June 20th to the 22nd, I took a short trip out to Tokyo for the weekend! I managed to get tickets to a concert I really wanted to go to about a month ago, so this was a bit of an impromptu trip.
June 20th: I took the bus at 7 this time becaue my flight was a bit earlier, and arrived around 9:30. Without making any additional stops in Sapporo, I hopped on the train to the airport!
After checking in my bag (shout-out to the lady at the counter for taking my bag when the automated one wouldn’t), I went to eat lunch. Last time I was at the airport and wandered around, I saw a sign for an udon set at Sakufutei. Unfortunately, it seemed like that was a seasonal item and not around anymore. Instead, I opted forthe Salmon Tempura Don, which is supposedly a restaurant specialty unique item.
The tempura batter was light and crispy, with a good array of vegetables. The salmon was super tender, with a rare interior but just cooked exterior. It was all layered over rice with a sweet sauce. Miso soup was also very nice, and the set came with pickles.
I walked around a bit after lunch, seeing there was anything new at the airport, and bought a souvenir for my cousin. Around 30 minutes before boarding I headed into security, which was as quick as usual. The flight was slightly delayed, but we managed to land earlier than expected, hah!
After landing, I luckily got my suitcase pretty soon after, and dropped my suitcase off at the hotel. My main Tokyo agenda of the day was to see an exhibition before getting dinner with my dad and cousin. I figured while I was in Tokyo, I’d get boba on the way, and stopped by my favorite Truedan in Ginza. I passed by a bakery on the same floor, and couldn’t resist…
The sesame bagel was for my dad, but otherwise I ate the other two the next day. I was super excited for the pretzel bagel, and it was essentially as advertised: a thick, fluffy, bready pretzel in the shape of a bagel, with some salt crystals on top. The cookie was super thin, and had good flavor, but I feel like it could have used some more chew. The bakery also was selling a bigger “New York” size, ha!
After the impromptu bakery run, I got my boba. Read about my boba here!
Then I was off to Tokyo Dome City to check out the Kamen Rider Kuuga 25th anniversary exhibition! The online tickets were slightly more expensive than buying in person, so I figured I’d save some money. Weekend tickets were for a specific time (they were long sold out, and I had no time that weekend anyway), but weekdays were enter anytime. I figured weekdays would be more flexible and lenient with entry, so I didn’t worry about geting in. Unfortunately, this event turned out to be more popular than I expected, because not only was there a massive line for goods associated with the exhibition, they were sold out of tickets for the day. (I wondered what would have happened if I had bought a weekday ticket that can be used on any weekday. Surely they’d have let me in?)
Regardless, this was a big fail, and I went all the way there for no reason. I also had a couple hours to kill until our dinner reservation. In the meantime, I headed over to Akihabara because I heard there was a new Love Live Store. My wallet suffered a bit, as I made an unexpected purchase at the Aikatsu store next door. However, it did come with a free sticker and chance to play the ancient Data Carddass rhythm game.
The Love Live Official Store and Theater were connected right next door. I think for the Aqours finale concert happening this weekend, there was a special insert in the window themed around it. It was simultaneously cool and sad…
I would have adventured over somewhere else, but my Aikatsu game reservation was for 6:20. There wasn’t a point in taking a train elsewhere and coming back. I wandered around the area, popped into a couple small shops, checked out the Love Live collaboration cafe, and circled back. The game was fun, and definitely can see the arcade addiction if I were younger and lived here.
My dinner reservation was around Tokyo station, so I decided to walk over to get hungry. We decided on Beef sushi Restaurant KINTAN, and reserved for 7:15. It was great seeing my dad and cousin for the first time in a while! They do course menus and a la carte, but we went for the middle course, the Rich Course. The menu was very intricate, with really good quality beef and interesting flavors! I will say, there is definitely a lot of raw beef going on, including the rare cooked steaks.
Overall, I enjoyed the meal! Everything (that I ate), was super yummy! Although I will say on a personal level, some of the thicker steak pieces were hard to chew, but my dad and cousin had no problem. I think my favorite was the sukiyaki! None of the raw beef tasted or felt weird once it entered my mouth.
Maybe because I came hungry, but when we were done, I wasn’t full yet. For some real dessert, we decided to end the meal with shaved ice in this hot Tokyo weather! I’ve been meaning to try this late-night shaved ice place for a while now. At around 9pm, they had a good amount of seats still available for a tiny cafe. Soon after we sat down, other parties had to wait outside! I opted for the mango milk, but they have alcoholic options, as well as topping add-ons too.
I think this is the perfect size for one person, especially as a dessert for the end of the day. The ice was fluffy, with the perfect amount of mango syrup and milky flavor throughout. It did melt a bit quickly though…
June 21st: It was finale concert day! I won the ticket lottery for a view-blocked seat on Day 1 of the Aqours Finale Concert. I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since their debut…
While my dad and I were figuring out breakfast plans, I ate my chocolate chunk cookie from City Bakery. Funnily enough, at first my dad took me to the City Bakery in Shinagawa Station. They didn’t have many seats available. so we headed upstairs to grab quick bite. My dad bought some bread, and I had my pretzel bagel. Pretty good, but could have used some toasting.
Since the best place to get to the venue was from Ikebukuro, we headed over there first to spend some time. After wandering the station and malls for a bit, we heade to lunch. I found a wagyu ramen place on Google Maps, and my dad liked the sound of it. I got the white broth, with one piece of sirloin. We will not talk about the monstrosity of a spoon it came with.
