teamLab Planets
We booked tickets for teamLab Planets early on the first morning of our trip to ensure we had something on the schedule early help get us acclimated to the local time. teamLab Planets is a museum designed to combine technology with tactile and physically immersive exhibitions, with water-based exhibits.
Shinjuku
Now it was time to explore some of the different neighborhoods in Tokyo. On the books this morning was Shinjuku, known for the busiest train station in the world, skyscrapers with unique features, and multiple areas of small narrow alleys. One of the areas, Golden Gai has over 200 tiny, distinct bars. Another, Omoide Yokocho (Memory Lane) has hundreds of little yakitori stalls.
We started by visiting some of the odd attractions like the 3d cat display on the side of a building and the Godzilla head. While exploring, we found a nice, small ramen shop where you lined up outside and then were let out to order your ramen and then told to head back out to the line. When a seat opened up, you were let in. Then they would then prepare your food. It was some of the best ramen we have tried to date. We’ll see if we can top it as we explore more of Japan.
After more exploring, we stopped by a bar known for their Japanese whisky. The bartender was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. He gave a lot of information while we tried whisky only available in this particular bar.
After visiting the whisky bar, we made our way to the Tokyo government building where they put on a 3d light show on the side of building every night. People sit in the courtyard to enjoy the event. You can also go to the top of the government building to enjoy panoramic views. We decided it was not worth the long lines, so we enjoyed the show and decided to move on.
Memory Lane
We finished up the night on Memory Lane at one of their yakitori shops. We stalked one until we found a shop where it looked like people were getting ready to leave. We were barely able to squeeze in due to the super small size. We tried wagu steak, chicken breast, mushroom, and garlic skewers. We had some great conversations with other visitors from Portland and Minnesota. Matt ended up finding a like-minded food explorer friend and they shared some dishes of chicken spleen and horse meat. On our way back to the metro back to the hotel, we walked through Golden Gai to see how everyone was partying in the super small bars. Of course, we stopped by 7-11 for some midnight snacks.
