Friday, November 30, 2018

Solo and Found in Tokyo - Autumn Trip 2018

And I did it again~ I had my first solo adventures to Japan 3 years ago. I thought my love for Japan and traveling would have died down once I step into adulthood but I realised it's when you're an adult you'll desire to travel even more(because reality ain't that pretty and all you need is just a good old break). 

This time round, I decided to go to Tokyo again. The first time I went there I had lots of regrets because I didn't do my research and study on my destination. So this time round, I made sure I planned to the T for my itinerary. It was just for a short 6 days 5 nights trip and I swear to God, I was so damn busy. Probably the most tiring trip I ever had. 
AND OH! Do check out my vlog here !

*ALL FOOD FEATURED IN THIS BLOG IS HALAL-CERTIFIED OR MUSLIM-FRIENDLY*

DAY 1 - Departure, Apartment and Kabukicho

Changi Airport
 SQ in-flight entertainment
I was never bored with their updated list of dramas and movies. 
 My meal is quite special. 
I requested for a muslim meal instead of the usual "pick your choice of food from the menu"
When I landed at Haneda Airport, I received this from a police officer, wearing like those investigators in disguise. He showed me his badge and proceed on to questioning me like, 'How long are you staying', 'What's your purpose in Japan', etc. I was quite afraid at first(especially when you're overseas), thinking of what crime I unknowingly did, but thankfully it was nothing dramatic. I think they must have strengthened the security because of Tokyo Olympics 2020 that's approaching soon.

Booked an apartment via Airbnb and stayed at a station called 'Ushigome-Yanagicho' 
along the Oedo Line

~Side Story 1~

For this trip, I booked about a year ago, along with my Airbnb apartment. If you guys didn't know, recently this year, Japan's government made a shocking news that they'll be closing down Airbnb in Japan. It was so sudden because the people in Airbnb themselves were shook. Lots of reservations were forcefully cancelled after the announcement. I was anxious and scared that my reservation would've have been cancelled too since it was only weeks till my trip but thankfully, it wasn't. Then I read in the news again, that the Japanese could still host their apartments on Airbnb but the rules was super strict that some thought it was not worth it and gave it up all together.
I honestly prefer Airbnb rather than hotels because I loved the ambience and the local-feeling about staying in an apartment. You get to discover things that not many tourist-packed places can offer.
 Croquette Mix Pack @ Yoshiya Shinjukuten
This restaurant is located at the west side of Shinjuku Station. Yoshiya is originally from Kyoto and they specialise in washoku. Their croquettes are real special and its of their own recipe. 
Kabukicho aka Red Light District
Before anybody starts questioning why I'm at this kind of place...

When I heard Coco Ichibanya went halal in Tokyo, I knew I had to go there. There's Coco Ichi in Sg but it's not halal-certified. Usually their stores are in yellow, but for the halal version it's in green.

~Side Story 2~

I touched down in Haneda Airport in the late afternoon. By the time I'm done unpacking and praying, it was already dinner time. Since I'm staying in Shinjuku, I knew it was my chance to head over to Coco Ichi. It was all good except for... I just couldn't understand why they opened their halal outlet in Kabukicho. I was so nervous to head over there because erm.. let's just say I had done thorough research on that place in the past. It'll be my first time heading there and since I'm all alone, my anxiety heightened to a whole new record. When I first stepped into that place, it wasn't that bad. As expected, there were 'hosts' trying to get female customers - like rows of them! Thankfully, I'm wearing my hijab so none of them dared to approach me. Going to Kabukicho had gave me a lil peak to the raw side of the Japanese. I don't recommend for the ladies to head over there alone, especially when the sun has already set.
Vegetable curry + Chicken

