My Itinerary
Day 3 : Omotesando – Urahara – Shibuya
- Omotesando-dori (Omotesando metro) – One of shops you definitely can’t miss is Oriental Bazaar on Omotesando. The shop front looks tacky but it’s a one-stop souvenir shops not just for foreigners but for Japanese too. It is a one-stop shop to satisfy your Japanese craze! They sell everything from handicrafts, sake cups, paintings, fans, old fabrics, t-shirts to furniture! All are very beautiful and authentic with a reasonable price tag!
Second hand kimonos are available in the basement level. The fabrics were in good condition and best of all they are not expensive. I had tried on a beautiful summery orange colour silk kimono with hand-sewn embroidery and couldn’t part with it! At a price of 8000 yen, I imagined I had in my hand this kimono once belonged to a famous geisha from Kyoto. Even though it’s used but it looks as good as new to me! I have yet to decide what I will do with the fabric so it has never seen sunlight since I got it. I also bought a set of rice bowls, a few sake cups, Japanese wrapping paper (it’s a great idea for wall decoration!) and a few bits and pieces for friends. They also have beautiful thick silk belts (those you wear with your kimono) you can use as a table runner!
[ Oriental Bazaar on Omotesando]
- The next stop on Omotesando is the Mecca for children – Kiddy Land. It’s a very popular toy shop like the Hamleys in London located opposite the Oriental Bazaar. Kiddy Land sells all the latest toys, games and quirky fun stuff! Their merchandises range from sushi key-rings, hello kitty phone charms to fluffy cartoon character slippers.
- The next shop is actually originated from the US. It’s the MOMA Design Shop on the 3rd Floor of GYRE. It is a great place to shop for modern Japanese design souvenirs.
[ MOMA Shop ] - By now probably it’s a good idea to find a coffee shop for a rest! You will spot a few on Omotesando but my favourite is Peltiers, the French patisserie. They do divine cakes and I prefer here than the fairly new Conrad Café nearby.
[ Cake set from Peltier's ] - Your next destination is the trendy shopping mall – La Foret. Just off Harajuku's main intersection of Omotesando Dori and Meiji Dori, it is 3 minutes from JR Harajuku station. Situated at the intersection of Omotesando-dori and Meiji-dori, the cylinder like shopping mall packed with trendy young shoppers. The multi-storey mall houses the most fashionable independent boutiques as well as big Japanese labels. You may not like shopping but it is an interesting place to see young locals.
[ Trendy mall - La Foret ] - Urahara: I know I have talked about shopping a lot but most of the time I only window shop. I love exploring Urahara because it’s full of hundreds of small shops and it’s like a treasure hunt. The entrance to ‘Urahara’ is right across the end of Takeshita-dori, you will see the arch sign says Harajuku St.
[ Urahara ] - Dinner at根室食堂 宮益坂上店in Shibuya – This is definitely my best-kept secret. 根室食堂 is a stand-up restaurant specializes in seafood located in a pencil-thin building occupying ground to third floors. They don’t have a menu or pictures to help with your order so it’s a bit tricky but don’t be intimidated. The menu is actually all around the restaurants sticking on the windows. It’s always a good idea to order what others have if you can’t read Japanese or just use your finger and point! They serve really fresh seafood sashimi or cooked on the grill for a fraction of what you will pay in a high-end sashimi restaurant. I especially enjoyed the atmosphere. You may argue that it’s a bit uncomfortable eating standing up but it’s more casual and you can probably drink and eat more in that ‘position’. The highlight of our meal was a bowl of hot rice covered with a mountain load of salmon roes. The salmon roes were fresh and incredibly delicious. We actually ordered quite a lot of dishes such as seasonal white fish sashimi with ginger and spring onions and grilled sea snails. Every single dish just brought a unique flavour to the taste buds. This is a restaurant must try by all foodies.
[ Menu on the walls ] 
[ Chef in action ] 
[ Grilled seasonal fish ] 
[ This is an amazing bowl of rice - fresh salty salmon roes with grilled salmon fillet on a bed of hot rice ] 
[ This is the restaurant but they don't have an English name ]
Day 4 : Shimokitzawa – Kijichoji
- Shimokitazawa – Here’s another interesting neighbourhood which is very popular with young people. It’s got a different feel from the up market and trendy Urahara/Aoyama area. A bit old and more relaxed but still packed with lots of great little shops, cafes and a residential area. If you like to hunt for used clothes and accessories, this is the place you shouldn’t miss because it’s full of many second hand shops.
[ Shimokitazawa ] - Lunch – try the popular North Side Café near the north Metro exit.
[ North Side Cafe ] - Kijichoji – Inokashira Park situated in the suburb Kijichojia is Tokyo’s oasis and a popular destination on weekends and during cherry blossom season for the locals. The area is kind of local, full of small shops, restaurants and bars. The reason why I came here was to visit the really old yakitori (chicken skewers) restaurant Iseya (いせや) (Address: Kichijoji-minamicho 1-15-8 (south exit, on the shopping street leading to Inokashira Park). Apart from its cheap and cheerful food and beer, the attraction of this restaurant is its interior decoration. The 2-storey traditional Japanese wooden house has been serving skewers for over 50 years and hasn’t changed much over the years. I love the 1950s decoration and the tatami rooms. The atmosphere here is great as it’s authentic and you will never be able to find the same back home.
[ Yummy skewers ] 
[ Iseya yakitori bar ] 
[ Kijichoji at night ]
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