Camping & Caviar

We left Tokyo just about a month ago and I already want to plan my next trip back. I absolutely loved Tokyo. I think I could happily move there if it wasn’t for the fact that I’d be totally illiterate. There’s a small chance I could learn to speak Japanese, but learning to read and write in Japanese would be a hopeless endeavor for me. Without reiterating too much of what I said in my previous post about Tokyo (Tokyo, Japan: First Takes), I thought I’d try to summarize our 6 day trip by sharing a little about where we stayed, what we did, and most importantly… what we ate. 

This is a long one (sorry, not sorry) so I’ve included a list of the major sections below (a table of contents, if you will) in case you want to skip around.

1. Where We Stayed
2. Getting Around
3. The Food… Oh My God, The Food
4. Things to Do, See, Drink, and Buy

Where We Stayed:

We stayed in an Airbnb in the Shimokitazawa neighborhood. This neighborhood had been recommended to Christian by a friend of his and I was really happy with the location. It was close enough to the more touristy neighborhoods we still wanted to visit (but that’s probably true for any neighborhood in Tokyo when the metros work as well as they do… more on that later), but it was quiet and laid back, with a young, hip, bohemian vibe. We actually had a few locals looking shocked and laughing when we said we were staying there. It wasn’t totally clear if that was because it’s not a typical neighborhood that tourists stay in (part of why I loved it) or because Christian and I are decidedly not young and hip, but it doesn’t matter, I’d stay there again if given the choice. We stayed in an Airbnb hosted by Daisuke (linked HERE) and it suited us quite well. 

The cons of our Airbnb:

• It was small (but I think most apartments in Tokyo are).
• The bed was small (Christian tends to flail in his sleep so that’s why the small bed was a challenge).
• It was cold (we visited in January and I don’t think many of the apartment buildings in Tokyo are very well insulated).
• There was a strange smell (I got used to it after being in the apartment for an extended time, but I’d always notice and comment on it when we’d come back after wandering around the city). 

The pros of our Airbnb:

• It was cheap (under $100 USD a night, but it was the low season).
• We slept well (Christian kept his flailing to a minimum and there was limited traffic noise – there seem to be very few cars in Tokyo as a whole, and even less in Shimokitazawa).
• The heater worked well (it may have been cold when we returned to the apartment, but we’d warm up quickly once we turned the heater on).
• The location was great (I loved our hip, young neighborhood even if we didn’t really fit in).
• The host was AMAZING.

It’s worth spending a paragraph talking about Daisuke, our host. Right from the start, Daisuke started sending us information to help us prepare for our trip. He sent us a link to one of his blog posts: Tips for Tokyo Beginners. We were fortunately prepared and knew a lot of this info due to a combination of our own research and tips from friends who had traveled to Tokyo before. But all the information provided in his post was spot-on and had we not looked up some of this stuff before booking, it all would have been incredibly valuable. Daisuke also sent us a link to his recommendations for the neighborhood: Shimokitazawa Recommendations! We referenced this list a number of times and really enjoyed all of the places we went (I’ll touch more on the places we ate and drank at later). Daisuke was just such a treat. He was easy to get in touch with and more than willing to help in any way possible. We took him up on his offer to meet up over coffee to talk more about Tokyo. He gave us more recommendations in person, answered all the questions we had, and even gave us a few local craft beers. He also helped make a reservation for us at an omakase sushi restaurant because, and I think I mentioned this earlier, we don’t know any Japanese and thus were struggling to navigate some of the online restaurant sites (it’s not like we could call because, again, we don’t know any Japanese). Daisuke was incredible and I would stay at his Airbnb again in a heartbeat. Do I wish it didn’t have that funky smell? Sure, but I’m happy to ignore the smell if it means having a top-notch host like Daisuke. 

