Here’s the start of my Japan trip entries! I went with my husband and one of my closest friends, and we left for Japan on July 31st, but because of the large time zone difference, we landed in Tokyo in the afternoon on August 1st. There isn’t much to say about the first day since we just checked into our hotel in Shinjuku, had dinner at a katsu place, and then went to bed. Two years ago, we also started our trip in Shinjuku (and at the same hotel), so it was nice to have a familiar start.
The next morning, we found a 24-hour ramen place, Ichiran Ramen, and had ramen for breakfast. The place has an interesting concept where they minimize human interaction. You select what you want from a ticket vending machine and then choose a booth, which is walled off from the others (you can move the wall if you want though). In front of you is a window that is covered by a shade, and it’s only opened when they take your food tickets and when they give you food. We also got a form to fill out to customize our ramen, from its richness to the texture of the noodles. It was a tasty and hearty start to the day!
From there, we took the train to Ikebukuro to go to Sunshine City, a large shopping mall. The first stop was the Pokemon Center! With me and my friends’ interest in Pokemon Go, I ended up buying a bunch of things to bring back.
Also in Sunshine City is a small theme park called Namja Town. It’s filled with games targeted to little kids, but we weren’t there for the games. We were there for the food. It contains two food theme parks: Gyoza Stadium and Ice Cream City. They’re basically areas with several food stalls, so you can try different types of gyoza and ice cream. Food theme parks or food themed areas are pretty common in Japan, and they’re a fun way to try many things in one place.
The other thing that is common are themed cafes and bars, many of which are animal cafes with animals like cats, bunnies, and small birds. Others are a little crazier with animals like owls, falcons, and penguins. I have mixed feelings on the latter, especially having visited one.
We picked the Owl Cafe in Harajuku and chose a short session. The cafe is split such that one area is where you can have drinks and another enclosed area is where you interact with the owls. On the plus side, it was a cool experience seeing them up close, and their feathers are so soft. The caretakers also seemed to care for them a lot and were very specific on which owls liked to be pet and which didn’t. While they seemed well taken care of, it was kind of sad to see them in a small area where they couldn’t move around much.
I find that I prefer animal parks like Monkey Park in Arashiyama (which I wrote about previously). The monkeys aren’t caged or enclosed at all, there’s a safe place to feed them, and there’s staff to make sure no one harms the monkeys and vice versa. It just seemed like a better environment overall. I know people love the animal cafes though, so just my 2 cents.
Since we were already in Harajuku, we also took a walk through Yoyogi Park, which was really nice and shaded. For Pokemon Go players, we discovered that this park was a Sandshrew nest!
Lastly, we ended our night having conveyor belt sushi at Ganso Zushi and called it a night. The next day we headed to One Piece Tokyo Tower, which I was super excited for since I love One Piece so much. I will write about that next time!
ICHIRAN!! My favorite ramen of all time OMG I miss it 🙁 Am going to Osaka next year and I’m definitely going there first thing when we land! haha! Well not really.
Wow didn’t know that there was a Monkey park. Maybe I’ll check it out next time. I went to the Akihabara owl cafe and it wasn’t really a cafe, no drinks or anything because it focused on relaxation and just being with the owls. I love my time there.
I was a bit disappointed with Pokemon Mega Center. They said that the one in Yokohama is better. There’s also a new one in Osaka I think. Will check it out! Oh how I love Pokemon Go and the original 151! haha
Definitely recommend Monkey Park and the Arashiyama area! It’s at the outskirts of Kyoto and would make an easy day trip from Osaka 🙂
I think my main concern on the owl cafes (and other exotic ones) is how ethical they are, as owls aren’t domesticated pets like cats =/ I’m curious whether the confined space and having to interact with people all day stresses them out.
I’ve actually been planning to head to Japan next year after seeing various blog posts about Japan and my friend just returning from her trip! She said she really loved every part of Japan!
It looks like you had fun, I can’t believe that ramen place – the food looks delicious but the almost no human interaction is so strange to me because interaction with staff/customer service is part of eating somewhere for me for sure!
Aww thats so nice you got your friend some Pokemon related gifts, I’m sure she will love it. My friend got me a sushi pen, it basically looks like a chopsticks with sushi on the end. It’s really interesting!
Aw, man! Seeing your photos and reading about your experience makes me want to go to Tokyo now! Oh, Tokyo! Why must you be so tempting XD
That ramen place is truly interesting. Like Pauline said, I find the lack of interaction to be strange . . . but it’s an experience for sure.
I didn’t make it to the Pokemon Centre, but when I went with my friends before, they went while I was stuck in a hotel with tonsillitis T_T
Yoyogi Park looks like a nice place to get with nature. And all those owls. Wow! Not sure if I’d ever go to an owl cafe, but it’s definitely something different!
