So as your saw, Shinjuku is a bit crowded. Just a tad. And uh, I finally made it to my hotel. It's right near a hospital too. There we are. As we walk in we have a little exposed wardrobe,
no closets, but... somewhat efficient. Over here we've got the bed, TV,
got a fridge down there, got a safe. Got light switches and power right there at your bedside.
That's actually convenient. And... over here we've got the bathroom. Bidet toilet... the controls. Kind of a tight shower. It's a little short too. It's a little cramped but it is efficiently laid out.
That's it! Alright, so Bar Keith...
the best Moscow Mule I've ever had... And I had a good ginger cocktail as well.
That was whisky-based. So, check it out! I end the night at Don Don, a bar that lets you
grill your own meats on a personal hibachi. In this case, it was wagyu beef
as well as some cuts of pork. The next morning I head out to Ginza for a
traditional Japanese kaiseki breakfast at Ginza Inaba. The design and decor of the dining room was
simply stunning, especially the woodwork. When you see your chef making wasabi from scratch,
you know you're about to have a great meal. Host: "This is yuba." Host: "...explain the menu." "Yellowtail fish with radish." "Seabream with sesame soy sauce with nuts." "Japanese sweet potato...
with mushrooms, and grated garlic." "Crab, ohitashi style." "Fried abalone..." "Wagyu..." "Today's miso soup... vegetables with pork." Host: "This is dashimaki tamago." "Grated radish... soy sauce." "Fish egg (mentaiko)." "...chicken with mustard." "This a kind of fish, nodoguro." "And Spanish mackerel." Host: "Orange with pear... yogurt." Alright, we're here in Akihabara,
which is like a gamer's paradise. Lots of uh games, comics,
whatever you can think of. What used to be the iconic Sega building for years
has been rebranded to GiGO as of March 2022. After some searching around, I finally find Super Potato,
a multi-floor store that has a collection of retro gaming paraphernalia. So we're at teamLab Planets,
which is a interactive museum, uh it's immersive... Wow! We are one with the flowers. I head over to Daiba, an artificial island in the harbor
near the Rainbow Bridge to watch some fireworks. The next day I hop on a train
and head out for Shibuya. As you can see, the trains here get a bit crowded. Wanna see the best garlic naan ever?
Check this out! After lunch, I head across the street to Yoyogi Park
to visit the Shinto shrine, Meiji Jingu. Every year, sake brewers offer these sake barrels wrapped
in straw to the souls of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. Here we have the south gate with
the shrine itself located just beyond. Before heading over to Tokyo Tower,
I stop by Warayakiya Rappongi... ...a restaurant known for their fire shows,
to enjoy a flame-kissed steak dinner. Instructor: "Oh, good... ii desu ne!" "Oh! Very good!" "Mmm, subarashi, excellent!" After throwing ninja stars around for a bit... ...I leave Tokyo Tower to head back to Shibuya
to grab late night snacks and drinks at Ebisu Yokocho... ...a small alley filled with small bars and restaurants
where you can meet friendly locals. On my way to get some raw horse meat
at a place called Torauma. Should be interesting. After my raw horse lunch, it's time
to check out the famous Shibuya Crossing. For dinner, I stop by Jiramaru Shibuya,
a small restaurant with a wide selection of wagyu beef... which you can cook yourself on
your own personal hibachi. I'm here... for the raw chicken at Toriki Honten.
Let's see what this is all about and see if I don't get sick. Made famous by a visit from
the late Anthony Bourdain... ...Toriki's Chef Kunio Aihara prepares different cuts of chicken
for his patrons in the small Yakitori restaurant in Shinagawa ...one of which used to be chicken sashimi, raw in the center
while seared on the outside to prevent contamination from the knife while cutting. I requested the "Bourdain Special"
and was presented with... ...skewered chicken and vegetables... ...chicken breast... ...and chicken with fried skin...
but no chicken sashimi. Apparently they had stopped serving
raw chicken a while ago. But after some polite pleading, I was able to
convince Chef Aihara to prepare me some. However, these morsels of raw chicken
did NOT have any sear on the outside... ...and were eaten without any gastrointestinal distress!
Lucky me!