Getting Around:

I’ll start with the language. Even though we only knew how to say a few words in Japanese, and couldn’t read a lick of it, we were able to get around the city without any issues. I am glad that we knew the few words/phrases that we did because people seemed really happy when we tried to use them. I’m sure we butchered the pronunciation at times, but the locals still seemed pleased that we gave it our best shot. Here are a few of the words/phrases we learned that were particularly helpful:

• Sumimasen – this one means “excuse me” or “I’m sorry”. This was useful whenever I inevitably bumped into someone on the metro, as well as getting a server’s attention at a restaurant (in general, if you wanted the check at the end of the meal, you had to ask for it – more like Europe than the US in that sense).
• Ohayo – this is an informal way to say “good morning” and this word stuck with me since it’s pronounced the same way as the state I hail from (Ohio). 
• Konnichiwa – I knew this one before traveling to Tokyo, it means “hello”. I don’t know if it was just me, but I didn’t really notice anyone ever saying this. So I really didn’t use this word. Feel free to forget it from your Japanese vocabulary.
• Hai – this means “yes”. And boy, was this a fun one to say. It’s not just like “hi” in English. Start by saying “hi” and then end it like you were just punched in the stomach and the wind was knocked out of you. There’s something just really fun about how it’s said. 
• Gochisousama deshita – I’m not totally sure of the literal translation, I just know that it’s a polite thing to say at the end of a meal to express thanks. Considering how incredible all the meals were, I really wanted to express my gratitude when we were finished. Even when we didn’t get the pronunciation totally right on this one, the chefs/staff at the restaurants seemed pleased that we said it. 
• Arigato gozaimasu – this is probably the most important one to know… it means “thank you”. If your Japanese is limited to what you’ve learned from the band Styx, then you may have been like me and thought it was just “arigato” (and I never heard anyone say “Mr. Roboto” afterwards). But you would have been wrong. Arigato is used when saying thank you to close friends, not in a formal setting like all of the ones you would find yourself in as a tourist in the city. The gozaimasu is really important, don’t forget it.

We found Google Translate to be entirely useless when trying to translate the Japanese characters. At one restaurant, we thought we could avoid asking for an English menu and tried to use Google Translate instead, but there’s just no way that “my grandfather’s body is different” was the correct translation for one of the dishes. I still don’t know what that menu item was, but I don’t think it was someone’s grandpa. We more often used Google Translate just for fun to see what kind of wild things it would come up with. Technology is amazing and it’s come pretty far… but it clearly still needs some work.

Fortunately when it came to navigating the metro stations, there was enough signage written in English that we didn’t need to use Google Translate. I really can’t say enough good things about the metro in Tokyo. It was incredible – so clean, so easy to use, on time – just great. It’s definitely the best metro I’ve ever been on. It was a bit of a baptism by fire since we landed at the Haneda airport at the start of evening rush hour. I was nervous about how difficult the metro would be to use and even more anxious considering we’d be trying to get on crowded train cars with our luggage. And the cars were packed. Seriously, people just kept piling in. Just when I thought more people couldn’t possibly squeeze on, 3 more people would push themselves through the door. Despite the crowds and having to make multiple transfers, it really was relatively painless. And after dealing with the metro at its absolute busiest (with luggage no less), it was a piece of cake to use everytime after that. We had added the Suica card to our Apple Wallets before we arrived in Tokyo and preloaded 1000 yen to get us started. Just tap your phone to enter and exit the metro – it’s as easy as that. When we were running low on funds, we’d just add some more to the card before leaving our Airbnb; everything was done directly on our phones in Apple Wallet. We used the metro to get all over Tokyo. It seemed like no matter where we wanted to go, there was a metro stop nearby. And Google Maps was helpful in determining which lines to take and where to make transfers (far more useful than Google Translate). There are more advanced apps you can download (some that will even tell you the best car on the train to get on for the quickest transfers), but Google Maps worked perfectly fine for us. 

Lastly, I really appreciate cities with clean, public restrooms and Tokyo was full of them. I didn’t know it was possible to have clean restrooms in metro stations, but Tokyo proved that it can be done. They were free (had to pay about 7 pesos every time I needed to use a public restroom in Mexico), they were pristine, and they had the best toilets. I knew Japan had some fancy toilets, but I didn’t expect EVERY restroom in the city to have them. It was just really nice to know when we were out exploring the city that if I needed a restroom, I could easily find one, AND it wasn’t going to be this disgusting experience that I would want to forget as quickly as possible. 

