Ohayou Tokyo!

Went on a business trip to Japan this October. Stayed in Tokyo for a week. And the experience gave me a brief glimpse of the culture, the sights and of course the authentic food that Japan has to offer.

Rode PAL's new Boeing 777 airplanes that will soon be used for flights to Toronto. There is a USB charging dock perfect for those with Iphones and long flights

The in-flight entertainment system was just right and the movie selection was varied. I enjoyed watching the movies. I just wished that the earphone input was just standard so that we can use our own headsets. 

The food was the usual airplane food. Bleh!

Finally at the Narita Airport. They have free wifi throughout the airport terminal.

We bought a PASMO card in the service center at the basement of the airport. We paid 5,000 Yen for the Pasmo package which includes a Suica Card (which you can use around the very complicated Tokyo railway) pre-loaded with 2,000 Yen and a round trip ride in the Narita Express Train (NEX as pictured). 

We stayed at the Keikyu Ex Inn which was just a 2 minute walk from the JR Shinagawa Train Station

The lobby

Beds

I've heard about the toilets in Japan and using the different toilets throughout my stay was an adventure. I loved it! I even wanted to buy one and bring back home with me! Each seat had deodorizers, sound effects, toilet seat heaters, at least 2 types of water spray from the bidet. I love it.

Bathroom in the hotel is quite nice. I didn't get to find out how much a night is in the hotel because the company paid for it.

Almost all restaurants had displays of the food in front. These are mostly plastic but still looks really yummy

We arrived at around 10pm during our first day and we found out that almost all dinner places close early at around 9pm even if this was a weekend.

We ended up having this really delicious ramen. Communication was a challenge because the staff at the restaurant did not know how to speak English, good thing there were pictures so we used that to order.

 

This is the name of the restaurant. Too bad I couldn't understand what was written.

Japan is also famous for their vending machines. You really can buy anything - from food to gadgets.

We did a lot of train riding and walking around Japan. During weekends and regular hours, trains aren't so full. But during peak hours, they even have people to push you inside the trains because of the number of people wanting to ride.

Harajuku is one of the famous spots in Tokyo because of the fashion. We went on a Sunday and there were a lot of people.

But the fashion was interesting. It's like I'm inside a Manga.

I heard AKB48 is a famous band in Japan.

Daiso!

More of the interestingly dressed people.

and more.

Walking around was too tiring so we had to take a break.

I love the Architecture in Japan. This is near Shibuya

I also loved the bicycles. I think they live really healthy lives because they get to exercise through their bicycles. There are even baby carriages.

And this is the famous crossing in Shibuya where hundreds of thousands of people cross per hour.

This is the same crossroad when the light turned green

Different shot showing more people

And since we were in Shibuya, I will not miss passing by Hachiko. This dog made me cry buckets.

They also had street performers. This one I saw just outside Shibuya Train station.

Next stop was Ginza which was like a high-end shopping center in Tokyo.

This is 11 floors of Uniqlo goodness

Japanese people just leave their bicycles in front of shops. The discipline is really something to strive for. In the Philippines, if we did this, that bicycle will be gone in a minute.

Time to eat! They give you wet towels in almost all restaurants in Tokyo.

Gyoza is heaven

This is nice to look at. Too bad I couldn't taste it because of my allergies. The tray even had sound effects of chirping birds. They really put a lot of effort in the presentation.

I had Korean bibimbap in Tokyo. hehe.

The famous Seiko building at the background

The reason we were in Japan was because of Kirin.

Their boardrooms are so modern. You have an LCD each where you can view the presentations.

More architecture

I also got to try one of their instant noodles, imagine my surprise when I saw big beef chunks.

A different restaurant

Appetizer.

Back at the Shinagawa Train Station

We bought some Japanese souvenirs in this store in Shibuya

This is like Yabu

This is the Narita Express from outside going back to the Airport. Note that the NEX train has a very distinct shape. But it shares a platform with the regular trains, so you might see a train arriving 3 minutes early also bound for the airport. That is not the NEX train, the NEX train will come 1 minute or at the actual time indicated in your ticket.

The Japan trip made me wished I'd stayed longer and extended the business trip to a vacation. It's like getting a bite from a really delicious cake but not having a plate so you cannot finish it off. There were a lot of places to see but not enough free time. Just made me promise that I will go back, and hopefully soon.