Today I had one thing I had to center my day around because it was the only other thing I had a strict reservation for: The Pokemon Cafe! While not as hard to get as the Ghibli Ticket, they require a reservation a month in advance and they sell out as well. I waited a couple days and all the afternoon slots were gone so I had one set at 4:55 to 6:25.
From reading other reviews of it, their food is not good and overpriced, but the ambiance makes it worth it.
With time to kill before then, I wanted to get as much good food as I can before I leave, so I headed further south to Tsukiji Fish Market. The fish market is/was famous for its early morning fish auctions. Large fish can fetch thousands of dollars here. Circa 2018 though the auctionhouse was moved as overtourism was causing serious problems. The new place is further north I think?..and has viewing decks special areas just to watch it. I didn`t care about that though, Tsukiji is still a bustling market with super fresh fish and food stands. One place I read about was where I was headed. Maguroya is a place known for its Tuna and it serves various bowls and also rice balls (onigiri) and sushi rolls. It was a small stand with a couple women in the back slicing up dishes, and one at the register. There were premade items you could get. I saw one with 6 very large tuna rolls for a mere 380, and went for it.
They were huge and fantastic. Freshest tuna I`ve had, biggest tuna rolls, and was super tasty. For less than the cost of a Big Mac. While I was pretty full after that, I needed a tasty palette cleanser and got a Sakura soft serve ice cream. It had mochi chunks in it to add some extra texture. The flavor is like...almost honey flavored sweetness with a little cherry in it? Hard to describe, but really good and not super strong.
After wandering around the market and seeing everything else, I decided to head to Ginza. Its an area of Tokyo known for upscale shopping. Too upscale for me. This is the high high end stuff like Louis Vuitton show buildings where they have clothes straight off the runway available. Givenchy, Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent, Gucci, Burberry. I was a little tempted to go into Com Des Garconnes because they`re a Japanese label as well like Bape, but similar to Bape, they`re trash. You hear me James, if you`re reading this, CDG and Bape are trash. Another really well known Japanese high fashion brand I didn`t come across: Yohji Yamamoto. I would have probably gone in had I found it, and walked away with some socks maybe? I think I can afford a pair of Yohji socks.
Anyway...
After Ginza I was headed to Hibiya Park, but it`s kind of boring. I took a picture of the outside and its closer to a western styled park, and is missing the Sakura trees that are dropping blossoms like crazy. There are random streets now that just look beautiful because they`re lined with the trees, and a breeze will come by and blow some petals off, and they spin as they fall like those helicopter seeds.
So instead of that I went across the street to the Emperor`s palace in Tokyo. Now for those who didn`t hear the news, the new Japanese Era was named yesterday. Its Reiwa, meaning Order & Peace. They name a new era when an emperor dies, but Emperor Akihito announced his abdication of the throne to his eldest son. It hasn`t taken effect yet, but its closer now that they`ve chosen a new name for the era. He`s doing it because he`s old and doesn`t want to empire any more.
Because of this the grounds were packed. Normally I think there`s joggers running around the grounds, and some people line up for the tour of the grounds which I hear is pretty boring. I got in the line and it was moving along pretty quick, but after about 15 minutes I saw a bag check up ahead, and wanting to avoid getting my uncleaned undies and socks checked again I circled backwards and started heading for the pokemon center and pokemon cafe.
After a while I got to the pokemon center, this one being Pokemon Center DX, a new extra large Pokemon Center. Just filled with merchandise and games for kids and statues and stuff. I looked around and found out where the cafe was. Looked around for a bit then went to kill time at the starbucks right on that road with the Sakura I mentioned.
After a bit I headed back up to the cafe about 15 minutes before my reservation. At this point I decided, what the heck, I`ll get a full meal, my budgets fine, where before I was thinking of just getting a coffee. I was pretty hungry again.
I got inside and was ushered inside by one of the uniformed workers who found my name. Most inside spoke English as well. The cafe was about 50% little kids with parents, and 49% couples and couple tourists, and 1% 30 year old me in a dark corner mumbling and taking pictures of people: "huh huh I shure love pokemon, huh huh huh..."
