Life….I just got to keep going whether I fall down or up because I won’t stop.

Truth! I have NEVER TOURED TOKYO! What kind of Japanese person am I right? Okay, well I’ve been to Tokyo Tower few years ago, but that’s very generic. I mean I’ve never took the train and checked out all the ins and outs of Tokyo. I said to myself I will accomplish this sometime.
I was going to meet up with my friend Haruka and she told me she’ll show me around as much as she can. I was super excited because one I haven’t seen her almost 15 years and plus, I get to explore!
We said we’ll meet up in Shibuya at the Shibuya 109 shopping mall at eleven. So I woke up early, took the train and waited around. I got a text saying ‘Sorry! I’m running late. May take awhile!’ Well then…
So I walked around….. for 2 hours..I didn’t know what to expect. I heard Shibuya was the SoHo/St Marks of Japan. Alright so I walked and I found a taiyaki joint, got me a taiyaki and started walking even deeper into Shibuya. Finally I get a phone call from Haruka! I ran to go towards the shopping mall, all I could think to myself was, what does she look like? Has she changed at all?
I must say in 15 years…nothing really changed at all with us. We met, jumping and screaming like kids. We were catching up on everything from college, to boyfriends, to careers. After we did finished our convo, the question finally came up…’Where do you want to go?’ My response…’Anywhere!’
We walked from Shibuya to Harajuku, where the Meiji Jingu shrine was. Long story short…this shrine is dedicated for the spirits of Emperor Meji and his wife Empress Shoken. Just walking to the shrine, you can just feel something different, like a different vibe.

We went inside, and made a prayer. Then we walked around Harajuku. Harajuku is like…whoa. So diverse! You see every type of cosplay in the world. Sorry I haven’t taken any pics, I was just too busy just dropping my mouth because I was in culture shock!
Next was off to Asakusa…now I heard about Asakusa because of this Japanese movie my parents use to watch called Otoko wa Tsuraiyo (It’s Tough Being a Man). As we took the train down to Asakusa, I could hear the theme song from that movie. We walked toward Kaminarimon (pic below)…this place is known for their festivals around July and August…ohhh if I was only there in August, I’d be rocking my yukata…one day
From selling summer kimonos, to fried dango (rice cakes), I was just loving Japan. We walked towards senso-ji (Tokyo’s oldest temple) and also did our prayers. Mind you I’ve prayed a lot in my trip. What did I pray for? That’s for me to know and you to not find out =P
After this, we just had to take a break, I just sat down because I’ve been walking for 6 hours nonstop! Crazy and with new sandals…talk about blisters lol. Well worth it. Haruka was somewhat running out of ideas on where to go..so I asked, they how about Odaiba? She was like…yes we must go. Now Odaiba is a man made island in Japan, filled with condos and a large mall only the women will love and the men will sit. After our break, we ran to take the ferry, but the last stop was about half an hour ago boo…but we managed to see the Asahi building

We hopped a train to Odaiba and by that time, I was exhausted and in no mood to shop. I just walked around oooing and ahhing because Haruka took me into Venus Fort Mall aka my Dream Mall.
Come on, us ladies like the sophisticated, european style mall. I do and I’m not a big mall person. There’s three different types of malls in there, and did I mention there is a huge arcade and a ferris wheel? crazy!!
After all that, we grabbed dinner at an italian restaurant. I absolutely enjoyed the view of Tokyo City. I just said to myself, this is the life.
After dinner and more talking was over, we parted ways and I headed back to my friend’s place. I can still feel my feet throbbing after the long walk just typing this.

This is somewhat random but I thought this was interesting:
Something that I was asked the most from this trip from family and friends were:

Will I ever consider living in Japan? For like retirement or if I found a good job?
No. LOL. Sorry, exploring Japan is great, I’m a New Yorker at heart. I was born and raised here and I got the attitude.

Why did you come back?
Numero 1 I wanted to see my family. It’s been way too long and I’m very close with them. Also, I wanted to know more about Japan. I’ve learned so much history about other countries but not really my own.

Will you ever come back?
Yeah, every year? No, Every 2-3 years, yes.

Why didn’t you go to a Japanese University?
I did consider going to Keio University at one point…but in the end, my life is in the states.

Have you gone any other places in Tokyo?
Yes, Omote-Sando, Bunkyo, Meguro, Roppongi, Ikebukuro, Ueno, Shimbashi, Shinjuku…whew lol.

More blogging about Japan real soon. Enjoy your 4th of July! =)

Website: www.kotobukinewyork.com

Cuisine: Japanese

The Deal: The first time I came into this restaurant, I heard it from so many people to come and check it out. Why? Number one, because I’m Japanese and they want my expertise. I usually go to the Happauge location but the Babylon and Roslyn are also great places as well. All three have great atmosphere. Now, I eat any kind of sushi at any restaurant, but hey there is a difference between having good and bad sushi. Their menu is varied from Japanese hot entrees to their sushi rolls. They have, I must say a very creative roll menu. I first ordered my avocado and salmon salad then I ordered a UFO roll, a roll that has salmon, tuna and avocado wrapped in a daikon roll then a natto roll which is fermented beans, sounds weird, but I like it. First things first, with me DO NOT MESS WITH THE AVOCADO! I’ve been to many restaurants where they cheap you out on avocado. Kotobuki’s did not do that and I was shocked! The salmon avocado salad consisted of 1/3 of avocado and few salmon sashimi slices with spicy mayo on top. I always ordered that salad now when I go, it is just delicious. And the UFO roll and Natto roll were amazing as well. Now if you’re really hungry, this is the ultimate platter you need to get. The sushi for two. And for $64 bucks, all worth it. You will get your salad, your miso soup, fried clams as an appetizer and the ultimate awesomeness.

