Afuri Ramen | Tokyo • 5 comments • My first and last time eating ramen was years ago at the Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York. I wasn't terribly impressed and it's typically too much food for me so, I haven't had a reason to order it again. Alex heard a tip that Afuri’s signature yuzu shio ramen (a more balanced ramen, with citrus) was one of the best in Tokyo, so I figured I should give ramen another shot. I'm still not a huge fan, but apparently I’m alone since Afuri has several locations in Tokyo and recently expanded to the United States with a restaurant in Portland, OR. - Mina
Genki Sushi | Tokyo • 4 comments • Conveyor Belt Sushi in North America is probably a terrible idea, but in Japan even this cheap spot had sashimi that was better than most sushi in San Francisco. At 129 Yen for 2 pieces of nigiri, we may have gone back to this cute restaurant more than once. The color of the plate determines the price of what's on it, but I think even the priciest pick was only 259 Yen ($2.15 USD when we visited). There's all you can drink green tea, and games you can play on the screen. I also love their grumpy logo; it speaks to me. - Mina P.S. I posted a video from our visit in my instagram stories today. See it here.
Studio Ghibli Clock at Shiodome Station • 1 comments • We stumbled upon the “NI-Tele Really BIG Clock” (aka Giant Ghibli Clock) one day and saw a large crowd of people milling about. It happened to be right before one of the 4 daily “performances” of the clock. It’s apparently based on the aesthetic of Miyazaki’s 2004 film Howl’s Moving Castle and takes up more than 3 stories of the side of the Nippon Television headquarters building. We got to see a little show, which you can watch below in the video we took. I wouldn't go out of your way to make it a destination if you're not a huge Studio Ghibli fan, but it was right by our hotel and really cute to see in person. - Mina
Shibuya At Night • 6 comments • The famed Shibuya scramble crossing is iconic and seeing hundreds of people crossing the intersection at once, in a fairly orderly manner no less, is a novelty that doesn’t get old. When we needed a break from the crowds and lights, we popped into a second floor Yoshinoya for a gyūdon beef bowl (a favourite local fast food we discovered on our first trip to Japan in 2008). Yoshinoya has American franchises, but they’re garbage. In addition to the ubiquitous blaring neon of Tokyo, there were a variety of stalls and pop-up stores to explore. We played some games, did some shopping, and hopped on the subway back to Shiodome where we were staying. - Alex