DAY 2  - Dandelion Chocolate, Asakusa and Ginza

 Apartment's Balcony View
 Don Quijote(aka Donki) Asakusa
Located less than a min walk from the Asakusa Station(TSUKUBA), this outlet opens for 24/7. 
From household items to cosmetics and travel, it's like a department store at affordable prices. 
You can also claim tax-free if you spend more than 5000 yen.
*Travel Tip: When you go during cold seasons like Autumn, Winter and Spring, please make sure to bring a moisturiser with you. Don't be like me - who realises she needs one when she woke up to a very dry and cracking skin.
Found and bought this cool keychain while walking around at Nakamise Dori(Asakusa).
Brownie Bite Flight and Frozen Hot Chocolate


 ~Side Story 3~

Went for breakfast at this special café. For those who loves bean-to-bar chocolate and single-origin, I highly recommend you to go to Dandelion Chocolate. And for those who doesn't know what are these chocolate, you HAVE to go! I can write an entire post about this chocolate, but I shall leave it to another time. Basically, they make small batches of chocolate and their chocolate bars have only two ingredients - cocoa beans and cane sugar. Their purpose is for you to taste as close as possible to the taste of the cocoa beans itself - because different cocoa beans from different lands and farms taste distinctly different. Be ready for a ground-breaking, mouth-shaking taste trip with their chocolates. All I can guarantee - it'll totally be different from your convenient stores chocolate; fresh, new and full of sincerity. Their café is an open concept, meaning you'll get to see them in action from sorting and grinding those beans to hand-wrapping every single bar.


 Uniqlo Ginza - Flagship store
 Dinner @ Ginza Itsuki
Tendon 
An absolute must-to-go restaurant. Even though it's located in Ginza(a go-to place for the rich), that meal cost only 1000 yen!! And they didn't forsake the taste at all. 
 Buys @ Lawson, Ginza Six
There's also a Tourist Information Center in here.
Buys @ Itoya(Ginza) 
A unique(pretty pricey) stationery store - catered especially for art & craft lovers.
 Buys @ Bic Camera Shinjuku
Bic Camera is your electronic goods store.

DAY 3 - Hiking to Takaosan, Ameyoko and Shibuya Loft


 Takaosan Station
Mt. Takao aka Takaosan, is technically part of Tokyo but a train ride from Shinjuku to Takaosanguchi Station takes about 1 hour. You can purchase their Keio Discount Ticket if you're planning to take from Shinjuku. Just purchase at their Keio line machines but do note there's no reservations and can only be bought on the day you're traveling.

~Side Story 4~

I knew hiking will never escape from being part of my itinerary. No matter how urban Tokyo is, they'll never fail to preserve their nature. Even though I like Tokyo as a city, but I always crave for their mountains. I did some research and found Takaosan. It appears lots of the Japanese would go here to take a short-break from the hustles and bustles. Most of the hiking trails are pretty relaxed and easy - Trail 1: Omotesando - being their easiest trail with slopes, handrails etc, and for those who don't wish to hike, you can take their cable car or chairlift half way up, and hike the rest to the top.
I don't know what possessed me but I decided to go for their hardest course - the Inariyama trail. 
It was quite okay.. but there were some parts that were too scary for me(especially when the ground was wet because of the rain from the night before) but thankfully, I managed to overcome my fear and survived. 
*Fun Fact: Fellow Japanese hikers will greet as they pass by you, either 'Ohayou gozaimasu'(in the morning) or 'Konichiwa'(in the afternoon). I like this bit of their culture - because they didn't discriminate me even though I'm obviously a foreigner. I even get to have leisure small talks with some of them(in basic Japanese). Also, most of the hikers were Ojisan(grandpas) and Obasan(grandmas)! It was the same when I went hiking in Kyoto last time.. Gosh, they were like superhumans(and even faster than me).

