Tokyo Vlog Part II – Roppongi, Azabudai Hills TeamLab, Akihabara, Ameyoko, Sakura | Ep 04

Tokyo Vlog Part II – Roppongi, Azabudai Hills TeamLab, Akihabara, Ameyoko, Sakura | Ep 04

Welcome to Part II of the Tokyo Travel Series. Tokyo Vlog – Part II. Please consider Subscribing if you haven’t already. It’s 11.30 pm, and i’m heading out on the Tokyo Metro to pick up someone special. LDR is tough, but it’s moments like this that I look forward to the most. The anticipation… Turns out she was out already. The last train departing Haneda Airport is around midnight, so we took alternative transport back to the hotel. Then went straight out for Ramen supper at 2am! Not the best, but beggars cant be choosers. All this for just over ¥1,000. It’s a vibe here. We walked back to the hotel, it only took around 10 mins. Waking up to Tokyo Tower, this has to be one of the best hotel room views in town. And we got to see Fuji San during breakfast. We ended up coming back to Grand Club Lounge for a few drinks during golden hour, after a day out. Taking at look at the luxurious Fragrances of Fueguia 1833. The fragrances are inspired bypoetry, tango and Patagonian nature, history and culture. The fragrances as well as the store experience was delightful. Kaiseki at Shunbou. Kaiseki is a traditional multi-course dinner that focuses on balance of delicate flavours, texture, appearance, and colours of each dish. Only the freshest seasonal and local ingredients are skilfully prepared to enhance their flavours. Tile fish, burdock and turnip soup. Assorted seasonal appetizers. Included fermented yellowtail sushi, deep fried white bait, sea cucumber, white shrimp and cherry blossom cheese. Sashimi selection. Grilled harvestfish with yuzu. Simmered Ōmi wagyu beef. Steamed Shunbou-mai rice with red snow crab and Japanese parsley. It is prepared at your table. And served with Miso soup and pickled vegetables. To conclude the meal, Azuki daifuku, creme brulee and fresh fruit was served. Overall a decent meal, but for the price (~¥20,000), there are other much better considered Kaiseki experiences. *Alarm rigging* *Alarm rigging* Rise and shine in the land of the rising sun. Good bye Tokyo Tower. Checking out. Thanks for a delightful stay, hope to be back. We grabbed a coffee downstairs and did a little bit of window shopping at Roppongi Hills. This is one of the most popular Sakura photo spots in Tokyo, Roppongi Sakura-zaka, The cheery blossom trees here fully bloomed 2 weeks after we left Tokyo. One of my favourite activities in Tokyo, is to stroll through the residential neighbourhoods and look at the architecture and how people live. Then we encountered our first cherry blossom sighting in these quiet streets of Azabu. Incredible beautiful and emblematic for the Japanese people and culture. To new beginnings. Hi from us! *Waves*. Slow and leisurely walks, catching up on life, admiring the surroundings and imaging what life would be like living in this city. Azabudai Hills – one of Tokyos newest places to visit. The entire development is designed by Heatherwick Studio, including the interiors which is organic and sleek. I have always wanted to visit the retail store of this brand. The Corran Shop. USM Haller System by Fritz Haller & Paul Schärer! The Conran Shop is the home of considered design and curated living. Discover furniture, lighting and home accessories. I could easily spend an entire afternoon inside this shop. She found a plant corner. Are you also a furniture and design lover? Leave a comment down below. Herman Miller, Flos, Vitra, Eames, Louis Poulsen, TCS…a beautifully curated selection. The Corran Shop is a must visit if you have an interest in all things design and furniture. Spotted an % Arabica here. They have long queues everywhere. % Arabica is one of the fastest growing specialty coffee brands in the world. kudos to them. The concept of Azabudai Hills is "Modern Urban Village." The city is surrounded by greenery and is like a "plaza" that connects people. Though I personally find it rather maze especially the retail spaces in the basement. The collection of buildings have pergola structure that undulates like a sheet of fabric or mesh creating an organic typology. More cherry blossoms! What a time to be visiting Japan. Now headed to… Akihabara! Endless electronics stores, Akiba is the spiritual home to anime & game lovers, and fans of pop idols. Tell me you’re a tourist without telling you’re a tourist. This nine-storey building stocks all kinds of household electronics including computers, TVs, cameras, kitchen appliances and much more. Also one the the best places to purchase camera equipment and you get tax free. But I like to come here to browse all the audiophile equipment and HiFi. The Japanese surely appreciate their HiFi.. I will be back another day. Gotta catch them all! haha Japan is a place where you can relive a lot of your childhood dreams as adults. "If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you’re gonna see some serious shit" Let’s grab a quick dinner close by. “TASTY! QUICK! VALUE!” One of her favourites. Yakiniku Like is a fast-serving Japanese BBQ restaurant offering various Yakiniku meats at an affordable price (~¥1,500pp). A unique yakiniku dining experience where you cook your own food. Perfect for a quick meal, its also great for solo diners