Tokyo travel guides cheap buys

Okay, Tokyo Cheap buys series #2!

I will be recommending the takeya store at Okachimachi station (one station away from Ueno station on the Yamanote line)

Takeya is actually made up of various buildings located beside each other (talk about wow shopping huh) & you can get tax rebates (for tourists too). Get more information from their website (well it definitely is a tourist attraction considering the fact that they have like the web up in English & Chinese too. Think they have Chinese speaking staff as well, not sure about English tho)

okay, takeya actually sell a wide variety of goods, ranging from women’s fashion, men’s fashion, electronics, food, home furniture, home accessories and so on (they have like 8 buildings or more)

web flyer here (only in Japanese)

& oh, they sell, marked down branded goods (gucci, coach, ferragamo at discounted prices too)

they only accept cash if I am not wrong, so do bring lots of cash if you are planning to splurge there ^^

download map here

this will be more of a place for grown ups than gyaru fashion tho (pls note!)

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tokyo travel guides : cheap buys

Okay, I am sure many people have said shopping in Tokyo is expensive (so is eating and whatever, no thanks to the exchange rate) 

But, i have something to say : if you want to shop for cheap(er) things, don’t go to the tourist/ high-end areas, since the things there are definitely more expensive. Shibuya109 is definitely an expensive place for you if your budget is like 30 bucks and under for a one piece (dress).

I will introduce you some of the cheaper shops in Tokyo where you can buy things for cheap (or rather at a cheaper price compared to other areas and at a reasonable quality)

First up : Shimamura (will talk about other shops in other posts)

If you have been reading popteen / is a fan of Shiina Hikari aka Pikarin/ reading some other Japanese magazines, you would  have probably heard about this shop, well while it is branded-branded (if you get what I mean), the clothes are still cute & suitable for people of all ages (they even have kids’ clothes & toys, interior goods, shoes, stationary, towels etc) and also for people in their 50s and so on, so you can go check it out, since they carry Masuwaka Tsubasa s-leg line (leggings, tights, socks etc as well)

get more information about shimamura here

& the good thing about shimamura is that they have sales items which change like every 3-5 days and they will inform customers on their website through digital flyer. for eg 22/08 -25/08

something like this (see it on the web - bigger picture)

download the map here

okay since the map is in japanese, let me tell you (shimamura is the one that have like a bubble thing popping up and it is sandwiched between Kentucky Fried Chicken KFC & sukiya and it is on the 2nd floor)

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Travel guides : Osaka, Japan

If you are visiting Osaka and is considering purchasing the enjoy eco card (800 yen/ 600 yen on PH and weekends) mentioned in previous post, you might want to consider topping up some money and get the Osaka Amazing Pass instead.

1D pass cost 2,300 yen while a 2D pass cost 3000 yen. If you were to get a 2 days enjoy eco card (1600 yen), you might as well top up 1400 yen for this 2 Days pass, which grant you free admission to 28 tourist attractions including Osaka Castle, Tsutenkaku, Tennoji Zoo and so on. It also includes discounts such as free gifts/ discounts at selected souvenirs shops or restaurants. Quite worth it I guess, considering the fact that Osaka Castle admission is probably about 500 yen, Tsutenkaku 700 yen, Floating Garden Observatory and Hep 5 Ferris Wheel 700 yen each? Plus unlimited train rides is always welcomed in Japan, seriously.

For full list of participating outlets/ benefits, click here.

However, if you are not into some attractions and want to visit only a few places a day and no pressure about wanting or feeling that you have to visit as many attractions as possible that are included in the pass, then you might want to get the enjoy eco card instead for just the unlimited train rides. If you want to visit as many places as possible in a tight schedule, then I will recommend you to get this pass. It even includes free admission to a onsen (hot springs) too.

For more info, click here

Considering the fact that one trip cost about 180yen in Osaka , if you are visiting a few places a day, it is definitely worth to get get a pass, especially since this comes with so many discounts and free admissions too.