The Food… Oh My God, The Food:

We didn’t have a bad meal in Tokyo… not a single one. But I don’t have the time or energy to write about every single restaurant we went to so I’ll share the highlights.

• Hiroki Okonomiyaki – this place came recommended by a friend of mine who is from Tokyo (shout out to Maki). It was conveniently located in the Shimokitazawa neighborhood, just down the street from where we were staying, so it was the first place we went after dropping off our luggage at our Airbnb. They specialize in this kind of noodle pancake. As far as I can tell, all the Hiroshima-yaki starts off the same (I think that’s the name of the dish, but I’m taking my best guess here so I apologize if I’m wrong): pancake batter is added to a hot griddle, then topped with shredded cabbage. Noodles are then added to the griddle (either soba or udon – your choice) and the cabbage-pancake concoction is flipped on top of the noodles. It’s then smooshed on the griddle (I’m sure that’s the technical term, “smooshed”) and placed on top of a cracked egg. It’s then flipped so the egg is on top and the pancake part is on the bottom and some truly delicious sauce is added. The dish can vary from this point forward. We ordered one with soba noodles topped with Japanese basil and Hiroshima green onions and the other was with udon noodles topped with squid, shrimp, and scallops. Both were incredible – I preferred the one with green onions and Christian preferred the one with seafood. It was a tiny restaurant (not uncommon) with just 2 tables and then seats in front of the griddle. We had to wait a short time for a seat but I’m very happy we waited.
• Karashibi Miso Ramen Kikanbo Kanda Honten – Guys… is this the whole name of the restaurant? I don’t know. Maybe it’s just Kikanbo, maybe Kikanbo Kanda Honten? It’s hard for me to say, I just know that when I Google the whole “Karashibi Miso Ramen Kikanbo Kanda Honten”, the restaurant we went to pops up so that’s what I’m going with. This was my favorite ramen of the trip, and that’s saying something because we went to two other very good ramen restaurants: Oreryu Shio Ramen (a chain, but popular for good reason) and one in Shimokitazawa that I’ll never know the name of because it was only in Japanese (had some VERY spicy ramen here, was definitely sweating by the end of the meal). We waited in a fairly long line for the ramen at Kikanbo (I’m going with just that as the name), but it moved quickly. Christian and I both ordered the Karashibi Miso Ramen (seemed like their specialty since it’s in the name of the restaurant… is the name of the restaurant… I don’t know). We added an egg and chose a spice level of 3 (out of 5). Maybe it’s weird to start by talking about the egg, but I can’t stress this enough, it was the best egg I’ve ever had in a bowl of ramen. It was jammy and perfect. I was also happy with my chosen spice level. It had a kick but I wasn’t sweating while eating it. I know noodle preference can vary person to person, but Kikanbo had my favorite type of noodle – a little thicker and somewhat chewy texture. The broth was rich and flavorful and the braised pork belly was cooked to perfection. I loved everything about this ramen and my only regret is that we only ate there once. 
• Tonkatsu Marushichi Ginza – We arrived at this restaurant around 2 pm, which turned out to be a little risky because while their hours say that they close at 3 pm, they actually stop letting people get in line to eat in the restaurant earlier than that so that they can officially close their doors at 3 pm to prepare for dinner. We were the last ones they let get in line (you can still order their sandwich to-go at the window if you miss the cut off). They specialize in tonkatsu – a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet. Theirs was served on top of rice and a fluffy, scrambled egg with a side of miso soup. Their pork cutlets are thick (like unbelievably thick), and I just assumed it would be tough and chewy to eat since I grew up on dry, tough pork chops. But boy, was I wrong. This pork basically melted in your mouth. It was juicy and tender. I didn’t know pork cutlets could even be cooked that way. And maybe it sounds strange to have it with scrambled eggs, but trust me when I say that it all went perfectly together. Unless you arrive close to opening, expect to wait since the restaurant only seats about 6 people (not uncommon in Tokyo, most restaurants appeared to only seat 10-20 people). They also have a time limit of 40 minutes so you’re there to eat, not chit chat with friends or stare at your phone. Eat and leave to keep that line moving!