as with many casual Japanese restaurants. Akihabara is always a vibe. The essential "Combini" run before heading back to the hotel. *Family Mart jingle*. I’m a big fan of Meiji’s ice-cream cup. This one caught my eye. This is Meiji’s Tiramisu ice-cream (¥265). It has a strong and rich coffee flavour with gooey texture, the ice-cream is creamy and there’s even crunchy toppings. I give it a 9.65/10 rating. Yamanote train! We’re taking the Yamanote JR line train from Akihabara to Ueno Station. It was just a short 2 stop train ride. The sound of Japan for me is the sound of pedestrians signals *Birds chirping* I love it. Today we’re exploring the areas of Ameyokocho and Okachimachi. Ameyoko is a busy market street along the Yamanote Line tracks between Okachimachi and Ueno stations. There are alot of Izakayas, food stalls and bars dotted along and under the train tracks. The area really comes alive in the evening or around happy hour. We found this quaint soba restaurant on google, it looks promising, there was a short line. Yabu Soba is a family run restaurant that has been serving Japanese soba and udon noodles for over 60 years. You can enjoy your meal at the table or whilst sitting on tatami mats. The food took some time (25-30mins) to arrive, but it was well worth the wait. Wow! I ordered with the seasonal vegetarian tempura cold soba (¥1,700), and she ordered the hot duck soba (¥1,900). It looks and smells so good. Itadakimasu. Look at the assortment of exotic vegetables, not your typical tempura vegetable suspects. *Slurp!* ASMR. I’m very impressed with the unique vegetables and flowers, the empura batter is light as air and non greasy. I highly recommend this place if you like Soba noodles. Ameyoko is home to many wholesale distributors of candy and snacks. Shimura Shouten is a famous chocolate/candy shop, most well known for their ¥1000 goodie bags. It is a show, the enthusiastic shop attendant shouts out to the customers as he fills a bag up with candies, sweets, and snacks. Ameyoko is a great area to pick up souvenirs of the candy and confectionary nature. A very famous takoyaki shop with questionable hygiene standards. There was a long queue, so i went to grab a highball whilst she lined up. I must say, I can see why this shop is so popular. The tokoyaki is much bigger than most places. ¥200 for 4pcs and delicious! Remember to DIY your own toppings. Tokyo has many hidden shrines/temples, although this one is not exactly hidden. but one could easily walk pass this one without knowing it was right there. This Buddhist temple is perched above the Ameyoko market and is parallel to the JR train line. A unique place worship and tranquility, despite being meters above the bustling market and with trains passing by every 30 or so seconds. * Please SUB if you are enjoying this vlog. * One of my favourite stores across all of Japan. Hard Off / Hobby Off. It is a cash convertors/re-use shop that buys and sells used electronics, homewares, figurines and everything in between. You can find a lot of treasure here. "One mans junk is another mans treasure." A near mint Apple iPod classic for ¥7,700! You’re coming home with me! Time to look for dinner nearby. Okachimachi has many different local dining delicacies, but the area is most famous for izakaya eateries. However It’s 1°C right now so a big warm bowl of Tsukemen would be even better. This place looks very good! Thick cut char siu! This is just what we need, after a long day walking outdoors in the cold. for those who don’t know, Tsukemen is a type of dipping ramen. I was greedy and ordered a x3 portion of noodles (¥1,450). 700gm of carbs. OMG! Food coma….. but a midnight combini run is essential. Decisions…decisions… Tonight I went with the Meiji lemon cheese Ice-cream cup (¥210). The richness of cheese and tartness with lemon peel in ice-cream form. I rate it a 7.2/10. I woke up and went outside and there was the Tokyo Marathon going on right near out doorstep. What a sight to see, I stood at Chuo-dori Ave cheering the runners on. Ganbatte! I would love to participate in an international running marathon, perhaps Tokyo 2025? The rest of the day we spent in Akihabara, catching up on work from a cafe and spending a few hours inside Yodobashi Akiba and Bic Camera. I didn’t film the rest of today. Globally Tokyo hotels/accommodation tend to be on the smaller size. But we booked this nice and minimal design service hotel with a large 35-40sq m room. Being a boutique property there are only 9 rooms, each room occupies one entire floor of the building. Let me take you on a room tour. The material use is minimal; timber joinery, lime wash walls, concrete floor, faux concrete laminate, glass screen, and a semi expose timber batten ceiling. There is also ambient lighting throughout the room adding a modern touch. All the touch points are very nice quality. ie. light switches, power points, bath faucets and taps, the rest is rather simple. The bathroom is private and modern, but the floor will get wet when you shower due to the design. The design of the room, is modern Japanese and very cozy/cabin like. I especially love that the entire length of the wall is hidden joinery for storage/mini bar, desk and TV. The TV is hidden when not in use. I love this. It’s a very smart design, that reduces visual clutter, you can hide away your