 Starting line of Inariyama Trail - 90mins hike
Basically, you'll be going through another mountain to get to Takaosan.
 Start of a very long, scary, tiring but worth-it hike.
 Fallen tree 1
 Fallen tree 2
 The last few steps to the top
 Pretty pretty autumn trees
There's no 'Chair lift Sta.' stated here but just follow the 'Cable Car Sta.' sign. 
Its just nearby.
 On the way back to the grounds. More like, I want to take the Chair Lift because my legs can't handle anymore hiking. #NotASportsPerson
 Oh yes! They had a Momiji Matsuri, a festival for the Autumn season. 
 Autumn leaves at its greenest.
 Platform at Takaosanguchi Station, going back to Shinjuku
 Trick Art Museum
 Chicken Man at Ameyoko
Totally recommend this street. Its located near Ueno(JR) Station, Central Exit. Lots of food and discounted goods. You can practically just call it a market - a really clean one.

BUYS @ GARAGE(SHIMOKITAZWA)
For those of you who wants to go more shopping but in a quieter, less crowded area than Harajuku, head over to Shimokitazawa(aka Shimokita). It's also a shopping district but more hipster and vintage-y. Shimokita is split into two sides: North and South. I went to explore the North side because I heard of this store called Vanguard and it's an interesting place to get unique souvenirs.
There's a lot of clothing stores too but Garage Department stands out the most. The exterior looks like a garage and they sell second-hand clothes and hand made jewelleries. I managed to buy a blouse which cost 600 yen with such mind-blowing quality!!

BUYS @ SHIBUYA LOFT
 
Typewriter keyboard at Shibuya Loft
Because my legs were screaming at me to go back ASAP, I was only able to go to Shibuya Loft and Tokyu Hands. Shibuya Loft is a really awesome store ranging from all sorts of normal and unique goods. It can get quite pricey but totally worth of the hype.

DAY 4 - Mt Fuji, Lake Shojiko and Shoji Mount Hotel


Had chicken sandwich from a kebab place at Ameyoko for breakfast
 Bus ride from Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko (1hr 45min)
 1st sighting of Mt Fuji in the bus

LAKE SHOJIKO

~ Side Story 5 ~

As this was my 2nd time to Tokyo, I realised I didn't get to see the all-raved Mt Fuji. I don't really like tourist spots but when I did some digging, I found out I can go there without the crowd. There are 4 lakes around Mt Fuji; Lake Kwaguchiko being the biggest and popular. I went for the smallest lake out of the four; Lake Shojiko. It's small but as you can tell from the pictures above, you get a really pretty view of Mt Fuji + another mountain in front of it. Above all that, it's the least crowded area! Yayy me! And there are hotels here where you can view Mt Fuji from your room! Now, that's something you don't get to experience everyday. So there I went and booked a hotel called Shoji Mount Hotel.
Coco Ichibanya's Chicken Box(Takeout)
There is a halal restaurant near Kawaguchiko Station but since it's really far from the place I'm staying at(45min bus ride apart!) and the bus frequency is not that frequent, decided to takeout from Coco Ichibanya at Shinjuku.

SHOJI MOUNT HOTEL
View from room's balcony
 Yukata(ryokan-style) provided
Massage Chair at Level 1(free)
Sigh~ Really needed a goooodd massage ever since that hike. My body was still aching all over.
 Full moon
 Dusk time
 Stars!!
Just to be warn, it's really dark because there's not much street lights. I had to use my phone camera light to get around. And it is much colder here than Tokyo. Make sure to prep up warmer clothes. It can get as cold as 3 degree Celsius. 
I went out for awhile when the sun sets completely and oh boy, it was super dark and super cold. But I get to see full-on view of the night sky(which you can hardly see in the cities). 
Scheduled Meal Time
I just thought that this was super thoughtful of them.

~ Review on Shoji Mount Hotel ~

This is a 3-star hotel but it sure doesn't feel like it. The hotel is clean, well-kept and maintained, staffs were really helpful and friendly. There should be staffs who could speak basic English since they provided an English guidebook of their hotel. I just spoke to them in Japanese since they were saying "It really helped that you could speak Japanese". When I asked a female staff whether they have gloves to spare, she lend hers instead! SO nice of her!! She even gave me hot packs(it really saved me - my hands, to be exact). Check-in and check-out are hassle-free and flexible. Overall, I'm a satisfied customer. 

