it's been a really long time since i've came back from Japan (about 3 months) but decided it's time to finally sit down and do proper blog posts about it. B and i had a beautiful time there - i've come to realise two weeks is an amazing time period to be spending overseas because you don't have to rush to be at places and feel like you have to go home when you've only just got there. we really had the chance to explore places beyond just the iconic attractions of Tokyo, and even had the chance to live with the locals since we stayed at an airbnb in Kyoto! so all in all, a really amazing time there. even happier that i got to take quite a lot of pretty photos too :D
Day 1: Shinjuku
Shinjuku is contemporary and ancient all at once; where the elements of the old and the new crowd against each other on the streets, you could find simple joys and surprises that lay in the spaces between them. Had a great time just wandering down the streets and taking in the sights (:
walked into this random sushi train store for lunch! in Japan, pretty much every sushi train stall wouldn't differ too much in terms of quality and price, i would say, as long as they're reasonably priced at about 130-140Y per plate. trust us, we're the poster boy and girl for 'Singaporean Kiam Siap-ness'! (:
Shinjuku Gyoen National Park
Would recommend this place to just chill (and perhaps, picnic?) if you have the time and the mood. it's a really great place to lay back and people-watch. quite a nice break from our usual holiday routine.
Shinjuku Gyoen Directions: 10 min walk from JR Shinjuku Station
Admission: 200Y
Izakaya Mendaka
We were trawling through the net for cheap bargains in Japan prior to our trip (Tokyo Cheapo was our bible leading to our departure - i read through almost all their articles religiously to get some great tips on how to save money!) So imagine our (or at least mine) excitement when i found this bar that sold 100Y beer. that works out to be about $1.90 HELLO?! but a caveat though - this bar had a hidden admission charge that we weren't aware of so the bill didn't turn out as cheap as we thought it would be :( but still quite a nice experience immersing ourselves in a local watering hole, Japanese beer is always good.
we ordered in a mishmash of broken Japanese and sign language. thankfully the waitress was super patient with us.
Izakaya Mendaka
Tokyo, Shinjuku-ku, Kabukicho 1-3-6
5 min walk from Shinjuku Station
end of Day 1 in Japan!