Need I say more? So if you’re around the island, check the place around. I must warn you though, in all three locations, it does it crowded so there will be a wait. So if you’re heading there for lunch, please get there early, there was a line when I went for lunch. As for dinner, if you’re going with your lover, there will be a 10-20 minute wait, but if you’re going with a group, can be an hour. Also, one more catch, the restaurant does not take any reservations. Ultimate bummer, but hey it’s worth the wait. You will not be disappointed.

The beer was founded by Wells & Young, which is a fairly new brewing company in England. Why would it be on Whole Foods market? My assumption is since the brewing factory at W&Y is ecofriendly. Overall, the company is doing very well. Hey, I’m not a big alcohol person but with beer, because there’s so many varieties from pale to dark ale, to fruity to chocolately, I’m not surprised that the beer industry is doing well.
Anywho, so I bought the beer (you can’t say no to bananas), went back home and placed it in the fridge. I was going to save it for later, but because I had a tough day at the office for the past week and it was my brother’s birthday, I thought I treat myself to this seductive banana beer.

Note: Make sure you have a beer opener, I thought it was a twist cap, no, it’s a pry off cap.

Now the taste is very crisp, which a plus for me. Did I taste the bananas? Eh? I was hoping for something like Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat, where you can actually get the cherry flavor and aroma. With this, I did get a faint taste of bananas, but I was hoping the flavor would be more potent. It wasn’t a bad beer at all though. I finished it off like it was nobody’s business. I did have high hopes for this beer, but hey, at least I could say I tried a banana beer.

Check out their website! http://www.wellsandyoungs.co.uk/

The Story: When I went to Japan few years ago, their nail art was booming! From magazines to their fake nails you can buy at 7-11, I wanted to get them. When I came back to New York, I wanted to get them done so bad, finally I found a place (thank you Yelp and SeoulDiva!).
Sakura Nails specializes in Calgel. It’s not like acrylic where it can damage the nail or UV Gel where it’s permanently on your nail and also damage the nail. Calgel doesn’t affect with your nail health so it will grow strong and it will not lift or peel your nails. So far I’ve found 3 salons in New York City which specializes in calgel and nail art. So far, with some research, Sakura nails received very positive reviews.

The Deal: An appointment is necessary! When I came inside the salon, the decor was really nice and it was very quiet. I was expecting a loud woman telling me I’m late but I didn’t. I received a warm welcome from Kumiko, the manicurist and I was seated immediately. I was looking at some of the nail designs and I asked Kumiko if the design can be done. She said yes without any hesitation and started prepping for my nails. One thing I loved, she did not use any machines, no drilling, no ripping cuticles and no heavy acid smell of fake nails.
Kumiko filed my nails and painted my nails with calgel and added designs. I must say I’m very impressed. Kumiko was very nice and did not push me to do a pedicure or a facial to make more revenue. I usually do not like nail salons because some manicurists are not licensed and they just do whatever or some are just really harsh and can drill my nails until my nail bleeds. I will a regular with this salon =)
*Note: I will explain more about calgel in another entry*

The Catch: It’s a tad pricey. Just having calgel is $40 (without tip), mine was about $65 due to the designs and rhinstones. It’s def worth the splurge. Think about it, your nails will be stronger, not ripped off, also they will be fabulous!

The Deal: I came strictly for the 10 cent wings, hey when your tight on money and you want to go out, why not right? Now, I’m not a big fan of bars because it’s can get crowded and sticky. When I went inside, my image of Croxley’s was completely wrong. There was seating on one side, filled with flat screen tvs and a full bar on the other side. It’s somewhat dark but the place is clean, not smelly and not sticky. As I looked at the crowd, it was more suited for the legal drinkers, but I did see a few families seated.

The Catch:  10 cent wings are on Monday and Wednesday only, If you want to splurge more, Saturday and Sunday are 20 cent wings. Minimum orders are 20 wings from mild to hot. You cannot take it home and 20% tip is already added in your check. Now I went yesterday and I 20% wasn’t added in. I left the waitress a nice tip anyway.

Etc: They have a variety of beers which I absolutely loved! I tried the Ithaca Apricot beer which the seasonal beer right now. For the pale ale lovers, apricot beer is right for you. Prices are not bad at all, if you have 15 bucks to spare, this is def the place for you to check out. Also… I big into hot sauce. When I saw the ‘cry like a baby’ sauce on the menu, I had to try it…lets just say I didn’t cry like a baby. It had more tang into it than hot. If you smell the sauce, you’ll get a little burn inside.

Chicken, Beer and Skins