Travelling to Japan? Use this easy and convenient website to help plan your train routes (includes timing and price too).

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Tokyo travel guide : cheap eats

Alright, bet many people are saying that food in Japan are expensive (well they are, if you are not looking at the right places or are always dining at expensive/ posh places)

I am gonna introduce a shop, or rather, an outlet shop for desserts. yup, desserts (all the girls say yay now!) While I have not been to this shop myself, I have heard that this shop sell snacks/ desserts that are sold in any other konbini (convenience stores like 7-11, family mart, lawson, sunkus, lawson 100, circle k etc) & btw, I think desserts sold at Japan konbini taste awesome. (and they are cheaper than other patisseries, bakery etc)

Okay the shop that I am recommending is Domremy Outlet which sell dessert at a discounted price (mostly due to the damaged packaging - well you know how Japanese are with their packaging…) so while there is no difference to the taste or quality of the desserts. the slightly damaged packaging or maybe shape of the cake etc might be different or considered unsuitable to be sold in shops. so they are sold here at a discounted price (yay for us!).

The branch that I am talking about is located at Ueno (on the JR yamanote line), near shinobazu pond (1F of coco grand hotel pictured below)

well, the sweets/ desserts change periodically so you might want to go to their web and find more information about their offerings.

download the map here

(simply alight from ueno station and walk towards the direction of okachimachi station) ^^ you can use the map and ask passerby for directions as well

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Tokyo travel guide : Tsukiji Daiwa Sushi

Okay, so you guys have probably heard about Tsukiji & its sushi and tuna auction etc. So, we ate at sushi dai last time, which we actually queued 3hrs + for. This time, the queue was even longer and so we went to Daiwa sushi instead which was faster because unlike sushi dai which has lesser seats and serve sushi to you after you are done, Daiwa serves sushi all at one go and well, you just have to leave after that cos there’s way too many people queuing outside. 

More info here

We waited for about 1hr+ to get into Daiwa sushi and it was worth it (btw we think it’s worth it to queue 3hrs+ for sushi dai as well)

You can look into the shop while you are queuing hehe. 

& yay, we are finally in. & have to say, sushi Dai chefs are friendlier.

Set meal comes with miso soup with fish in it

The cuts are fresh and super duper thick. we are both ootoro (tuna belly) fans and the set doesn’t come with ootoro and so we ordered one ala carte ootoro each and it is so thick and heavy when we tried to lift it up with our chopsticks, the sushi topple over ^c^v

Thick yum. 

compare the size of the fish to the rice seriously.

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Tokyo Travel Guide : Best Breakfast in the world

So I went Japan with my friend last year to spend xmas and new year there and we ate at Bills, which is dubbed the world’s best breakfast. 

Info here

Btw, they have like two branches in Tokyo; one is in Harajuku/ Omotesando while the other is on a man-made island Odaiba (we went this branch).

We arrived quite early at Tokyo Decks Odaiba and found out there was a queue already. We were told waiting time is about 1hr+ but we ended up entering the restaurant within 30 mins, which was great.

We were able to see them at work while we waited. ooh thick fluffy pancakes~~~

We ordered the full Aussie breakfast and the Ricotta hotcakes to share. Both of them were really good. I intro-ed another friend to try this in his trip in May this year. He said he liked the Aussie breakfast, but other girls that I intro-ed this shop to, said they like both. Guess girls like pancakes more eh? 

The hotcake is thick but light and fluffy and I thought I would get sick of the thick hotcake like I usually do with thick hotcake, but I didn’t. Finished it all up and wished I could get another portion but was full already T^T 

Tbh, I thought we wouldn’t feel full when the food was served cos we are both big eaters despite being girls XD. However, the food was really filling and well, I can only conclude that it is indeed the best breakfast I have eaten so far. Singapore has no pancakes that can top this (imo), which kind of make me sad cos I can’t find this in Singapore T^T. 

The full Aussie breakfast - Seriously, we don’t even like tomato that much but we were all trying to get the last piece of it. The way they cook the dishes are… ahh fluffy eggs *salivates*. 