suitcase but still be able to access it without taking it out. There is so much surplus storage in the room. Theres also washing/drying amenities, perfect for a longer stay. A small study desk is also hidden behind the wall. The lighting situation is well considered too. There is a variety of portable lamps and lighting fixtures. The lounge/sitting area is cosy and large enough to enjoy comfortably. There is also double glazing for good sound proofing. Don’t mind the mess! lol I hope you enjoyed the room tour, now back to this High ball. *Alarm ringing*. The natural light tho… Time for some exercise downstairs. I stumbled across this quaint water canal close by. Did you know during the 17th century, when Tokyo was known as Edo, everything was built around the water. *Family Mart jingle*. I bought this to keep my hands warm. A busy Taiyaki shop, I don’t feel like lining up today, lucky there are a few of these dotted around the city. I could smell this from afar. Melonpan a.k.a the Japanese Polo Bun. I got the OG Melonpan (¥200). Freshly baked bread is always the best. it was finished in 1 min. I walked pass the Monospine HQ designed by Makoto Yamaguchi. I ended up walking 2.5km to Akihabara. Looks like I’m in a video game. I saw there was a Hard Off/Hobby Off close by, so I made a de-tour here. Dyson Vaccum? My Dyson actually died about a month ago, this V12 slim looks brand new. Okay, I’ll take it! Hi uncle… When buying electronics in Japan, always remember the voltage used here is 110v. I hope it fits in my luggage bag. lol BRB I’m at Yodabashi… KEF! the British standard in HiFI. you can basically demo anything that is on display… Provided you can speak Japanese. Mcintosh Lab Amplifiers! I’m sure one day… Audiophile & HiFi has been a hobby that I progressively got more into towards the end of Covid. It’s an expensive rabbit hole. But one that i believe last decades. Right now I am enjoying learning more about analogue audio and also finding my own sound. This is truly HiFi heaven. I spotted this tone arm raiser from Audio-Technica. Here it cost less than half of the price in Hong Kong. Total (¥10,500). It’s a no brainer, I purchased it along with a few other misc items. Time flies inside here… See you again next time. Time to walk back to the hotel. I happened to walk by this neighbourhood florist and supermarket. Let’s pick up some of her favourite lilies. Admittedly I’m not much of a romantic guy, but picking up some fresh flowers on the way home felt natural. little thoughtful gestures can make someone else’s day that bit sweeter. Especially when it’s unexpected. Relax, take time out to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of life. as well as show gratitude to those special people in your world. Heading to Tokyo Station for a late lunch. This is a simple home cooked food style restaurant inside Tokyo Station. There are so many restaurants inside Tokyo Station that it can be a little overwhelming with choices. This restaurant only had 3-4 items on the menu, of which they change daily. We both ordered the Chicken Karaage set (¥1500). Itadakimasu! The Chicken Karaage was soooo good! juicy meat and non greasy. The condiments balanced the meal nicely. I unextpecdily enjoyed this simple eatery concept and will come back, it was delicious and I’m always happy to support a small F&B businesses. Heading over to Toyosu area by train for Team Lab Planets. Although I visited just a few days ago, I wanted to come back with my gf so she could experience it too. Pointillism uses an accumulation of distinct dots of colour to create a picture. People use their smartphones to select stars to throw into The Infinite Crystal Universe. This artwork is forever evolving, changing from moment to moment due to the people in the space. This section was still my most favourite experience of the exhibition. As good as the first time. She enjoyed it too. I also discovered a "secret water room" here on my second visit. See if you can find it when you visit. This space is filled with spheres of light. People move through the spheres and enter the space as they change colour. Floating in the Falling Universe of Flowers. You feel your body floating after a few minutes laying down watching the AI generated flower animations. The artwork space is completely filled with orchards and flowers, but as the flowers float up above people, open spaces are created. The fresh orchids add a scent element to the experience. I wonder if they change the flowers daily? Heading over to Asakusa for dinner. Asakusa, a historic neighbourhood and popular tourist destination, especially during the day time. Thats why we avoided it and came during the night time. Shabu Shabu for dinner. This place is buffet style, you pick your own vegetables, noodles, salad etc. We went with two different soup bases, a spicy Korean base and also a sweeter Sukiyaki base. Itadakimasu! We love Shabu Shabu (Hot-Pot) and especially when it’s minus degrees outside. How is Tokyo so cold!? I love how quiet the streets are at night time. It’s both eery and zen at the same time. Thanks for coming on this journey with me. We also caught a glimpse of the Tokyo Skytree (634m) on the way home. Thanks for watching Tokyo Vlog – Part II. Sub? The Final Vlog. Tokyo Vlog – Part III. IG: @MRGUMBATRON Dress Well, Drink Well, Live Well. Ciao

