Well this is it. Our last full day in Japan and hasn’t Tokyo turned on the weather for us? 34 degrees. Take it easy Tokyo will you? We’re from Hobart.
But of course it’s never too hot for coffee. So off we went to Double Tall Coffee again. Excellent again. From there we took a sultry summer stroll through Gyoen National Garden in Shinjuku. You know, the garden that was all locked up the day before? Well this time it was unlocked – and lovely. The grass was a deep green and all the plants and trees looked perky and colourful despite the heat. The greenhouse was a particular treat. But honestly it was too hot to be walking – so once more we took refuge in the Shinjuku shopping craziness. We wanted to sample some quality matcha ice cream and today was the perfect time to do just that. We headed to a place in Shinjuku that made organic matcha ice cream called simply The Matcha Tokyo. My choice, soft serve matcha will little matcha sugar sprinkles. Jules had matcha ice cream. I was the winner (of course that’s just my opinion) but there was just a hint of bitterness in both – and also in the ice cream.
After a quality sushi lunch in Shinjuku eating dishes I don’t know the name of, at a venue I don’t know the name of (Google Translate had simply decided to stop working), we decided to head back to the AirBnB. Which would have been fine except that getting there required us to navigate through the impenetrable Shinjuku station maze. We’d done it successfully multiple times before, but this time for some reason we got deeply, hopelessly lost. And so it was that we spent an hour in the heat going up and down the same sets of stairs (weren’t we here 15 minutes ago?), crossing the same massive underground spaces with thousands of others (who knew exactly where they were going). We became what I had previously sneered at – just another two gaijin idiots standing in the middle of a crowded thoroughfare, blocking the way and staring slack-jawed at their phones. It was only after actually leaving the station and starting again that we found our way. We were very soggy and very pleased to reach the air-conditioned calm of our accommodation.
A couple of hours later we had rehydrated and recovered ourselves enough to consider braving the outside world again. We had no choice anyway – we had two tickets to see a baseball game between the famous top ranked Tokyo Giants vs the underdogs, the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. And there was no way we were gonna miss that. The game was at Meiji Jingu Stadium, the Swallows’ home ground, just a short 20 minute walk from our accommodation. Thank Christ no more trips via Shinjuku train station were required.
Baseball is massive in Japan and being at a game seeing thousands of rabid fans engage in elaborate choreographed cheering (often featuring little umbrellas or coloured towels) is an incredible sight. This game featured the two top local teams and it was pretty much a sellout. I’m no baseball expert, but we knew enough to be able to follow the game, drink the beer, eat the fried chicken and get sweaty with the locals (those plastic seats are murder on the cheeks when it’s hot and humid) for the next couple of hours. We seemed to be seated with the Giants fans – so of course that’s who we cheered for – we’re not stupid. And that’s who won.
This was our last night in Tokyo and we were determined to find a decent drink somewhere to wrap things up. We decided to try Open Book Ha (the bar we had attempted unsuccessfully to visit the day before). So after subway trip jammed in with thousands of other sweaty semi-pissed baseball fans, we made it to a gloriously cool and mercifully open bar. It was wonderful. A lovely space with great snacks (confit tuna and toasty things in case you’re wondering) and even better drinks. They do these delicious lemon sours – which you can get made with filtered or unfiltered shochu. We tried both and chatted with the lovely guy who runs the place. It was a relaxed way to wrap things up. We almost felt like locals.
Striding out with optimism once more. It wasn’t long before the heat had turned us both into mouldy puddles.
The cutest latte art ever. The barista at Double Tall Coffee created a perfect portrait of Jules and her best mate Miko. Tasted amazing too.
The greenhouse. Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. Because it wasn’t hot and humid enough outside.
Orchids in the greenhouse.
A leaf obviously.
More pretty greenhouse gear.
Not sure what this plant is called. I’ll let you make up a name.
The Taiwan Pavilion in the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden.
Manicured foliage. Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. Not pictured, the egg frying on the pavement.
Just desserts. Some organic matcha ice cream after a relaxing stroll through the furnace. The Matcha Tokyo Shinjuku.
Nice uniforms. Nicer sushi. Don’t know the name of the place we had lunch in, it was all in Japanese and Google translate packed it in. We were flying blind. Just like in the olden days.
Tuna carpaccio. Lunch.
Not New York. Tokyo – Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden and surrounding area viewed from the top of Takesheyama Department store.
At the baseball. Tokyo Yakult Swallows vs the Tokyo Giants. 1st innings. Meiji Jungu Stadium.
Baseball refreshment. Did I mention it was hot?
Kirin beer seller at the baseball. They walk relentlessly up and down the stands with beer kegs strapped to their backs, sweating and selling beer to pissed baseball fans. Not me though, I have scruples. I bought my beer downstairs.
Sage advice. Meiji Jingu Stadium.
This young fella won a prize of some sort so they put him up on the big screen at the baseball. He looked awkward and I don’t blame him.
Later in the game. Giants fans wave their little orange towels to remind the Swallows fans that they are getting their arses kicked.
Packed stadium. The Swallows fans wave their little shiny umbrellas to remind the Giants fans that they just hit a home run.
Nightcap. At a bar called Open Book Ha. We finally made it. Jules views her Shochu Lemon Sour with scepticism. It was in fact delicious.
flyeelookee 