[JP; 2016] Solo Series | DAY 6 - Tokyo

DAY 6

BokuYado ゲストハウス樸宿 > Kyoto Station > Tokyo Station > Kangaroo Hotel Side B > Toranomon Hills 虎ノ門ヒルズ > Shibuya 渋谷 > Tokyo Tower 東京タワー

1. BokuYado ゲストハウス樸宿 > Kyoto Station > Tokyo Station

Aiming for a cheap delicious bento meal since my last JR train ride. Grabbed this Grilled Chicken Bento set from a store from the platform...

The bento was Oishii! And got this Calpis bottled drink because I saw a Japanese kid was begging his mum to buy, so assuming it should be good and no knowing whats that, I just grabbed it.

It tasted like Yakult/Yoghurt. Not that bad, just that I am more a fizzy drink lover.

And if you need to know, I bought my JR Pass, so the ride from Kyoto to Tokyo was "free".

2. Tokyo Station > Kangaroo Hotel Side B

Tokyo was really a big mess for beginners, I cant remember how did I successful figured out the right platform and found that platform to transfer to JR Jōban Line. So I took the train to Minami-Senju Station 南千住駅 and walked like 15-20mins to Kangaroo Hotel Side B.

The hotel is located in some alley in this too quiet town.

And I came abit early, it was only 3.50pm, waited 10mins for the check-in.

But I do like their rooms, the space was tiny but sufficient enough for a solo traveller. Bright, clean, neat and tidy.

And they have a mini-fridge and TV!

If you need to do some laundry, you have to cross the street to the main building.

Review:
4 supermarkets and 1 convenience store around the area, great for shopping for snacks/supper. Nothing significant to complain about the hotel facilities, just that the location wasn't really great. Too far from the station. There was once I forgot to bring my metro card, and I really dreaded the walk back (it was raining heavily). The hotel is situated in a too quiet town, although there is a police station between the station and the hotel, but it was way too quiet that it I felt abit uncomfortable walking on the streets at night. I even saw local men drinking alcohol and smoking along the streets during the day. The only plus point was the nearest subway station is a few stops away from Ueno Station, which could easily transfer to the Keisei Line for Narita Airport. Such a pity, cause I love the room concept of Kangaroo Hotel, this was the most ideal single room I have seen during my research.

3. Kangaroo Hotel Side B > Toranomon Hills 虎ノ門ヒルズ

Since things cant be undone, putting Kangaroo Hotel aside, time to travel around Tokyo!

As mentioned in my first travel post on Japan, I bought all my Tokyo transportation tickets in the airport! (PS I won the Brown pouch in the LINE daily contest)

I am ready to activate my Tokyo Subway Pass! The best part was the pass is based on hours, so I get to use the subway pass to the fullest. Anyway, if you have been reading my Japan posts, you should be aware I did not do much research on my Japan trip, so I arrange my itinerary was based on my gut feel on that moment. If you like to use my itinerary, I would advice to alter it so that you will not be wasting much time on transportation.

My first Tokyo destination was Toranomon Hills 虎ノ門ヒルズ. My sister is a big fan of Doraemon, but I wasn't really interested in the Doraemon Museum. So I decided to go for something much special which I saw on Weibo. Toranomon Hills' mascot was created by the same manga production company as Doraemon. So Toranomon is like a cousin of Doraemon!

So, SPOT TORANOMON!

Toranomon Hills 虎ノ門ヒルズ, toranomonhills.com

I was taking photos/selfies with Toranomon and a group of Japanese OL were giggling at me. #throwface

4. Toranomon Hills 虎ノ門ヒルズ > Shibuya 渋谷

After such a Kawaii trip to see Toranomon Hills, I decided to head to Shibuya 渋谷.

Before heading there, I was on loop this song - 澀谷 by 黃鴻升 Alien Huang

The night atmosphere really fits in the song well; bright lights, busy streets, yet emptiness.

Shibuya Crossing is the most famous thing to do over there. But I could not take a good quality photo of it. If you roam around Shibuya, there are plently of shopping areas; H&M, F21, ABC Mart and etc. Really shop until you drop and surrender.

Feeling hungry, I decided to check out this shop which I vaguely saw they have solo seater table.

TARE-KATSU Shibuya Branch, http://www.tarekatsu.jp/menu.html
Tokyo, Shibuya-ku, Dogenzaka 1-5-9

I really wanted to shout out loud, OISHII! The pork was not tough; tender and juicy. The fried vegetables were awesome. Missing it so badly.

5. Shibuya 渋谷 > Tokyo Tower 東京タワー

After dinner at Shibuya, it was around 9ish, and I thought such a dark cooling night should end off with some pretty lights. So Tokyo Tower came to my mind. Impromptu again.

While I was riding on the subway heading to Tokyo Tower, the subway stopped and everyone's phone starting "ringing in a weird alarm". I panicked for 30 secs; firstly my phone did not ring that alarm, secondly I cant understand the announcement. But the whole subway everyone was cool like a cucumber. So I told myself I should calm down and my instinct told me most likely is an earthquake. I googled and yes there was an 5.6 magnitude earthquake but I did not feel it at all.

Anyway, the subway resumed shortly, and another song came into my loop for Tokyo Tower - 會呼吸的痛 by 梁靜茹

The lyrics: 在東京鐵塔　第一次眺望　看燈火模仿　墜落的星光; kinda regretted not going for the Tokyo Tower for Tokyo night view. But Tokyo Tower itself was really impressive in the dark night.

Within the Tokyo Tower shopping area, there are plenty of shops and also exhibitions. But I came too late so everything were closed for the day.

And this marks the end of my first night in Tokyo!

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