Tokyo’s traditional neighbourhoods | Yanaka Ginza, retro cafes | One month living in Japan VLOG

Hi from Tokyo again this is my second week back in Tokyo one thing I’ve noticed since coming back is that there definitely a lot more people I heard over tourism have been an issue so this week I’m trying to explore the quieter neighbourhoods of Tokyo starting off, we’re at Nippori from here we’ll be walking to Yanaka Ginza which is a traditional area of Tokyo filled with traditional wooden houses, izakaya and retro coffee shops I think it’s the perfect place to enjoy a slow-paced day in Tokyo you can also find local restaurants, sweets and handicrafts store the area is also well known for it’s senbei you can smell the fresh senbei walking past lunch is at this kissaten this cafe is well over 70 years old I recommend making a reservation, since they have a no waiting policy but luckily it wasn’t too busy when I went I got a melon soda and their egg sandwich set this is a must get at this store this was the most fluffy egg and the bread was somehow chewy I would come back just for this sandwich time to look around more of the neighbourhood there are also a lot of craft stores in the area they have such a cute selection of things but there is one area I wanted to check out here you can find a collaboration of small shops and cafes in and old traditional household starting with this craft beer store there are also a few art-craft shops and a bakery that sells bread and sweets this fig and chocolate one sounds so good grabbed a few so that I can have them for breakfast I was going to get some coffee here but the cafe was closed for today so we’ll continue our walk to the main area of Yanaka Yanaka is also interestingly known as the ‘Cat town’ not quite sure why but there are so many cat themed shops here they have good coffee and brunch options the coffee was great as usual the staff are always super friendly and welcoming too the cafe also has some homewares and goods for sale this is the main Yanaka shopping street definitely a must visit for any cat lovers I think you can find some fun souvenirs here as well how cute are these chopstick holders and of course some Kiki merch getting one more treat before heading off there’s so many options but can’t go wrong with the original let’s go grabs some dinner the flagship store in Asakusa is huge another food I missed the most is definitely sushi! highly recommend this broccoli prawn salad it doesn’t look that promising but it’s really yummy and the corn tempura is really good as well late night snack time watching Bridgerton couldn’t wait this morning to try my carrot cupcake best way to end the night trying my fig and chocolate bread preparing some yogurt while I toast that up got some frozen mangos the other day this was such a good combo the weather is so clear today so we’re going to go check out another cute neighbourhood in Tokyo did I choose this place for the name? maybe... but they are also well known for their coffee they hand-pick their own original beans and roast them twice resulting in a really smooth and refreshing taste love this magazine for cafe recommendations the area we’re going to check out today is Kuramae which is considered the 'Brooklyn' of Tokyo the area is known for its artisan community and is home to small manufacturers and craft stores this stationery shop is popular for their customisable notebooks you can customise everything from the cover to which paper you want they also had some other stationaries they were also giving out this map of the area it showed all the fun shops and restaurants to visit so let’s go visit some of these shops this is both a cafe and a chocolate factory these would be such great presents and everything is made in house they have so many hot chocolate options I got the Kuramae hot chocolate there’s a huge line if you want to sit inside the cafe so I’m enjoying it at the park just outside it’s definately a lot richer than normal hot chocolates in Japan this is partly a cafe but also a shop for handmade leather accessories this shop had some interesting incense and candles theres even a shop that specialises in masking tapes they have all different kinds of colours and patterns last shop for today how cute is this reusable coffee filter dinner is omurice I got the mushroom omurice today we’re headed to Tsukiji markets I heard it’s super crowded lately but there were a few shops I wanted to check out in this area starting with this viral coffee shop I came around 11 and thought the line didn’t seem too bad but there is only 1 barista and 1 staff working so the line ended up taking 1.5 hours which is more than I would usually be willing to wait for coffee but the staff were really friendly despite being so busy and the coffee was honestly really good the sweetness of the matcha balances really well with the bitter expresso I would recommend coming right at opening to avoid the crowd we were originally going to eat at the fish markets but did not feel like lining up again I’ll come back next time but luckily there was another bakery I wanted to check out you can register online to get a wait time this bakery is where the famous salt bread originated they have so many options here I highly recommend trying the original shio pan and the mentaiko flavour and the melon bread if you like something sweet they were still warm from the oven you can hear how crispy this is 100% would recommend we just went shopping around Ginza afterwards in Shibuya for some dinner feels like ages since I last came here we’re at a all you can eat wagyu place they also have all you can eat side dishes and drinks the only downside is that you have to go to the counter to order everytime but the beef tongue was the best part it’s a rainy day here in Tokyo we’ll be exploring Kappabashi today but need some caffeine first looks like hydrangea season is starting but that also means the start of rainy season the owner of this cafe used to work in New Zealand and Australia so I had high hopes for the coffee they were even playing a Australian radio station he seems to have won a lot of awards too the coffee was good as expected I can’t say no to a carrot cake this one was moist and not too sweet now time to look around Kappa street but do you know the story of the Kappa? they are these Japanese water yokais they look like a mix of a monkey and a turtle with a bowl of water on it’s head they are known to be frightening creatures that pull victims under water to drown them but they have one essential flaw... and it’s that they are extremely polite so if you bow to them they will bow back spilling the bowl of water on it’s head this will rendered completely helpless but the street itself is well known for it’s kitchenware you can get some Japanese kitchenware at a really good price they had so many unique designs if you want to find cute plates and bowls I would highly recommend this place the whole street is lined with these stores had some great finds here dilemma between matcha or another coffee matcha has really been taking over recently spending the afternoon doing some reading heading to Shimokitazawa today this area is well known for it’s vintage stores, cafes and bars nooooo the coffee shop I wanted to go to seems to be closed but good thing one of my favourite coffee shops was nearby always a good coffee here it’s definitely ice coffee weather now really needed this coffee time for some thrifting I feel like I always look around the same few shops when I’m here trying on a few dresses lunch menu is soup curry there seems to be a lot of soup curry places in this area you can customise everything from the spiciness to all the toppings soup curry was one of my favourite foods I tried in Hokkaido this one came pretty close back to shopping there are also a lot of cute stores like this in the area needed another coffee one of the main reasons I came here was to check out the record stores I’ve been thinking of getting a record player recently and I heard Japan is the best place to buy secondhand vinyls this place had such a big range was honestly a bit overwhelmed with where to start this place was better organised and had some newer records as well time to get some dinner we’re back in Asakusa area didn’t know the back streets had so many restaurants and bars my friend recommended this place for kushikatsu all the food was so good and affordable the fried natto was the best hope you guys enjoyed my second week here in Tokyo see you in the next video :)

Channel: Sol Life

Views: 63,845

Keywords: yanaka ginza, japan travel, tokyo travel, living in japan, life in japan, apartment tour, living in tokyo, life in tokyo, tokyo vlog, japan vlog, day in my life japan, japan aesthetic, living alone japan, life in japan vlog, sol life, vlog japan, japan vlog aesthetic, living in japan vlog, living alone tokyo, day in the life japan, week in my life, sol life vlog, cafe hopping japan, tokyo cafe, tokyo vlog aesthetic, moving to japan, japan life, travel japan

Id: Jo6jLZTAZT4

Length: 38min 59sec (2339 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 23 2024