Although a bit pricy, I will admit the bowl was amazing. The broth was slightly thick, milky, and beefy, and reminded me of the Korean seolleong tang flavor. The noodles were a bit soft, chewy, and soaked up the broth flavor. The beef was tender, marinated, and very yummy. A giant slice too!
I want to preface by saying this restaurant isn’t bad at all. The food was great. The vibes were chill, the menu and staff were very English-friendly. However, I do have to say this really is catered towards tourists. The menu and other pamphlets were entirely in English with big bold lettering. The interior was almost stereotypically Japanese with festival-like music playing. They advertise themselves as halal-friendly and taking donations for a prayer room, which is pretty cool for a restaurant in Japan. If you are looking for a local place, this is not it. If you are looking for wagyu ramen with money to spare, this is it.
My dad suggested shaved ice, so after browsing for a bit, I found a tea cafe that also specializes in shaved ice. I went for the matcha one out of all the options, since this is a tea shop after all. This one also came with some red bean and shiratama.
Initially I had a great time. The ice was fluffy, and there was a ton of syrup throughout. Japanese shaved ice often suffers from lack of syrup, aka flavor, because the ice itself is made from water. The shiratama was chewy, and he red bean added a nice flavor. I do have to say, towards the end, when it was also melting, the syrup felt a little too strong. I think the concentrate is actually too sweet, and could have used some diluting. It was not very fun drinking cold, green tea syrup soup at the end.
The mall we were in was doing a collaboration with Cinamaroll. Specifically the I.Cinamaroll, which is apparently an alternate universe version. There was a pop-up shop, a photo spot, and a stamp rally.
After browsing the mall for a bit, we made our way to Belluna Dome. It’s located in a kind of isolated area, with the best way to get there being from Ikebukuro Station.
There was, as expected, a massive crowd of people. At the spur of the moment, I decided to hop into the on-site merch line because it was looking like it was giong fast. I managed to get everything I wanted! One of my items was actually the last one I think…
The live started a bit past the scheduled 5pm, and though it lasted just under 4 hours, it felt like much less. The girls were amazing, super stable singing and dancing, and constantly gave out fan service. The crowd was wild and respectful, and it felt really good to shout along them. Although my seat was “slightly blocked”, it ended up being the first row in the stands off to the side. Stage was far, though not as far as being further up, and the girls were up front and close whenever they rode the moving platform. Belluna Dome does have very poor signal though.
After the concert, I met up with my dad at Shinagawa station. We wandered over to the east side to find an izakaya to eat at, and my dad chose a place he always wanted to try. Everything was very good, and the first time I’ve ever seen beef tongue karaage. The cucumbers were the hidden gem in my opinion!
June 22nd: Time to leave Tokyo…I’m seeing my cousin for lunch again, and then off to the airport! My cousin chose a burger place in Ginza after he and my dad bonded over a love of Japanese burgers. My dad and I decided to head over a little before our meetup time to wander the area, but then I spotted the Japanese classic: a line. And this was more than 30 minutes before they opened! Luckily it was only 2 people, but I didn’t want to take chances, so I waited it out while my dad did some shopping.
11am rolled around, and the store opened. We safely got in, but I imagine anyone who came a little past 11 would have to wait (the restaurant is tiny). I opted for the small burger, but added tomato bacon as a topping. For my sauce, I got the house original garlic soy sauce. It also came with some corn, garlic chips, and bean sprouts. Technically the last step of the ordering process is to choose a rice or salad set, but I didn’t feel it necessary for me.
If you like burgers, then this is a pretty good burger spot. The burger was juicy and tender, and pretty meaty. The tomato on top was a giant, thick fresh slice, and paired well with the rest of the burger. I liked the addition of veggies on the sizzling plate.
We were right across the street from my favorite boba place in Tokyo, so how could I not get one? Read about my boba here!
We hung out for a bit, and then parted ways with my cousin. I went back to the hotel, rested up, collected my stuff, and off to Haneda airport! I dropped off my suitcase (weirdly the line is much shorter than New Chitose’s), and my dad and I looked for a cafe to chill at. We ended up at the cafe at the observation deck, and I got a mango smoothie. Pretty good smooth, thick, cold drink.
When I finished my drink, my dad and I parted ways and I headed into security. I finally bought the Samantha Thavas x Hattendo colaboration strawberry flavor. Hattendo is the Hiroshima company that makes whip cream breads, and the strawberry and banana flavor are Haneda Airport limited. I’ve always passed by the stand, and I was determined to get one…They had just run out of fresh ones, but you can buy any amount of frozen ones.
It’s fluffy, with a lightly strawberry whipped cream and a single strawberry inside a small white bread bun. If you liked strawberry whip cream in bread, this is for you.
Unfortunately my flight was slightly dealyed, but on the upside, I finally got to check off riding on the Air Do Vulpix plane! I was super excited when I saw the plane at my gate, and took many pictures. Along with the Vulpix and Alolan Vulpix designs on the outside, there were plushies that greeted guests, designs on the headrests, and the cups had designs too.
The flight overall was pretty smooth, and I rode the airport train all the way to Otaru. Shoutout to my friend for picking me up! Before going home, I saw that Saint Germain in Otaru station was doing a “Yori Yori Buffet” deal: any 3 breads for 583 yen. This must be a campaign they do after 7pm or something. I picked up three breads I haven’t tried before.
The milk bread was soft and sweet, like a cinnamon roll, except with no icing and cinnamon. The burdock root sesame one had a crispy burdock root top, with a soft bread bottom. The sausage bread probably tastes like how you imagine it.
This time I stayed at Shinagawa Prince Hotel with my dad! It’s a pretty nice hotel, with the room like an upgraded business hotel.
Leave a Reply