The concept of Ichiran Ramen is pretty interesting. I like the sound of eating your delicious ramen in peace! I need to check this place out whenever I head off to Japan XD. The plush dolls at the Pokemon Center are cute!!!!!
AAAHHHHH!!! The food theme park is definitely my place to be! The crepe is cute too ;).
It’s neat how there are animals roaming outside of their cages. I guess it’s because more people respect animals in Japan than the US @___@…
Mmmmmm the ikura and uni plate looks major delish!!!
haha, yeah, I think the goal of Ichiran is to focus on the food, and for people who just want to eat in peace. It’s probably great for people who are tired after work and don’t want to deal with anything else! I also love that Japan has food theme parks XD
Aah, when it comes to Monkey Park, they actually don’t have cages at all. All of the monkeys there are wild ones 🙂
Whoops, meant to say cage-less! XD. Can’t have a cage if it doesn’t exist ;). Thanks for the fix 😀
Oh haha, gotcha! Yeah, you don’t really see those kinds of things in the US. I’m kind of obsessed with animal parks and areas in Japan, like deer park, monkey park, rabbit island, etc XD I like the idea of seeing animals roaming about instead of in cages!
That sounds like such an awesome start. I would really love to visit their one day because they have so many cute things, and the cute food, man.
I can totally understand what you mean about animal themed cafes. There are many pros and cons about them, and it can be difficult to judge if it’s a good thing or not.
Oh wow! Looks like an amazing trip. I want to go to a Pokemon Center so much! All the merchandise looks amazing.
Japan is definitely my dream holiday destination. Can’t wait to read your post about One Piece Tower, that sounds so cool!
Glad you’re having fun!
Ichiran has an interesting concept! I think i would like a place like that because I like to eat in peace. XD The panda ice cream is soooo cute!
This trip is a lot of fun!! That panda ice cream is adorable. This is what I miss about Asian trips — food stalls! I just love being able to eat different things at a time. Monkey park sounds exciting! It’s interesting to know how you’ll be able to view the animals interaction within their own environment as it should be than caged. Those pokemon stuffs are adorable – and pikachu on Charizard! x3
That ramen place sounds interesting! I wish we had places like that in the UK because some days I don’t want any human interaction, haha. 😛
The Owl Cafe sounds like a good choice. They’re so beautiful! We have cat cafes in the UK but I don’t think I would like to visit one. Especially with Tyrone being so allergic to cats!
The Pokemon Center looks amazing!!! I’m not sure how I’d like ordering from a machine and not talking to people. I tend to be a really big extrovert. My husband? He’d love every second of not talking to people, haha!
Looks amazing. I’m glad to have you as a good friend and I’m glad you were able to enjoy yourself in Tokyo. I think I would love to visit more of the surrounding area of Japan, around Hokkaido or whatnot. Anyhow, love this post, especially the Pokemon Center <3 Hehehehe
Ooooh! Tokyo! I’ve always wanted to visit Japan and all the places you mentioned in this post sound so cool!
The Owl Cafe sounds really nice but I agree that these birds need a large space where they can spread out their wings and roam. I also wonder how they are dealing with socialization with humans, do they also get stressed out doing this every day?
I wonder the same thing about the owls! I’ve read that many people who work with wildlife are against owl cafes because they don’t think it’s a good environment for the owls. I now question whether I should have gone to one =/
Oh Cat! What an amazing start to your trip. Japan seems so amazing and I’ve never been, but I love the culture. The food looks amazing. I love sushi, a little too much. The themed cafes seem so fun. That panda looks cute enough not to eat, hee hee. 😀 Ramen noodles for breakfast? I like that! The owls are so gorgeous. I’m too excited about your recent trip. Wow! 🙂
Ooh I am excited to read more of your Japan posts. I’m sure you had a great time. 🙂 I am hoping to go to Japan next year, when it’s warmer over there. I guess it’s summer for you now but it’s winter in Australia now. xD I last went about three years ago, feels like ages doesn’t it?!
I think you went to the same ramen place that I saw in a video on YouTube – with the shades and the cubicle-like feel. I thought that was pretty interesting.
I have been to the Monkey park! 🙂 I also don’t know how I feel about animal cafes since the animals are just used for entertainment… but I would definitely visit them. Even the cat cafes look cute, and I am not a big fan of cats but I would go to a cat cafe to see what it’s like.
Seriously, how are you supposed to pick what to eat when there are food THEME parks everywhere?! That sounds so amazing. Also, great choice on the ramen for breakfast. The minimal interaction is an interesting concept and I am curious if that kind of thing would float over to North America one day?!