First post live from Tokyo and wow, I'm amazed. It's my first time in Japan and all the good things I have heard from it are true. Walking the streets of Tokyo feels like a dream with every facet of the city making it even more exciting to discover.I feel so lucky to be here and all the places I have been in only two days feel like a treat. But really now, let's talk about the food!
My posts from Tokyo will be short and sweet, with mostly pictures - and names if I wasn't partying too much during my visit.
Day 1
On my first evening, after almost 14 hours of flights, I had to go out for my first drinks and meal with friends already in Tokyo, one visiting and another living the city.
To start the evening, we went to Dragon Men, a lovely hip and open lounge a few blocks away from Shinjuku station. Great drinks and music from around the world just made it my meeting location for my whole stay.
We went to this little new traditional Japanese restaurant located right next to the Ebisu exit in a small parallel street. I think it was called Chukai-Uomaru.
I was quite glad to be with a Japanese speaking friend as you might end up on menus written in Japanese only.
We were offered free mussels when we came in. They were probably the best I've had yet with the simplest and most yummy sauce to bring out the mussel flavors.
We then had tuna and salmon sashimi with wasabi and soy sauce. Delicious and way fresh! Finally, we went with the Japanese bbq to try a mix of red tuna and greens.
After such a meal, it was finally time for me to get some rest.
Day 2
On my second, I was ready to be a full-0n tourist and go discover Ueno park, along with its great temples and museums. For the ride, my friend and I wanted some coffee and realized that fresh milk wasn't really an option around. Coffee ends up being very flavored and sweet, which can be a treat sometimes, but tea is definitely a best option on mornings wake up and detox.
We made a stop in a small depanneur style store to see if we could grab a bento for the day. Instead, we found rice balls for approximately $2. Maybe we were too excited as tourists but we were just really amazed at the price and selection we could get for a quick and yummy snack.
Later on, we were getting to party Japanese style so we made sure to stop for a complete meal around Shinjuku. We went to Cocolo Café, a restaurant that seems to stay open all night like a lot of places around this party neighborhood. Cocolo Café offers a wide selection of Western dishes turned asian style.
I ordered the Teriyaki bowl which came with rice, chicken, grilled and fried vegetables and Japanese mayonnaise. Everything was tasty and surprisingly light!
Finally, it was time to get our party on! Drinking in streets, bar hoping, meeting locals or tourists, name it, we did it all - until 7am that is because Tokyo just won't sleep.