• Nodaiwa Shimokitazawa – This restaurant was recommended by our Airbnb host, Daisuke. As far as I can tell, they have a few locations, but we went to the one in our neighborhood. This restaurant specializes in unagi (aka eel). Daisuke said that eel with rice was his kids’ favorite meal so we naturally had to try it. If you’ve never had eel before, don’t let the fact that it’s “eel” freak you out. I think I was a little intimidated to try eel for the first time because… well… eel sounds gross. This isn’t like the jellied eel dish that originates from England (though you can still find something similar in Japan if you really want it). The eel we ate was grilled with a teriyaki-like sauce served on top of rice in a beautiful, lacquered box. The texture of the eel was lovely – think of a firm, yet flaky fish that kind of melts in your mouth. The main dish was accompanied by pickled vegetables, grated Japanese radish, and soup with eel liver (better than it sounds, trust me). The restaurant itself was cute and charming, decorated in a very traditional Japanese style. We also seemed to be the only non-Japanese customers in the restaurant, which I generally take as a good sign when eating in Japan.
• Sushi Dai – Want incredible sushi for less than $50 USD per person? Sushi Dai is the place for you! Before I start sharing about the restaurant though, let me give a quick rundown about the locations. Google lists 3 locations, 2 of which are near the fish markets. For those who aren’t aware (like me… I didn’t know any of this until Christian told me), there is the old fish market (Tsukiji Market) and the new fish market (Toyosu Market). The wholesale auctions now occur at Toyosu Market (they occurred at Tsukiji prior to 2018). You can attend these early morning auctions (like 5:30 am early) by applying for an up close and personal spot through a lottery or watching from the observation deck (a few floors above all the action). There is a Sushi Dai location at this market and you can get in line starting around 4 am (yes, you read that right, 4 am… in the morning). Why bother doing this? Because you can then eat the fish that is bought by the restaurant at the 5:30 am auction. That’s about as fresh as it comes. I did not want to get in line at 4 am so we opted for the Sushi Dai location at the old market, Tsukiji Market. I figured the sushi would be fresh enough here. We got in line around 10:30 am and only waited for about 30 minutes. We ordered the omakase sushi (chef’s choice) and it did not disappoint. The fatty tuna… yum. Maybe the sushi would have been even better at the Toyosu location, but considering the Tsukiji location was still some of the best sushi I’ve ever had, I’m happy with the choice of sleeping in. Plus, I enjoyed walking around and seeing all the vendors at the Tsukiji Outer Market after we ate. 
• Really any izakaya – An izakaya is a Japanese bar that serves alcoholic drinks along with small plates – think a Japanese version of a Spanish tapas bar. I linked one we went to near our Airbnb, but really any will do. One of our favorites was in the Shinjuku neighborhood, but I couldn’t tell you the name and I didn’t think to save the location. It looked like it may rain, we were hungry, and I was tired of walking so we just popped into this little izakaya to take a break, have a beer, and order a few snacks. The food was tasty and the beer was cold. So make sure to visit an izakaya, it doesn’t matter which one, any one will do. Have a beer or some sake, order a few small plates, relax, and just enjoy your evening.
• Kai – We went to two nice dinners in Tokyo, and between the two, Kai was hands down our favorite. This was another situation where Daisuke (Airbnb host) helped us out. We were struggling to find a nice omakase sushi restaurant that we could get into on relatively short notice (if you want to do fine-dining in Tokyo, make sure to plan it well in advance). Since we were also struggling to make a reservation, period, using the tabelog website (think like Yelp in Japan), we asked Daisuke for assistance. He was able to find Kai for us AND call to get us a reservation. I’m so happy for Daisuke’s help because this was my favorite meal of the trip. The sushi was out of this world and while I didn’t always know what I was eating, I can safely say that it was all delicious. The chef and staff were so friendly as well. I was worried I may do something inappropriate or eat sushi the wrong way (we watched some YouTube videos to prepare us), but the chef’s friendly manner helped put me at ease and made me a little less worried about making a faux pas (I was still somewhat worried – I really did not want to offend anyone). This meal was about $300 USD for the two of us. That may seem like a crazy price considering you can find great sushi for a fraction of the cost, but there was a noticeable difference between the $100 USD sushi for two versus the $300 USD sushi (I found the more expensive sushi to be better – crazy, I know). I’m personally glad we were able to do both. I’ll dream about the cod roe we had at Kai. Even though it was a little freaky to look at (made me think of a brain), it was melt-in-your-mouth creamy and super flavorful. I also liked the baby eel dish (shockingly because it was not grilled like the unagi from Nodaiwa), though I’m not sure I ever really got over their little faces staring at me. 

