Big in Japan

Last Frontier

2006-04-08T14:18:45Z

None of the guide books or recommendations reveal this little gem we stumbled across. The Muji superstore. Stevie will tell you all about it.

10 points, name that band? Name that video? ps. the dolls cost $135 each.

Dinner at Tabela. See next entry for the food pictures.

It isn't the camera. I'm blurry.

A day in Asakusa

2006-04-08T14:12:52Z

So the last day of the trip we decided to go to an old part of the city to eat Tempura. See the next entry.

This is the garden inside the restaurant.

Stevie in front of Nakase. The woman at the first restaurant we thought was the right one walked us around the block to this one. The right one.

Um, another big temple with a lot of people.

I asked aloud the other day, "where do they buy all these black suits and white shirts?"

... and how do they know what size to buy?

Tabela in Shibuya

2006-04-08T14:09:45Z

I had a meeting with a distribution company called Uplink. They have a couple of small movie theaters and this excellent restaurant called Tabela. It is food from around the world.

Tempura

2006-04-08T14:06:40Z

Trina suggested a decades-old tempura restaurant in Asakusa called Nakase. Delicious.

The Tsukiji Fish Market Desktop Collection

2006-04-08T00:13:42Z

As we were already on the path to geekdom. Here's the start of the desktop photo collection. click an image to launch a full size version.

The Fish Market - 1920x1440 - 1.1mb

Shellfish At The Fish Market - 1920x1440 - 1.1mb

Dried Fish At The Fish Market - 1920x1440 - 1.1mb

A Big Dinner

2006-04-07T14:34:52Z

We're just back from a very bizarre dinner in a restaurant on the 25th floor. I'll save the review for later - but here are 6 of the 9 courses.

From The 25th Floor

2006-04-07T14:32:13Z

A soccer game on the roof.

Groovy Street Tiles

2006-04-07T14:25:25Z

We hit, Electric Town - Akihabra. It is all about tomorrow's electronics today. So they hyped it with cool street tiles.

and other future technologies like the walkman.

Picnic In Kyoto

2006-04-07T14:17:00Z

We walked through a huge bamboo forest to have a picnic in a park. Bento Boxes.

Soy sauce container.

And finally delicious cherry pudding (think a mild cherry flavored flan).

Food In Kyoto

2006-04-07T14:10:08Z

Lunch of Okonomiyaki.

Coffee and tarts. The one I shot of Stevie's strawberry shortcake was too blurry.

Kyoto

2006-04-07T09:23:36Z

So we arrived in Kyoto in a rain storm. We debated indoor activities, like going to see a movie and then decided to persevere.

After a cup of coffee.

and with such cute creamer.

heading to the start of the walking tour.

yep, temples and cherry blossoms. It is really very beautiful.

The coolest part of this temple involved walking through a pitch black hallway that made numerous 90 degree corners to arrive at a huge stone, which you spin and make a wish.

the oldest cherry tree in Kyoto.

Stevie at a temple dedicated to people who have died without families.

word.

egg mcmuffin delicious in any language.

Waited for a bus in the mountains.

Off to Kyoto

2006-04-04T20:57:00Z

In an hour or so we'll be on a bullet train to Kyoto. We aren't bringing the computer so we'll have to wait till we get back on Thursday evening to update. Till then!

;) Stevie

:) Zach

Zach blogging in his weird Muji socks with individual toes.

Food Porn and Shopping

2006-04-04T13:22:32Z

We took it a little easier on the sightseeing Tuesday. Even as walk-everywhere-New Yorkers, our feet get damn tired, too. These are all a bit random but then so is Tokyo.

Make your own caption for this photo.

We found this place to eat called Lotus in Aoyama. Have to say it's one of the coolest spots we've been to yet. We didn't want to leave. Look at that food!

And the coffee!

And the dessert!

Zach got a badass tie at Vivienne Westwood.

We had bibimbop for dinner with tempura shrimp on top. Delish!

Stevie loves Muji

2006-04-04T13:03:42Z

I don't even know where to begin with my intense love of Muji. I've been to the stores in Paris and London and the tiny "store" they have at the MoMA in NYC but until I went to the stores they have here in Tokyo I had no idea. This is me sorting through my mad purchases back at the hotel. More pictures of Muji stuff TK.

;) Stevie

Meiji Temple

2006-04-04T12:57:03Z

The Meiji temple is right near the Harajuku station but feels miles away form the bustle once you get inside the grounds. It was a needed break from shopping and crowded streets.

People write prayers on these little wooden plaques and hang them around a big tree just outside the temple.

These ladies all wearing red were part some sort of group visiting the temple.