Life in Tokyo | Autumn & Christmas in Japan, Local Cafes, Setagaya Flea Market, Museums & Shopping
hi everyone, we’re headed back to Tokyo this week I’ll be staying for about 3 weeks this time it’s a 9am flight and I didn’t get a wink of sleep but at least I got to see the sunrise :) much needed coffee just trying to get by till we land leaving snowy Seoul for a moment the inflight meal was stir fry chicken and rice I’m sleepy but can still eat I’m so glad it’s a short flight first stop my favourite pickled plum onigiri and I needed another coffee to get to the hotel the weather is so much warmer here looks like it’s still autumn weather I’m going check in and take a nap first I feel so much better after the nap I’m getting ready to go explore a bit I thought I’d also share the weather and what I wear on this trip so you can get a idea of how to dress for the winter here honestly the weather was really warm for December this is the popular seafood bowl restaurant I came around 4:30 for an early dinner and the wait was only about 30 minutes I think if you come around dinner time the wait is more than 1 hour I’m curious to see why it’s so famous it does look really good I ordered the matsu course with the added uni the seafood was really fresh but the best part was when they add the broth the broth was so savoury and yummy and all the seafood gets slightly cooked in the broth it’s a really good meal without the wait it’s nice to be back in Tokyo :) all the lights are on for Christmas looks like Christmas and autumn will come at the same time this year just picking up a few essentials before heading home this heated eye mask is perfect for traveling and my favourite body wash it’s such a lovely sunny day we’re going to go see some autumn leaves today I didn’t think I’d get to see autumn leaves in Japan this year but the timing was perfect I’m back in autumn all over again and the colours are so vibrant this year next we’re off to a nearby museum it’s my first time visiting the exhibitions are of Chinese and Japanese sculptures but mostly I enjoyed the architecture and ambience and I’ve really wanted to visit the nezu cafe inside the museum it’s meant to have a beautiful view of the gardens managed to get a lovely counter seat there are some light food and drinks I ordered the blend coffee and strawberry sponge cake cream fruit cakes are my absolute favourite :) next we’re off to check out the gardens I actually didn’t know there were such a big garden here there were a few people just sitting down reading a book soaking up the winter sun I think this is such a great place to visit during autumn there were also only a handful of other people in the garden now let’s go do some shopping Nezu is only a short walk away from Omotesando and Harajuku which is a major shopping district I really liked this jacket there’s also another store I want to check out here this shopping complex has a lot of cute stores and also the cafe on the 4th floor has a nice view but the basement levels have all the fun stores I think this is a great place to find some unique presents or souvenirs for yourself this is a lid for your cup noodles or this sesame grinder hamburger shaped coasters this pink colour is so cute these incense sticks had some really unique scents found a new scent I really like they will also have Christmas lights along this street gyukatsu is alway one of my favourite meals I actually think it’s worth the hype my favourite way to eat it is with the cabbage and dressing and a bit of wasabi and it was already night by the time I finished and all the Christmas lights are on time to head home for breakfast I’m having this natto roll and this vitamin drink this also helps with any face swelling today’s a bit chilly but the sun is warm this is a coffee specialty store the latte was a bit too acidic for my taste but it looked like most people came here for the drip coffee there is a few things I want to stock up in Japan so we’re headed to Ikebukuro I came here just for this face oil but the cute packaging drew me in all the new year decorations are out I also love dropping by Kaldi and they always give you free coffee the store sells a mix of Japanese and imported goods some of my recommendations this chilli oil is not that spicy but really tasty this salad dressing is one of their best sellers this spreadable melon bread paste is really popular right now this is like a mix between a brownie and chocolate cake and the coffee selection here is pretty good too and of course I had to drop by the ghibli store they usually have new products each month kind of want this stain glass puzzle and this mini Calcifer candle holder is so cute it’s actually only 4:30 but the sunsets really early in winter here but their is a photo spot I wanted to check out at night and it was only 1 station from Ikebukuro love all the colours and lights along with the quiet neighbourhood atmosphere It’s a bit out of the way but worth a visit for some photos picking up some dinner from the convince store they have limited edition truffle flavoured ramen I couldn’t just walk past this shu cream store they have the best shu creams I kept seeing this on cup noodle recipe online where you microwave and add this braised pork to your cup noodles I guess it’s like the chashu you get at ramen stores starting the morning at a local coffee shop the coffee was quite good here I’m just going to spend the day editing a bit then I’m meeting with some friends later for dinner we’re going to have dinner in Shinjuku we’re having yakitori for dinner just catching up over some good food and beer let’s have a walk around to digest there’s something about Shinjuku at night that really reminds me of my first trip to Japan all the bright lights and busy streets I’ve been trying to check out smaller local cafes on this trip this shop only had about 5 counter seats and was completely full and the latte was really good we’re going to a flea market today this one is meant to be one of Japanese largest flea markets on board the cat tram the weather looks like it could be a summers day I was not expecting this crowd at the flea market this market is only held twice a year and has around 700 stalls selling all kinds of goods and of course some food stalls the smell of the beef strew filled the whole street so I had to try some I also got a tsukune (meatball skewer) the hot stew was so good in the cold weather now let’s have a look around the market the market really sold everything I’ve been on the look out for new matcha bowls I love looking around flea markets you can find so many interesting pieces the stalls just kept going and going but this was the crowd all the way through the street... I started to get overwhelmed by the crowd and there’s a temple I wanted to check out nearby a little escape from all the noise I’m so glad I got to see the autumn leaves twice this year this temple is is known as the "cat temple" because of the maneki-neko “Maneki neko” translates to “beckoning cat“ this temple specialises in the Maneki neko with the right paw up which is meant to bring good luck and fortune the ones with the left paw is meant to attract more customers so you might see them at restaurants or shops time for some dinner were at a beef tongue specialty restaurant the restaurant serves up beef tongue cooked din different ways we got the boiled and grilled one and the grilled onigiri the meat was so tender we ended up getting the stew as well it was still pretty early so we came over to Azabudai hills one thing about me is that I love Tokyo tower so we’re here to check out the new observatory but first let’s have a look around the Christmas market it’s my second time at this market the stalls sell some Christmas knick-knacks the lines were a bit too long to buy anything but it was nice to look around now let’s go check out the observatory it’s located inside the Azabudai hill Mori JP tower it doesn’t open everyday so you should check before going the entry is free but to see the view you need to make a purchase at the cafe or restaurant and the receipt kind of acts as your ticket and you get a cake too :) the view of Tokyo tower was amazing from here I think this is the closest view you can get since it’s not an official observatory, the glass is a bit reflective but it wasn’t very crowded I think it’s worth a visit if you love Tokyo tower like me ending the day with my cake and Netflix I hope you enjoyed my first week back in Tokyo see you in the next video :)
2025-01-05 21:10