Eating in Tokyo can be a little overwhelming because there are just SO many restaurants to choose from. Ultimately, I don’t think you can go wrong. We picked places based on recommendations from others as well as our own research. You can go down some crazy rabbit holes looking at reviews for ramen joints (people have different preferences when it comes to their perfect ramen and that’s okay), but I think I could probably throw a dart at a list and be happy with any ramen restaurant it landed on. Look at Google reviews and Tabelog reviews (Tabelog being the more common one used in Japan), but keep in mind the standard is very different than in the US. In the States, I expect a good restaurant to have a review score of 4 or higher. However, a 3+ score on Tabelog in Japan means it’s a good restaurant. Over a 3.5? It’s a great restaurant. Places rarely score over a 4 on Tabelog. Kai, for example, has a score of 3.52 on Tabelog and that’s considered “very good”. Tabelog can also be very overwhelming in and of itself because how do you narrow down your search in a city with over 160,000 restaurants? It is subsequently intimidating to make a reservation if you don’t speak Japanese as you often need to do so through other services like Pocket-Concierge. We are still waiting on a refund for a prepaid meal reservation on Pocket-Concierge which the restaurant cancelled 3 days before we were supposed to be there. Ultimately the more casual places you can walk in are almost always great and if you want a fancier dining experience, it really helps to have someone from Tokyo help you sort it out (Airbnb host or hotel). So do your research but don’t stress out. If all else fails, walk into a 7-Eleven and you’ll still be treated to a very solid meal (seriously, I’m not kidding – the egg salad sandwich was my favorite 7-Eleven treat).

Things to Do, See, Drink, and Buy:

