kid either so it'd probably be a nostalgic experience for sure. If I do try an akabeko workshop, I think I'll make a "nemubeko" as well lol

The majestic view of Tokyo tower during winter illumination in Keyakizaki avenue.

Group attendance at school on a snowy day. Colorful rain gear was shining in the snowy landscape.

Asakusa Nakamise on New Year's Day. Every year, it is crowded with many first-time visitors.

The winter morning sun shone in the park where the first snow fell, and the long shadows of the trees were very beautiful.

Stopped by Saizeriya for lunch and got a cod roe and shrimp doria (たらこと海老のドリア). Saizeriya is always a great place to stop by for lunch as it's generally quick and cheap. It was a set meal so it came with a soup and salad as well, but I forgot to to photos of those. The soup was a sort of consommé soup and was nothing special, but it tasted good and was all-you-can-drink so that was pretty nice. I ended up getting a few cups of it. The shrimp and cod doria was great and I love the nori on top - plentiful and tastes great. The best part is all of this was only ¥500 so it's really reasonable, as you'd expect of Saizeriya. Just thought I'd share this today, nothing too special

Was in Kanda the other day for an errand and stopped by this place called "Soba Dokoro Kameya" (そば処 かめや) outside of Kanda Station. It says "立食い" which means "standing noodles," but I didn't actually see any places to stand and eat so maybe it just meant that it was simple and quick like a standing noodle shop. I've never actually experienced what it's like to eat at a standing noodle restaurant (and actually stand while eating) but I think I prefer sitting anyways. I like to relax when I eat so I suppose that's why, but I should at least try it once, who knows, I might like it. Anyways, the place seems really affordable. I ordered the Ten Tama Soba since it was the most popular dish and it tasted great. The soup was really good and the egg was perfectly cooked. The texture of the noodles was also perfect. It's definitely a place to check out if your in the Kanda area and looking for some noodles. I think they may only be open during the morning and night, but I went around 4pm so maybe they close around that time to prepare for dinner.

Visited a Chinese restaurant in Akabane called Maraeki (麻辣駅, Malaeki?) over the weekend and got some spicy Szechuan noodles (四川風麻辣麺). The photo looked really good and they had tan tan noodles as well but I wanted to try something different. Unfortunately, I was not the biggest fan of the flavor. I think the noodles were great, and the bok choy tasted good as well, but for me the soup wasn't exactly what I was expecting. That being said I don't think it's that the flavor was bad, just that it simply wasn't for me. I enjoy spicy ramen, and the "麻辣" part of the name is "mala," apparently a spicy, numbing sauce made of Sichuanese peppercorn, chili pepper, and other ingredients simmered in oil. I went in not knowing this and paid the price I suppose. The noodles weren't actually that spicy in my opinion, but like I said, the flavor just wasn't for me. I think for anyone who enjoys Chinese food though it's a great place as it's quite affordable and the other dishes we ordered (fried rice and xiaolongbao (steamed buns)), although not pictured here, tasted great.

Recent black-and-white photos

Went to やなか珈琲 and bought some coffee beans this weekend. I did not know why the beans were green, but it seems it’s because they have not been roasted yet and they roast them after they are ordered. I came back to the shop in 20 minutes and they had turned brown from being roasted and smelled really good. I tried ブルボン from Brazil and they taste really good! They have many kinds of beans so I wanna try different kinds next time and also sit down for a cup of coffee in the shop itself☕️

A nice Christmas tree I found near Akabane Station. I'm pretty excited for the holidays. I like the romantic format of Christmas in Japan much more than I do the spending time with family version in America. There's something about the cold weather that makes it feel romantic spending time together with the person special to you. Another great thing about this time of year is all of the buffets! I love going to the buffets and trying all the different food. It's a much different style than the U.S. too which is fun. I can't say I don't miss eating a nice Christmas ham or turkey with some stuffing (basically the same as thanksgiving lol), but what's awesome about the buffets is they always have some sort of prime rib or king crab, one really special item that everyone lines up for lol. One thing I miss is the holiday portion of Christmas back in America, but the New Years holiday in Japan more than makes up for it. Also the illuminations in Japan are always awesome. Places like Ginza, Tokyo Station, etc. always have incredibly beautiful showings. Didn't get to go to any last year, but this year I'm hoping to be able to visit at least one!

