Well, today was a day full of exploration and packed to the brim with many things! More than we expected!

What we did

Our first stop today was Sanrio Puroland other wise known as Hello Kitty World. It’s located in a section of Tokyo called Tama and wow this area of Tokyo was like another world from Shinjuku. Instead of high rises, there were houses, baseball fields and playgrounds. It was super interesting to see another side of Tokyo.

But anyway, Hello Kitty World. I didn’t really know what to expect but a cuteness overload and that is pretty much what we got! Besides the english guide map, everything else was in Japanese so we had a hard time understanding what was going on most of the time. It was an incredibly cute place, but was totally just one big Sanrio shop disguised as a theme park. The food was actually decent though as well as being super cute.

After this, we headed to Ikebukuro to visit the Eva shop ss well as the Pokemon Mega Centre. We were super excited for both of these places!

First stop was the Eva shop, which in reality was more like a small section of a department store. It had some cool things, but was not what we expected in the slightest. Most stuff was Eva unit 1 vs Godzilla which is fun and all but yeh…not what we really wanted.

Leaving here empty handed, we ventured to the motherland…the Pokemon Mega Centre! However, on the way we were distracted by a 9 floor shop full of manga, anime and toys called Animate. Wow. This was an experience. Soooooo many people in such a small space and soooo many things to look at. We found some cool things but the line ride to pay was insane so we left empty handed.

Back on track to the Pokemon Centre and when we found it I couldn’t help but be excited! It was super busy and there was so much stuff to look at, but it was nothing that I super wanted. I had an idea about what I was going to buy and those things were on posters around the shop…but not actually in the shop. So I was super disappointed. Maybe they are coming in April…I’ll check the Osaka one :p

With a bag of socks and one sticker in hand, we headed back to the main hub of Shinjuku to do some more traditional sightseeing.

The first was the Hanazono temple which has been around since the 1600’s. It was really beautiful and peaceful here given the fact that it is in the centre of one of the bussiest areas of Tokyo.

Oh and I actually saw my first blossom!

From here, we headed to the Samurai museum which was really worthwhile. I highly recommend it. It was actually a private collection and was beautifully presented. Fun things sonetimes do end in eum.

By the time we were finished here, it was 7:30 so dinner time! We found a great little place and then went home.

Just a stray observation, there is a severe lack of chairs in Tokyo around the place. As someone who has just recovered from a fairly serious ankle injury…this is not the best :p

On that, I started up the step count on my app again…we hit 23,800 steps today!

What we ate

This was the food at Hello Kitty World. Yes we had a burger, but it was pink and had Hello Kitty’s face on it. It also came with a side of karagge. Honestly this was really tasty food and from a theme park no less.

For dinner we found this amazing yakitori place nestled deep within Shinjuku. The vibe here was amazing, the smell…even better and the food…well…let’s just say it was freaking delicious!

Look at these amazing dishes! They were all lined up and I want all of them!

Scallop yakitori.

Shitake mushroom yakitori.

Pickles…because pickles are delicious.

Miso (soooo good) and 3 x chicken thigh, 1 x chicken skin and 1 x chicken tail yakitori.

Fried small shrimp

Our huge sake glasses!

What we were given when we first arrived. An okra dish that we were to put a small amount of soy in. Really good!

On our way home, George wanted something sweet. Conveniently there was a cake shop around the corner from our place. So we had this.

So light, fluffy and delicious!

For breakfast I also hadthe biggest most juicy fuji apple I’ve ever eaten in my life!

What we bought

Considering where we went today, this is a small haul. I’m not sure if it was just too overwhelming or we just didn’t find what we wanted. The plate also came free with the burger.

Yes, I have a sock obsession.