• teamLab Borderless – teamLab Borderless was quite the experience; it was super trippy, but in the best way. This place was recommended by a friend who’d been there before (shout out to Scott – thanks, man), and I’m not going to lie, I thought it would be kind of lame. The pictures online and their website look really cool, but it gave me the impression of a place that people go to for the Instagram photos and doesn’t quite live up to the hype in person. I was wrong. I should have trusted my friend, who isn’t the type of person to do anything “for the gram”. While yes, you can get some cool photos, it really was just a fun, wild experience. We got our tickets ahead of time, which I definitely recommend doing, and while it was crowded, there were so many rooms to visit in the space that I never felt overwhelmed by people (and I am someone who easily gets overwhelmed with crowds). The thing I couldn’t wrap my head around is that the space is designed for you to just… wander. There’s not a specific path to follow from start to finish. But how will I know I visited all the rooms?! That question stressed me out a bit, but once I convinced myself that it wasn’t a race, that revisiting rooms was allowed (and even encouraged since the art continuously changes), I was able to embrace the adventure of it all and just enjoy. It took me a while to figure out that we could interact with the art as well – you could change the direction a fish was swimming by touching it or make colorful confetti disperse when you would drag your hand through it on the wall. We probably spent a couple hours at Borderless and I thought it was well worth the time and money. There is also a teamLab Planets in Tokyo. It was closed when we were there, but it’s back open now. Since we didn’t go to both, I can’t speak to which one is better, but if it’s anything like Borderless, I bet it’s pretty epic as well. 
• Meiji Jingu Shinto Shrine – We visited a few temples and shrines in Tokyo, but the Meiji Jingu Shinto Shrine was my personal favorite. Despite being located in the busy Shibuya Ward of Tokyo, the Meiji Shrine is surrounded by 170 acres of forest and it really felt like I was leaving the city behind when we passed through the initial torii gate to begin our walk to the temple. Being completely ignorant of the customs surrounding the visit to the shrine, we opted for the strategy of “look at what others are doing and do the same.” Most people stopped to bow before passing through the torii gates, so we did the same. No one appeared to be walking down the middle of the wide path toward the shrine, so we kept to the sides. These are both correct practices, I later learned, but I definitely wish I had looked up the appropriate protocol before visiting. The only custom we were aware of before going to the shrine was purification at the water basin. This involves cleansing your hands and mouth (yes, you read that right, your mouth) before entering the shrine. I was skeptical that people would actually put the water in their mouth, but I only noticed a few people skip this step, so we followed suit and cleansed our hands and mouths. For the record, you don’t drink the water, you just rinse with it. Since we were visiting shortly after New Years, the shrine was busy with visitors buying amulets (called omamori) and praying for good fortune for the upcoming year. I ended up buying one for career luck. Not only did it seem like a nice little souvenir, I will be applying for jobs soon and could certainly benefit from some good luck (it can’t hurt, right?). Why did I like this shrine the best? Well, I should start by saying I know very little about the Shinto Religion (or really any religion for that matter), but from what I’ve read, nature plays an important role. The Meiji Shrine was surrounded by trees (many that still had their leaves despite it being January) and it was really peaceful to visit and leave the hustle and bustle of Tokyo behind. 
• Tokyo National Museum – We figured if we were only going to visit one museum in Tokyo, it should be the Tokyo National Museum. It was a really beautiful blend of Japanese history and art. I have a tendency to get bored in museums when I see too much of the same thing over and over (I guess I’m just uncultured in that way), so I liked the mix of Japanese archaeology and artwork. We just showed up and purchased tickets, but I imagine during the high season that it may be important to purchase tickets ahead of time. My only regret is that we didn’t pay extra for the Hello Kitty Exhibition. I wouldn’t say that I’m a Hello Kitty fan, but I just keep thinking that I missed an important Japanese cultural moment. 
• Sakurai Tea Experience – I considered trying to find a traditional Japanese tea ceremony experience when we were in Tokyo, but given that we had limited time there and a lot that we wanted to fit into that time, I opted for more of a tea tasting. I found the Sakurai Tea Experience online and was intrigued so I made a reservation. It wasn’t cheap; for the tea tasting we selected, it was about $45 USD per person. But seeing as it was Christian who paid for it, I thought it was totally worth it. We tried 3 types of tea, the final tea being matcha, but it was actually the very first tea we tried that was my favorite. It was unlike any tea I’ve had before. We tried it brewed 3 different ways and I was surprised by how much the flavor changed depending on the brewing technique (my experience with tea is dunking a tea bag in hot water and calling it a day so maybe this wouldn’t have been a surprise to avid tea drinkers). The flavor of the first brewing was really intense but I liked it, a strong umami flavor with a smell a little like seaweed. The second brewing had a more subtle flavor and the final brewing was done with cold water and yuzu. It was during the final brew that we were given a pile of the used tea leaves and were told that we could eat them with some salt and vinegar. I really did not expect to enjoy eating soggy tea leaves as a snack but it was shockingly tasty. If you’re hoping for a multi-hour, formal tea ceremony, then this isn’t for you; but if the goal is to try a few different Japanese teas and learn something about them in the process then I definitely recommend the Sakurai Tea Experience.