DAY 5 - Back to Tokyo, Shibuya and Hara Donuts


 Foggy morning
Not what I had imagined. I thought I would wake up to seeing Mt Fuji, but it sure was fogging up. I thought I could go out at 7am and walk around Lake Shojiko but it was still foggy till the time I had to leave(around 8.50am). I've never experienced a fog before(only haze, lol) so not feeling much regrets(plus I get to soak in a hot tub, watch TV and rest my still-aching body). 
 It looks like a horror scene. Haha
A café nearby
 Fog starting to clear up
 Local bus ride to Kawaguchiko Station
Took the first bus scheduled at 0846. Just note that there might be a delay 
by 10mins.
Bought some souvenirs at Kawaguchiko Station. 

When I return to Tokyo, I went back to the apartment to drop my baggage and pray. Decided to head over to Manhattan Fish Market at Shibuya for lunch and do the final round of shopping.
 
Mediterranean Baked Dory Fish Set(right) and Soup of the day(mushroom soup)(left)
 

ANIMATE SHIBUYA
 
Received this coupon with my purchase. Apparently I can claim free food(cake maybe?) from 7-Eleven(not sure if it's muslim-friendly though). My attention was more to the boys on the left.

~ Side Story 6 ~

Everytime I'm at Shibuya, I will never fail to be lost and confused. Shibuya is just so huge with lots of aisle. To the ladies who are traveling solo like me, do take note to be extra careful. Even though Tokyo is generally safe, you'll still have to take extra caution when the sun sets and when you're walking around alone in hot places like Shinjuku and Shibuya. As you walk around, you might notice young men approaching women who're by themselves. I've had the same experience in Kyoto- before I had my hijab on. They'll ask you whether you have time or whether you want to go for tea or sth. Pretty much these men are trying to pick you up and hang out. Its called 'Nanpa' in Japanese. Usually they only go for Japanese women but I was a special case because I looked kinda like a Japanese before I started wearing the hijab. So if you're approached by them, just speak English. Or politely decline. They won't pester or force you in any way(especially not in a crowded area).


LAOX 
You can get HALAL souvenirs here at level 6
Hara Donuts Jiyugaoka
5 mins walk from Jiyugaoka Station
OMG these donuts are the best donuts I've ever tasted!! So so good. They also have seasonal ones(which I did buy). I swear you won't regret dropping by here. 

DAY 6  - Keio Skyliner, Flight at Narita Airport

View from Window Seat
I originally booked the ticket in advance via their website . I don't think it's a necessity to get the tickets in advance. I was just being a worrywart and thought I won't have cash leftover to buy the ticket. 
The train ride was comfortable, clean, smooth, lots of leg space and a very fast ride. Only 41 mins ride from Keisei Ueno station to Narita Airport! 
Narita Airport T1
SQ muslim meal
Once again, the food is top notch. 


I felt this trip was the most productive(and super tiring) one I ever had. Managed to stick to 80 percent of my itinerary. Really had a good time and I'm hoping there'll be a next time for me. In fact my jap friend from Osaka is making a request for me to visit her there. Haha, I hope so too.
My last bit of advice to those who are planning to go to Japan: plan, plan, and PLAN.  Make sure to have a detailed itinerary and train schedule is key for a smoother trip. During cold seasons, please bring a moisturiser. Unfortunately, you can never get by in Tokyo without internet. You'll definitely need google maps to navigate your way. You can either get a data card, sign up for data roam or rent a mobile WIFI(usually provided by some hosts at Airbnb). 

I pray that may all of you go there safely, be there safely and come back home safely. If you're going there for vacation. make sure not to take 'fun' out of the equation!

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