Ah well, do try it if you are in the area, they have a branch at Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse as well! :)

Price for your reference (btw this was on 30 dec 2014) and Japan has raised the tax this year, so I am not sure if there is any changes in the price now. I personally think the price is reasonable though ^^

& shops at Odaiba don’t open so early. so you might want to reach there at around 10-ish, have a breakfast and go shop after you are done eating? The weather was good (well below 10 degrees or smthg) when we were there in end Dec so we went around taking photos at the Deck. 

We walked around and saw some stalls selling yakisoba and ended up eating it lol and it wasn’t even 30 mins after we had our breakfast. 

Will post about more food in Odaiba next time!

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Japan food guide : Pancakes in Tokyo

Hi all,  I am going to do some write-up on food in Japan, or rather, pancakes in Tokyo.

While I know pancake is not a Japanese dish, but you can’t deny that there has been a pancake craze going on in Japan, especially in Tokyo. Hence, I am going to list some popular pancake shops with long queues and waiting time, that you might be interested in if you happen to visit Tokyo (pancakes still make good breakfast after all and they are yummy too!). Well, I am still going to make this list so it can serve as a reminder for me to eat them when I visit Japan in the future.

1.Bills

First on this list will definitely be Bills by Bills Granger (Australia), since it is the only one among the pancake shops that I have actually visited. Bills is known to serve the ‘best breakfast in the world’ and I couldn’t agree more. The pancakes are fluffy and I love the full Aussie breakfast.  Introduced this to my friends who went to Japan after me and most of them love it (well, girls love the pancakes, guys love the full Aussie breakfast more), but if you have companions, you can always order both to share. While there is a long queue, we didn’t wait as long as I expected to and you can actually make reservations online, so yay! There are currently 4 branches in Japan (2 in Tokyo) - Omotesando (which is of walking distance from Harajuku actually), Odaiba, Shichirigahama in Kamakura and red brick warehouse in Yokohama.

Check out my review on Bills.

2. Eggs’nThings

Now, this is one that I would love to visit someday (am I the only one who absolutely love whipped cream?)

Touted as the best pancakes in Hawaii, eggs n’ things pancakes are served with a mountain of whipped cream which, according to people who have been there before, is not overly cloying and instead is light and fluffy. Now, this is something that I definitely would want to try.

Also, other than having branches in Tokyo Harajuku and ODaiba, they have branches in Osaka Shinsaibashi, Kyoto, Yokohama, Kobe, Fukuoka and Enoshima too.

3. Cafe Kaila

Also located in the Omotesando/ Harajuku area in Tokyo, Cafe Kaila, also from Hawaii. The draw-point about this will most probably be the amount of fruits on it (2,000 yen for all the toppings if I am not mistaken) and the fact that their pancakes are made without butter or oil, which makes them healthier than other pancakes shops. Guess this appeals to girls who want to eat pancakes but do not want to feel guilty about it?

But seriously, I am tempted to eat this too, the fruits on it are… *drools*

4. Pancake days

Pancake days actually have branches in Osaka and Tokyo too. Tokyo - Harajuku (again, well, Harajuku/ Omotesando area is like the pancakes war zone), Kichijoji, Nagoya, Osaka Universal city walk and Abeno.

I am not gonna lie, this pancakes look so cute and good and what is better than one pancake?

A stack of pancakes! I might be biased cos I love pancakes and anything sweet, but I definitely would be thrilled if someone brings me to eat this.

5. Slappycakes

From Portland, slappycakes is a DIY shop, where you can make your own pancakes. I guess this will be fun, since you get to choose the flavors and toppings yourself and get to cook the pancakes yourself. YAY if you have artistic skills and can make cute pancakes but even if you can’t, I am sure it will still be a fun experience.

Well, I know there are more pancake shops in Japan but well, I am going to stop here and if I ever visit them in the future, I will definitely do a write-up on them.

tada~~

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