Our adventures in Japan
japanese entertainment
Allow us to begin by sharing the MOST BLOWS YOUR MIND entertainment experience we’ve ever EVER seen before:
The Robot Restaurant in Shinjuku
Made famous by Anthony Bourdain’s visit, this popular tourist attraction was recommended by my sister. The minute you step in to the moment you leave, you cannot believe what you are seeing.
The waiting room:
The women’s bathroom:
The live entertainment, that made us feel like we were watching an anime or Japanese video game come to life:
I won some free popcorn around here.
It felt like I was on drugs. On drugs and hallucinating.
No other words can describe it.
I would never go again. But I can honestly say I’ve never experienced anything quite like it.
Japan does not fail to bring on all kinds of amusements.
Lots for the otaku – anime/video game nerd
and even for the Disney fan.
Of course, we had to stop by the famous Tokyo Disneyland (a whole other post on that to come soon!):
But let me be honest. My first priority when traveling anywhere is the food.
japanese cuisine
It did not disappoint.
Walking through the famous Tsujiki Fish Market where the best sushi restaurants around get their fish.
natto – fermented soybeans
Sukiyabashi Jiro from Jiro’s Sushi
Sushi served in a small home in Tsukiji
Delicious and sweet egg cake
Gonpachi Nishiazabu, Minato aka The Kill Bill Restaurant – one of my personal favorite eats in Tokyo
If you’re looking for something that you won’t find in the US, there’s nothing I’ve ever seen quite like the Japanese Maid Cafe.
@home cafe – drinks and dishes from this CNN made popular Maid Cafe in Akihabara
The servers are all Japanese girls dressed as house maids, addressing every man that enters as “Master” and every woman “Princess”.
Photo below courtesy of At Home Cafe (as we are forbidden from taking photos of the girls).
And, yes, they do the heart hand shape thing to you.
You can order a photo or play a game with a maid of your choice.
David opted for the game. They played a simple Hungry Hippo style board game for just a few minutes. The whole time the maid kept giddily cheering, “Oooh, you’re so good!”
The food you are served is ridiculously cute.
The maids make sure to sprinkle magic (and make you do so too) on every dish.
When we looked around the room, the #1 patron were middle-aged men dining alone.
There were magazines near the table where you can view photos of all the maids, creepily including upskirt shots. The menus noted, “Do not grope the maids.”
Quite an experience.
japanese culture
What we fell in love with most about Japan was the richness of its culture:
The History
Kinkaku-ji – the golden pavilion in Kyoto
Kyoto Gosho – the Kyoto Imperial Palace
The well-preserved historical streets in Kyoto
Meiji Shrine in Harajuku
Fushimi Inari temple from Memoirs of a Geisha
The Architecture (and the cleanliness of the cities)
Akihabara – the Electronics District is definitely worth the visit. Go on Sunday late morning-early afternoon when the streets are blocked so you can walk right down the middle of the street.
Shibuya crossing
Shinjuku
The People: their politeness, their fashion, and their elegant ceremonious way of life.
A traditional Shinto wedding ceremony
Beautiful origami – a rainbow of Japanese cranes
Traditional Japanese tea ceremony
We enjoyed the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto.
Despite the earthquake
The train was stopped for two hours where we got a nice long nap. When I asked what was going on, they shared that they were checking to make sure every track was safe before proceeding. During the two hour wait, the crew member kept coming up to me and apologizing. So polite.
in conclusion
Japan is amazing.
Go.
But don’t go if you have a baby/toddler still in a stroller. We wouldn’t have been able to explore 95% of where we went if Knightly had come with us (as much as we missed him).
Oh, and make sure you learn common Japanese phrases. Most people we interacted with (even in Disney) did not speak English.
Now go. Then, let us know what to try when we go back 🙂
vendors
- Japan Photojournalistic Photographers | D. Park Photography
want more?
Check out our exclusive In Love in Tokyo couples photoshoot here.
Hello! Your photos are beautiful! I was also wondering what season was it when you went to Kyoto 😀