No actually I was in the middle of the brightly lit room, and they seemed to sit those without kids away from the kid section which was wonderful. The menu was super easy to order from everyone had an ipad with a touchpad menu. I ordered the Lizardon (Charizard) Roast Beef Volcano. It was between that and the Pikachu curry, but I know with my other curry experiences I would have been disappointed. I got the roast beef volcano, and it was pretty cute with a little cracker cutout of Charizards head breathing fire next to it. You pour the sauce over the "volcano" and it drips down the sides. In the end it was lettuce and sprouts around the site, with a mound of rice covered in roast beef slices (like sandwich roast beef) and had an extra ketchupy tasting sauce on it. It wasn`t terrible and I ate it all and it was filling. Definitely not 13 dollars good though. It was at this point that Chef Pikachu came out from the kitchen!
One of the girls working there came out with him and introduced him and they started playing music. She gave various instructions in Japanese on how to cheer him on presumably. He walked around by the kids section and they had a blast. Then it was our turn! Pikachu walked up and struck a pose after a chef pikachu theme song, he even shook my hand. It was actually very fun, it had an almost Lego Movie, everything is awesome sort of excitement to it. While he was going around my 2nd order came around. I got a Jigglypuff pudding plate with a special Latte. The lattes you can order with foam art of any of the first 151 Pokemon. I ordered Lickitung, who is my favorite.
30 year old me was very happy at that moment. I had just met the real Pikachu, and I had a Lickitung Latte, highlight of the trip along with the Pogs. Might as well call the blog, Japan for 21 Days: Latte and Pogs
The pudding was actually really good. Someone else said it tasted cheap, which sure, its pudding and had the Jello type bounce to it, not the soft kind. But the berry sauce, whip cream, and fruit on the side, plus the awesomeness of the presentation made it worth it. Would recommend to anyone else. The latte was not hot, it was on the warmer side of warm, and tasted normal. But that didn`t matter. Its like the speed of the light, you can`t go any faster. So if it had tasted better, it wouldn`t have made a difference basically it was already the best it could be.
At about the 45 minute marker the Pikachu show had ended a while ago, people were grabbing their bills and heading up. They had a shop just for the cafe, but that stuff was not particularly neat and was expensive. I have great ideas for them they should make Pokemon cuttlery (like Scyther because he has blade hands), and Pokemon whisks, and like basters and stuff not like the stuff they have which is stuffed chef pikachu, plastic folders, plastic cups, t-shirts. I`d by the heck out of pokemon cookware if you could only get it there.
Well that`s my story. I headed back to popeyes and got here just 5 minutes after they started their 7pm-11am deal for 16 bucks. Which reminds me, last night didn`t have a great sleep. They ran out of blankets by the time I checked, and I swear someone had a basketball at 2 in the morning or that`s what it sounded like. I shouldv`e put in my earplugs right from the get go. I`ll be smarter tonight. I got a blanket nice and early, and my early checkin time got me a spot on the third floor well away from the entrance where everyone leaves. Same great polite host from the first night here.
Also one last thing I forgot about until I was uploading photos. I found another magical Japanese toilet. It had a privacy button where you press it and it plays loud waterfall/running water noise. You can change the volume too, but its for when you`re being a little noisy and are feeling self conscious about it.
My vague to-do list for the rest of the trip:
See sumo practice: this involves waking up very very early, like 4:30, and then walking an hour, and then not guaranteed so not sure if I care that much
Go to Tokyo Tower: this I will make happen. I for sure want to get there and I will go up. Its cheaper than the skytree and to me has more fun history having been destroyed by Godzilla several times at least, and just being an icon in general.
Have A5 Wagyu beef: they had some at Tsukiji and its not too bad if you get small quantities. Maybe Fri I`ll see how my budget is and do a nicer dinner somewhere
Go to the Rainbow Bridge and Giant Ferris Wheel: These are further south than I went today by another hour or so. Maybe I`ll try for that Thursday. That area also has the giant Gundam Robot.
Shop for souvenirs and buy a luggage thing to check. This`ll be on the last day. I don`t really care what form the luggage takes, just need something to check. I`ll probably be getting a bunch of KitKats and stuff in wacky Japanese only flavors.
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