February 14th, 16th & 22nd: Shibuya, Sukiya & Melons
On Valentine's Day we walked around Shibuya to see the Vivienne Westwood store. Pretty much. Yep.
The day always starts with a train ride if you plan on leaving Yokosuka. As driving would cost much, much more because of tolls and parking.
This is the Shinagawa train station. It's huge as you can see.
Big time celebrities usually won't do ads in the US but totally will in Japan. You'll see them randomly on the trains to vending machines. Brad Pitt is currently advertising for Soft Bank, a cell phone company. Which is who we have service through also. <3
Shibuya is one of the famous districts in Tokyo known for being a fashion center with the younger generations and also has a big nightlife. Walking around Shibuya you'll see all the high end fashion shops like Versace and such. We went for Vivienne Westwood, my favourite designer, but did not buy anything seeing as it was marked up about double here in Japan. But it was nice seeing pieces in person.
There's many famous spots in Shibuya but we did not visit any as it was a quick trip. Next time we go it'll be for sight seeing. But I'm sure in movies or somewhere on TV you've seen that major crossing at an intersection with a mass of people crossing in Japan? That's in Shibuya and where most of the pictures are of above. I just didn't know it at the time so the pictures really don't show it. Oops.
We ended up eating Kua Aina, a Hawaiian burger joint. They have 12 locations in Japan.
It was very "American" with serving sizes being the most noticeable. We've been to American chains in Japan but they're usually drastically changed to fit Japanese likes. But then again, I haven't been to a real Kua Aina so tell me if I'm wrong, ha ha.
We went in randomly and it was nice to find an English menu and English speaking staff unexpectedly. The interior was all wood and Hawaiian decor. We both had the Avocado burger which was delicious but staked really high --it was hard to eat, ha ha.
It's hard to tell, but that's a big sign of Obama with his famous "Yes we can!". He's become kinda infamous here in Japan and you'll come across him randomly on TV (even Japanese impersonators) and signs like that. It's weird.
And of course the lines for the trains home are awful. The Japanese will line up nicely at the platform but once the train doors open it's a free for all. Don't be afraid to kindly push your way through sometimes or you'll get left behind, lol.
February 16th
Last Monday we drove off base for a quick bite and went to your Japanese equivalent of Denney's. Sukiya offers gyudon (beef bowl), donburi (rice bowl) and Japanese curry. It's very, very cheap, friendly and has quick service. It's slogan is "save time and money". :D
They had the typical layout for a "working man's" restaurant --seats around a counter where all utensils, condiments and napkins are in front of you. All the staff has to is bring you your food.
On the menu they also had four different sizes for each meal and the option of making it combos with either miso soup, salad and/or a raw egg.
I got gyudon (one of my favourites)... with something green on top of it, ha ha. The sauce was spicy but good.
Terry got hamburger cheese curry. (curry is one of his favourites)
The place was good and way cheap. We'll be back for sure!
February 22nd
On Sunday we went out for a little lunch and market shopping locally.
This is on Base (while we were walking off). The base is really "hilly" and there is a lot of these boarded up in the side of the hills. I can't help but wonder what they were once used for seeing as a lot of stuff dates back to WWII.
Just a picture to point out that everything in Japan comes in any colour you want. Cell phones, computers, cars. Not fair.
We stopped at our local ramen place for lunch. Terry got Spicy Miso Kimchi ramen. It really is spicy~
I got Kitano Megumi ramen. It had a "milk" based broth with butter pads, bacon, corn and onions. It tasted like breakfast in soup form (I was just missing my pancakes). Interesting.
This is Hotel Goddess, complete with a small Statue of Liberty on top. It's located almost directly across base (and the ramen shop).
It's a Love Hotel or "rabu hoteru". It's a short stay hotel strictly for, um, adult alone time. Don't get me wrong --it's not meant to be seedy-- it's (usually) for your everyday couple who lives in the small apartments and is trying to get some privacy. They charge by the hour and usually have dramatic themes from being shaped like a castle... to having the Statue of Liberty on top. But yes, some can be a little shady to very glamorous. Just depends on your $$$.
We went out primarily to get some produce as the stuff on base is a little lack-luster. They do have big grocery stores but small market like stores are popular and abundant. We have several within a few minute walk from base.
These strawberries or "Ichigo" were HUGE! And delicious. Strawberry anything in Japan is very, very popular.
Just some of the veggies. Everything looked wonderful and was nicely packaged instead of just thrown around like they usually are in the States. Not to mention the variety was amazing for such a small store compared to your selection at a Publix.
These are chrysanthemum flowers or just "Mums". Apart from a cultural significance and symbolism here they also use them to brew a sweet tea.
How about a $3 lemon? D: Yeah, some of the stuff was average priced... but the rest was not.
These apples and oranges were also HUGE! And most were packaged individually as well. (Notice the $3 apples and $6-13 oranges?)
Okay, how about a $30 melon? This is pretty common sadly.
Everything in Japan comes from a certain country or region and that's usually how the quality/price of something is determined. I'm sure you're all familiar with expensive but tasty Kobe beef? This applies to produce as well. It's typical to see a $30 melon and that's on the low end of the scale --they can go above $400 and so on and so on. It's also popular to say thank you by giving someone a $100 melon. Crazy, right?
Oh, and the small, round watermelon next to it? That was $15.