Tokyo Vlog Part II

This is Part II of my recent trip to Tokyo. In this episode we explore the new Azubudai Hills, eat an expensive Kieseki meal, explore Akihabara, Okachimachi, Ameyoko, visit TeamLab again and visit the touristy Asakusa.

TOKYO VLOG SERIES
Tokyo Vlog – Part I ➫ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihD52uh8390

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➫ Chapters

0:01 – Cinematic Intro
0:39 – Intro
0:55 – On the way to Haneda
1:43 – The Grand Hyatt Tokyo
2:00 – The Grand Club
2:36 – Shunbou Kaiseki
4:09 – Roppongi Hills
4:22 – Azabu-Juban walk
4:30 – Cherry blossoms
05:05 – Azabudai Hills
05:17 – The Conran Shop
06:48 – Cherry blossoms
07:20 – Akihabara
07:33 – Yodabashi Akiba
08:18 – Yakiniku Like
09:36 – Ameyokocho
10:01 – Yabu Soba
11:55 – Marishiten Tokudaiji
12:20 – Hard Off / Hobby Off
12:55 – Menya Musashi Bukotsu Soden
14:05 – Tokyo Marathon
14:41 – Amancer Hotel Room Tour
17:03 – Asakusabashi
18:16 – Hard Off / Hobby Off
19:24 – Yodabashi Akiba
23:09 – TeamLab Planets
25:48 – Asakusa
27:02 – Outro

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See you in the next one.

“Dress well, Drink well, Live well.”

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Music

Chief – Be Here Now https://chll.to/0e5d8326

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Equipment & Production

Camera: Sony A7C, DJI Osmos Pocket 3
Lens: Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III RXD.
Edit: Adobe Premier Pro.
Filming & Editing: L.M

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“Dress well, Drink well, Live well”
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