Japan | Tokyo – Harajuku & Roppongi

After an afternoon of sightseeing at Meiji Shrine, we walked to nearby Harajuku in search of coffee.

Omotesando coffee was ranked THE number one coffee shop in the area and the #4 place to eat (which was weird because there’s hardly any food available).  Known as the “perfect cup of coffee” (which is high praise in Japan) we were too curious not to try.

Behind the controversial Tadao Ando- designed Omotesando Hills shopping center, through a residential neighborhood, and across the street from an empty lot with tall, overgrown grass, stood a tiny traditional Japanese-home-turned-coffee shop. The little coffee shop, hidden within an adorably quaint secret garden of sorts, would have remained completely unseen had we not noticed the line of people emerging from the garden and coffee drinkers leaning against the fence of the abandoned lot.

where’s waldo?

The cafe was at most 10’x10′ with low beamed ceilings and a mini alcove on the right that displayed a well-lit bonsai tree. The coffee counter occupied the majority of the space; one guy made the coffee and the other seemed to be the runner to a hidden kitchen. Maybe about four people at a time comfortably fit inside the tiny, dark space. The only available seating — a small two-person wooden bench — could be found in the outside garden.

We waited in the slow-moving line for about 45 minutes while I mosquitoes ate me alive. Everyone in line seemed to order the frou frou whipped cream iced drinks that took forever to make. By the time we placed our order all the baked custards were sold out. At least they still had coffee!

With coffee in hands we hurried out of the crowded space as fast as possible and searched for a place to sit. Which was how we found ourselves leaning against a concrete planter, sipping our artisan coffee across from a store named “Candy Stripper” on a bustling shop-lined street fittingly named “Cat Street.” The people-watching was pretty good here though disappointingly we didn’t see anyone too decked out in Harajuku attire.

After we finished our coffee we walked around Harajuku window shopping and trying on lots of hats at a hat shop. We ended up at Brooklyn Charm, a DIY jewelry store, where Sly designed a vintage-inspired layered necklace for me.

“Omotesando Collection,” designed by Sly!

For dinner we took the bus to Roppongi, an area popular with foreigners and a part of Tokyo known for its nightlife. Back when Sly lived in Japan, he spent many a night as a singleton in Roppongi getting boozy with friends. According to Sly, present-day Roppongi (or Roppongi while sober) looked a lot different from how he remembered.

But we weren’t in Roppongi to get wasted (at least not this time).

We came to eat.

Hand clapper and bell hanging on wall to summon service. I’m sure that never gets old.

This restaurant , known for its teppanyaki, featured a menu of items that could be cooked on our table top griddle. We ordered a couple of cold beers, okonomiyake, and yakisoba.

Everything was simply prepared and full of flavor with just enough grease to soak up any booze that may have been consumed.  The laid back atmosphere and Japanese bar food reminded us a lot of some of our favorite Japanese restaurants in NYC.

We resisted ordering too much so that we had room for dessert.

After dinner we walked a block or so to Yelo, a shaved ice cafe featuring a menu of interesting flavors such as “avocado mascarpone,” and “organic carrot,” as well as adult alcoholic versions.  I ordered mango lassi with granola and Sly ordered acai yogurt with boba.

The texture of the shaved ice was practically creamy and the syrup toppings tasted like real fruit with the perfect amount of sweetness. As you can probably guess, our desserts didn’t stand a chance. We gobbled them up in the lounge-y dark lower level cafe while people-watching from our hide as Roppongi came alive with lights and people and nightlife.

DETAILS | TO DO & EAT IN HARAJUKU & ROPPONGI

Omotesando Koffee | CUISINE: coffee + cafe | COST: Inexpensive | LOCATION: Harajuku-Omotesando, in a neighborhood off the main street. | DESCRIPTION: Hand-made artisan coffee housed in the tiniest Japanese house complete with tiny garden. For all the hype about “the perfect cup” of coffee most people seemed to order frappuccino-style drinks. The coffee was really good, but I have had so many great cups of coffee in my life that it’s still hard to justify the wait. As much as I love places like these sometimes I wonder if the reviews are shaped by exclusivity and hype. At any rate, as of December 2015, Omotasando Koffee is closed though according to their website a new location is opening in Hong Kong. | VERDICT: I would go if there wasn’t a line or if it were in my neighborhood, otherwise it’s not a mind-blowing life-altering experience.

Omotesando Hills | LOCATION: Harajuku-Omotesando | DESCRIPTION: Up-scale Japanese shopping mall that, in a controversial decision, replaced a 1920s-era apartment complex. At least the building was designed by Tadao Ando?

Brooklyn Charm | LOCATION: Catstreet, Harajuku | COST: This can be as inexpensive or as expensive as you want depending on your design and amount of gold chain needed for said design. | DESCRIPTION: I always find it funny when foreigners do/eat things in other countries that they could do at home. Like when Japanese people go to NYC and eat Japanese food or in this case going to a store in JP that I could have found in the US… I had never heard of Brooklyn Charm before but after looking it up, it is indeed originally from Brooklyn. I probably wouldn’t have gone inside the Harajuku store without Sly’s urging and, after hours of indecisiveness and much-needed assistance from the helpful employees, I finally narrowed down what I wanted. In the end, Sly designed my necklace, choosing the charms and figuring out the structure while one of the store’s jewelry makers actually constructed the necklace (it was free so we figured we’d rather have someone competent put it together). Otherwise I think the normal process involves choosing your charms, chain/wires/etc, purchasing your goods, then going to some upstairs room to DIY your jewelry creation. VERDICT: A fun way to spend an hour or so to create a unique souvenir.

Gottsui | CUISINE: Japanse teppanyaki | COST: Inexpensive  | LOCATION: Roppongi | DESCRIPTION: A DIY version of Benihana! But with better, authentic, Japanese food (and no onion volcanoes, jumping shrimp etc. So basically nothing like Benihana). Casual atmosphere with semi-private wooden booths that enclose small tables, stool seating and a built-in table top griddle. Popular menu items include grilled beef and cabbage, okonomiyake, and yakisoba. When we went the service was pretty slow which was kind of perplexing given that we were doing the cooking? We also waited about 20 minutes for a seat even though the restaurant was busy, but not full. The staff spoke English and I believe the menu was in both English and Japanese. Solid food on par with what you can find at a good place in NYC. PS: Check out this interactive walk-through of the restaurant’s interior. Cool! | VERDICT: Good place for a small group pre or post game

Yelo (JP-only site) | CUISINE: Dessert shop | COST: Inexpensive | LOCATION: Roppongi | DESCRIPTION: Gourmet fluffy shaved ice with unique flavors, including some organic, and alcoholic options. The below-street level space is dimly lit and has a lounge-y vibe that is definitely geared more toward an older (than children) crowd. Bonus points: it’s open late  | VERDICT: So good! I wish I could have tried all the flavors. A good alternative to spending an evening drinking, though that can be done here too!