Yesterday I decided that I wanted to try and see what's in Shizuoka. It's an hour away from Tokyo with the Hikari Superexpress, so it's also something you can do when you have some other stuff planned as well.
A friend of mine wanted a yukata (a thin summer kimono, worn in house or at festivals, depending on the fabric, pattern and sash), so I went out to get one. Luckily I know a place in Harajuku where you can buy one on the cheap, but it's a tourist trap, so I just went in quickly, picked one, paid for it and fled the scene. ;)
Afterwards, I went to Shizuoka.
It's a quiet city; looks a little run-down at times, but quite nice otherwise.
It also has a castle with a very large garden and three moats. Not too shabby, and I spent an hour in the park, enjoying the sun while reading a book. :) I also walked past two middle schools, three elementary schools and a university, so apparently, schooling is not a problem in Shizuoka. :P
For dinner, I returned to Tokyo and decided to give the 8th floor of Yodobashi Akiba a run for it's money, for it's crammed with restaurants. And there I ran into the chain of Okonomiyaki-restaurants I enjoyed in Osaka so much: Fugetsu.
Fugetsu simply makes the best Okonomiyaki I had so far, and they provide real value for money. Spending 2.000 yen, I had modern-style Okonomiyaki, with noodles on top and beef and pork, accompanied by two beers and some water. It took me about 30 minutes to finish my meal, leaving the table with a full stomach and feeling good, as I just had a very good meal.
The joint in Akasaka cost me about 2100 yen for traditional style Okonomiyaki, a pint of beer and dessert, and I had to visit the conbini afterwards.
What a difference. Shame on me that I forgot about Fugetsu.
Moving house to Osaka
Today, we left for Osaka. I love the city, and the neighbourhood our apartment's in is very nice and friendly. It also has some excellent restaurants within walking distance and more convenience stores you can shake a stick at.
We had a curry dinner at a small curry restaurant down the street; excellent stuff with extra topping for less than 1000 yen. When we paid our tab, they also gave us some coupons to make our next meal there even cheaper. Go figure. :)
Afterwards, we left for Kyoto to witness the Daimonji Gozan Okuribi. It's a traditional Buddhist fire ceremony, marking the end of Obon. On the way back, we decided to take it easy tomorrow, sleep in and explore Osaka when we feel like it. ;)
I'll try to write something about the drinks and snacks we encountered tomorrow.
Cheers, K.