• Shopping in Ginza – If you’re looking to do some shopping in Tokyo, Ginza has pretty much everything you could hope for, ranging from more affordable souvenir shops to high-end luxury stores. Considering I have to carry everything around in a backpack for about 6 months, shopping isn’t really a practical thing for me to do (the no job and being on a budget also plays a small role), but I still enjoyed walking around Ginza and staring longingly into shop windows. One thing I can buy though is stationery (I try to send postcards/letters to family and friends every time we go to a new country), so we had to stop in the Ginza Itoya store. This store was both wonderful and overwhelming. The building is very narrow and has around 7 floors of stationery goods. The store was very crowded when we visited so it made navigating the building a challenge. Despite the number of people, I still loved it and left with a few new pens and postcards. But my favorite shop we went to in Ginza was Ancora. The Itoya store had some beautiful fountain pens that I couldn’t afford, and while Ancora also had some lovely and expensive fountain pens, there was also the option of making your own for about $30 USD. And maybe it’s super dorky, but I had so much fun picking out the pieces to make my own fountain pen. I think it’s a great souvenir from Tokyo (small, unique, and affordable). The only downside is that I was advised not to open the ink until I’m done with air travel or else it may explode on the plane and get ink everywhere. So it looks like I’ll just be carrying this pen around for a while and admiring it, but not writing with it (that’s okay, that’s what the cheap ballpoint pens from Itoya are for). 
• Hanko Souvenir – As much as I love my custom fountain pen, the coolest thing we purchased in Tokyo was a hanko stamp. A hanko is a personalized stamp that is traditionally used in place of a signature. For it to be “official”, the stamp has to be registered with the local government, but since we don’t intend to use it to sign any official documents in Japan, we were able to skip that step. There are plenty of places you can go to get a souvenir hanko stamp, but I was super happy with the place we found: Hankodo. I’m not sure exactly how I found this little copying supply store, and even though I pinned the location on Google, it was still tricky to find the physical location (had to walk into the ground floor of a nondescript building and open a random door towards the back). The man working was incredibly friendly and more than happy to help us convert our “initials” into Japanese Katakana. I’m no linguist, but I’ll try my best to explain Japanese Katakana as I understand it… Japanese Katakana uses a set of written symbols to represent syllables. The katakana script consists of 48 characters and are organized in a table that essentially creates 50 sounds. So to create our “initials” we just took the first sound/syllable of both our first and last names. Mine was Lo-Co and Christian’s was Chi-Me. Now, there isn’t an “L” sound in Japanese so mine actually became Ro-Co. The gentleman working at Hankodo helped us with this and was ready to convert our entire names into Japanese Katakana, but we decided to keep it simple and just had Ro-Co Chi-Me carved into the stamp (the Japanese characters look much cooler than just Ro-Co Chi-Me written in English, trust me). The whole process took about 1 hour (we left to get some coffee and came back once the man was done carving the stamp) and cost about $25 USD. As a bonus, the stamp came in a lovely lacquered box complete with red ink. 
• Knock on Wood Bar – We ended our trip in Tokyo with a visit to Knock on Wood Bar. Why? It was down the street from our Airbnb. That’s the reason we decided to go there. It wasn’t a fancy cocktail bar that we had researched ahead of time, it wasn’t a craft brewery. It was just a bar nearby and we wanted a drink before calling it a night. And boy, am I happy that we chose this bar. It was small, maybe a little divey (but who doesn’t like a good dive bar?), and besides an older Japanese man, we were the only ones in the bar. But the bartender, Honda, was amazing. He was so friendly and probably would have chatted with us all night if he could have. He was constantly cracking jokes and asking us questions about our lives. He was excited to show Christian his collection of Blanton’s Bourbon caps and thought the hanko stamp we had just purchased was incredible. He made us stamp a coaster so he could put it on his wall along with the collection of money he had from customers who visited from all over the world. Talking and drinking with Honda was the perfect way to end our trip to Tokyo and if you’re ever in the Shimokitazawa neighborhood, I definitely recommend that you stop by Knock on Wood Bar. Feel free to tell Honda that Ro-Co and Chi-Me sent you! Oh and also… he’s missing one letter from his Blanton’s collection. If you visit, find out what it is and let us know, will you? I’d like to try to mail him the final letter!

After writing all this, I think I may have convinced myself that I really should move to Tokyo. Who needs to be able to read and write anyway? I’m a math teacher and math is a universal language, right? Even if I can’t convince Christian that we should move there, I think I can sell him on the idea of another trip to Japan. If for no other reason than I think he’s going to get tired of hearing me say, “You know where I loved? Tokyo. What a great city.” Seriously… ask him, I’ve said it nearly everyday. It’s only a matter of time, friends… I’ll definitely be going back.