Went to a restaurant called "Taraku" (寿司たらく尾久駅前店) near Oku Station that I've passed many times. It's name says it's the Oku Station branch so I suppose it must be a chain restaurant, not sure how many there are though. The place was quite nice and they had single-person counter seats as well as table seats. The tempura set meal was ~1000 yen and again I got another discount using the PayPay app so it only cost me about ~700 yen. It's a pretty nice place though and they seem to have a bunch of different set meals as well as seafood bowls and other stuff like that. Definitely a place to drop by if you're in the mood for sushi, tempura, or whatever kind of sushi you're thinking of. They have a lot of takeout items as well and I think they do delivery as well, so they're probably on the Uber Eats and Menu apps as well but I haven't given them a look yet. The potato salad and miso soup tasted great as well. Tsukemono is always good so there was no difference here either lol. Everything tasted great. Definitely recommend checking it out!

Went to a restaurant in Shinagawa called Ogasawara Shoten. They had some really tasty yakiniku and the drinks were really cheap as well. I ended up getting some sort of kalbi set, I don't remember the name but you can see what it came with in the picture lol. The yakiniku tasted great but the grill was a little too hot at first so I had to turn the heat down. I had to flip my meat over really fast to make sure it didn't burn at first ?. It was a fun experience though. After I got it turned down though I had a nice relaxing meal. The miso soup was nice as well (it all tasted great to be honest) and afterwards they had a free coffee service which was a nice way to end lunch. They had a pay pay campaign going on as well, so I got a nice discount for using it. Really handy app

Went to Shinjuku Station the other day and took of photo of the giant metal sculpture while I was there. I've only passed it a few times since it was erected during the pandemic, but my curiosity finally got the best of me, and I had some extra time anyways so I snapped a quick shot of it. I did a little research on it and it was apparently made by the famous arist Tomokazu Matsuyama and the theme of theme for lack of a better word is to greet visitors with surprise and bewilderment. It's pretty interesting and looks different from every angle as well. If you look at the right side of the photo (it's kind of cut off) you can see it holding a flower with its arm outstretched. The name of it is Hanao-san, and while I'm not sure of the origin behind the name it has certainly piqued my interest...

I took these photos last week at Shinagawa Station. They were having a small lacquerware exhibition sort of thing and were selling goods from I suppose Naraijuku as is written on the cloth, but I don't remember if there was anything else to the setup. They had a lot of really cool lacquerware pieces though and I managed to pick up a couple of spoons and some extra chopsticks. I would have liked to buy more, but unfortunately am not in the need for much tableware at the moment lol. They also had some traditional children's toys and I was considering getting a Jacob's Ladder since I hadn't seen one in years, but decided to pass lol. The Wagasa on the top of the stall were also for sale too. Only ¥1500 and they're handmade! It was a cool exhibit though, I'm not sure if it was just a one day thing or if they're still going for a while but definitely drop by if you're at Shinagawa Station and see it open.

We went to a small restaurant in Meguro called "Meguro Flat" over the holiday and had a really nice lunch together. The place had a nice atmosphere and seemed very multicultural. There were newspapers on the walls in some other languages (I'm not sure what languages, but they were Latin based at least) and posters of wines from different countries and the menu was interesting as well. If I remember correctly, jerk chicken is a local specialty of Jamaica and I've never had the chance to try it before, but this place was offering it so I decided to order it. It tasted really nice and the salad that came with it was refreshing. There was also a spoonful of mashed potatoes on the side with the pickled carrots and the place also offers all-you-can-eat bread! I love bread so that was a plus. My girlfriend ordered an assorted platter and the cream in the middle went really well with the bread so we got another free basket to eat it with lol. Incidentally, I look like I'm posing for the camera, but I was actually just admiring the atmosphere of the restaurant lol. Anyways, it's a nice place, so anyone visiting Meguro or looking for something to do should check it out. It's like a ~5 min walk from the station. I think the nighttime menu might be different as well, but I'm not certain of that.

Managed to stop by Ueno Zoo the other day for a little bit and while I didn't get to see much of the animals because we were short on time, we did get to see a few of the attractions around the park. The first one is "Sala Thai" a gift from the Thai Government to mark the 120th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Japan, as written on the plaque. The second one is the five-story pagoda of the former Kanei-ji Temple. The pagoda was built in 1631 and rebuilt in 1639. Besides that are just some photos of the scenery around the park, and you can see some of the autumn colors on the trees and even in Shinobazu Pond. We also managed to get some tasty lunch. This looks like steak but it was actually like a pork-steak cutlet type of thing. It tasted great though. Hopefully I'll have some more time to actually see the animals next time I go lol It's was registered as an Important Cultural Property in 1911.