We'll be buying our melons and citrus on base, thankyouverymuch.
The day always starts with a train ride if you plan on leaving Yokosuka. As driving would cost much, much more because of tolls and parking.
This is the Shinagawa train station. It's huge as you can see.
Big time celebrities usually won't do ads in the US but totally will in Japan. You'll see them randomly on the trains to vending machines. Brad Pitt is currently advertising for Soft Bank, a cell phone company. Which is who we have service through also. <3
Shibuya is one of the famous districts in Tokyo known for being a fashion center with the younger generations and also has a big nightlife. Walking around Shibuya you'll see all the high end fashion shops like Versace and such. We went for Vivienne Westwood, my favourite designer, but did not buy anything seeing as it was marked up about double here in Japan. But it was nice seeing pieces in person.
There's many famous spots in Shibuya but we did not visit any as it was a quick trip. Next time we go it'll be for sight seeing. But I'm sure in movies or somewhere on TV you've seen that major crossing at an intersection with a mass of people crossing in Japan? That's in Shibuya and where most of the pictures are of above. I just didn't know it at the time so the pictures really don't show it. Oops.
We ended up eating Kua Aina, a Hawaiian burger joint. They have 12 locations in Japan.
It was very "American" with serving sizes being the most noticeable. We've been to American chains in Japan but they're usually drastically changed to fit Japanese likes. But then again, I haven't been to a real Kua Aina so tell me if I'm wrong, ha ha.
We went in randomly and it was nice to find an English menu and English speaking staff unexpectedly. The interior was all wood and Hawaiian decor. We both had the Avocado burger which was delicious but staked really high --it was hard to eat, ha ha.
It's hard to tell, but that's a big sign of Obama with his famous "Yes we can!". He's become kinda infamous here in Japan and you'll come across him randomly on TV (even Japanese impersonators) and signs like that. It's weird.
And of course the lines for the trains home are awful. The Japanese will line up nicely at the platform but once the train doors open it's a free for all. Don't be afraid to kindly push your way through sometimes or you'll get left behind, lol.
February 16th
Last Monday we drove off base for a quick bite and went to your Japanese equivalent of Denney's. Sukiya offers gyudon (beef bowl), donburi (rice bowl) and Japanese curry. It's very, very cheap, friendly and has quick service. It's slogan is "save time and money". :D
They had the typical layout for a "working man's" restaurant --seats around a counter where all utensils, condiments and napkins are in front of you. All the staff has to is bring you your food.
On the menu they also had four different sizes for each meal and the option of making it combos with either miso soup, salad and/or a raw egg.
I got gyudon (one of my favourites)... with something green on top of it, ha ha. The sauce was spicy but good.
Terry got hamburger cheese curry. (curry is one of his favourites)
The place was good and way cheap. We'll be back for sure!
February 22nd
On Sunday we went out for a little lunch and market shopping locally.
This is on Base (while we were walking off). The base is really "hilly" and there is a lot of these boarded up in the side of the hills. I can't help but wonder what they were once used for seeing as a lot of stuff dates back to WWII.
Just a picture to point out that everything in Japan comes in any colour you want. Cell phones, computers, cars. Not fair.
We stopped at our local ramen place for lunch. Terry got Spicy Miso Kimchi ramen. It really is spicy~
I got Kitano Megumi ramen. It had a "milk" based broth with butter pads, bacon, corn and onions. It tasted like breakfast in soup form (I was just missing my pancakes). Interesting.
This is Hotel Goddess, complete with a small Statue of Liberty on top. It's located almost directly across base (and the ramen shop).
It's a Love Hotel or "rabu hoteru". It's a short stay hotel strictly for, um, adult alone time. Don't get me wrong --it's not meant to be seedy-- it's (usually) for your everyday couple who lives in the small apartments and is trying to get some privacy. They charge by the hour and usually have dramatic themes from being shaped like a castle... to having the Statue of Liberty on top. But yes, some can be a little shady to very glamorous. Just depends on your $$$.
We went out primarily to get some produce as the stuff on base is a little lack-luster. They do have big grocery stores but small market like stores are popular and abundant. We have several within a few minute walk from base.
These strawberries or "Ichigo" were HUGE! And delicious. Strawberry anything in Japan is very, very popular.
Just some of the veggies. Everything looked wonderful and was nicely packaged instead of just thrown around like they usually are in the States. Not to mention the variety was amazing for such a small store compared to your selection at a Publix.
These are chrysanthemum flowers or just "Mums". Apart from a cultural significance and symbolism here they also use them to brew a sweet tea.
How about a $3 lemon? D: Yeah, some of the stuff was average priced... but the rest was not.
These apples and oranges were also HUGE! And most were packaged individually as well. (Notice the $3 apples and $6-13 oranges?)
Okay, how about a $30 melon? This is pretty common sadly.
Everything in Japan comes from a certain country or region and that's usually how the quality/price of something is determined. I'm sure you're all familiar with expensive but tasty Kobe beef? This applies to produce as well. It's typical to see a $30 melon and that's on the low end of the scale --they can go above $400 and so on and so on. It's also popular to say thank you by giving someone a $100 melon. Crazy, right?
Oh, and the small, round watermelon next to it? That was $15.
We'll be buying our melons and citrus on base, thankyouverymuch.