15 February 2013, Friday

This morning, I woke up at 7:30am and had a simple breakfast of toast and coffee at my Sakura Hostel. At 9am, I made my way to my first destination – Ueno. I decided to walk from my hostel in Asakusa to Ueno as I wasn’t in a hurry and I wanted to see more street sights. I also tried not to refer to the map and just walked in the general direction of Ueno. However, I made a wrong turn somewhere and ended up having to back track, so it took me about an hour to get to Ueno, some 20 minutes longer.

I had been to Ueno during my first visit in 2010 but I only went to Ueno Park to see the cherry blossoms then. This time round, I ventured to the bustling Ameyoko area, which was a market street with many shops. It was pretty nice with lots of interesting things, but I managed to control myself and not splurge yet.

At 11:50am, my stomach started to growl so I headed to a Go! Go! Curry restaurant for lunch. At the entrance, I placed my order using the self-service machine. I really like this system because it is very convenient and easy to use, even if you don’t understand Japanese. All the options are clearly depicted with visuals. It is great because the staff can focus on preparing the food without having to handle money, which results in better hygiene and less disputes about money matters for the employer.

I simply love Japanese curry rice, though I must say I prefer another chain called CoCo Ichibanya over Go! Go! Curry. Nevertheless, it was still satisfying to have some warm chicken katsu curry rice in my belly on a cold day.

After that, it started to rain and the locals all took out their ubiquitous transparent umbrellas. These brollies are perfect for shielding the raindrops, but they do not provide protection against the sun. I was one of the few who was using a non-transparent umbrella – a giveaway sign that I was a tourist.

At 2:10pm, I took the train from Ueno to Shibuya, arriving 27 minutes later. Shibuya is one of Tokyo’s most popular and colourful shopping districts, and the famous Shibuya Crossing was packed with people even though it was a weekday afternoon. I feel energised whenever I am here. There is just a buzz in the air that is very alluring and infectious.

I am not only a huge music fan but I collect CDs, so Shibuya is like heaven to me, as there are many great music stores scattered around here. After exiting Shibuya subway station, I headed straight for Tower Records. When I was a teenager, I always dreamed of working at Tower Records. Being immersed in rows and rows of CDs, with the latest music releases blaring over the sound system, that was my idea of a perfect job. I never got to realise that dream, so visiting a Tower Records store was my way of experiencing that feeling.

The Tower Records at Shibuya occupies a building on its own, over nine levels. The range is exceptional and it is a music lover’s wet dream come true. Stepping into the building is like being transported to another world, where nothing matters except for music. The only drawback about Tower Records is that their albums are priced higher than the other record stores, so I usually do not splurge here unless it is something I can’t find elsewhere.

At about 4pm, I went to the Tower Records Café at Level 2 for a drink. It was a very nice and chill café. To me, everything about Tower Records is cool. I ordered an iced coffee and wrote my journal as I rested my feet. I was a little tired from all the walking so far.

As I looked around, I realised that there are no fat people in Japan. Not even anyone slightly obese. Everyone seems to be in good shape. I think the Japanese are really fit because they walk and cycle a lot. Most of them have good complexion too, perhaps because the weather here is more favourable compared to the humid conditions in Singapore.

Earlier, while taking the train, I also noticed that Japanese like to read novels. I saw three people in my cabin reading novels. There were many others who were using their mobile phones too but compared to Singapore, there are definitely more people reading novels here in Tokyo. It also helps that the books are pocket-sized so they are handy to carry around. The Japanese books and magazines are also better designed and the paper quality is much smoother. Everything is just better in Japan!

After that, I went to another record store called RECOfan, located at the fourth floor of Shibuya BEAM. Compared to Tower Records, with its neatly curated collection, RECOfan was like a warehouse with narrow walkways overflowing with vinyl records and CD albums. It was quite messy but it was exactly how a record shop should look like! It was a treasure trove selling tons of new and used titles at affordable prices. I spent a great deal of time sifting through the shelves and racks and ended up with a pretty good haul.

At the time of writing this post on 13 October 2020, I am sorry to share that RECOfan has closed down permanently just two days ago, on 11 October 2020. It is such a loss not just for the Tokyo music scene, but for music lovers worldwide. I am really so sad that one of my favourite haunts in Tokyo is gone.

At 8:10pm, I went back to Shibuya subway station to meet my friend, MB, a fellow Singaporean who had been living in Tokyo for the past few years. The meeting point was at the Hachiko memorial statue outside the station.

Hachiko was a loyal dog who continued to wait for his owner faithfully outside Shibuya station, even though his owner had already passed away for nine years. A bronze statue based on Hachiko’s likeness was unveiled in 1934 but the original statue was recycled for the war effort during World War II. A second statue was installed in 1948 and it still stands today.

For dinner, I told MB that I wanted to have ramen so she brought me to a small restaurant in Shibuya. She helped me order a bowl of the regular tonkotsu chashu ramen, which was just heavenly. It was so simple but so good! I preferred this ramen over the one I had yesterday, which was niboshi (Japanese dried infant sardines) broth.

Following our sumptuous dinner, MB brought me to Shimokitazawa, a small but hip neighbourhood with a bohemian vibe. The lanes were narrow and both sides of the street were filled with eateries and shops selling quirky and interesting items.

MB then led me up to the second storey of a nondescript building. Hiding behind the many retro movie posters plastered on the wooden exterior was a very cool restaurant. I loved it the moment I stepped in. The decor was totally vintage and full of character! Old school movie posters and memorabilia were everywhere. There were many retro toys, signboards and even an old-fashioned television set playing cartoons from a bygone era.

From the outside, I couldn’t even tell that there was a restaurant, let alone that it was packed to the brim on a Friday evening. I certainly would never have ventured here on my own, or even walked up the second floor. That’s why it is always great to have someone local around because they know where the best hidden spots are. Thanks MB!

The restaurant was almost full but we managed to get a table. MB ordered some snacks and a kettle of beer. Yes, you read that right, it was a kettle of beer. Instead of conventional glass jugs, the beer was served from a kettle! Why didn’t anyone think of it earlier? It was ingenious!

The snacks were great – the chicken wings were very tasty and the cabbage was very crunchy and sweet. I had never eaten cabbage on its own like that, it was really appetising! I had a good chat with MB over beer while munching on the finger food.

Time just flew by and before we knew it, it was already 11:15pm. By the time I reached my hostel, it was 12:30am. It was a really enjoyable evening and a day well spent, all thanks to MB’s cool recommendations. More to explore tomorrow!