I don't know of a single person who doesn't like Japan, and for me - I absolutely love the country. From the glorious food, to the people, the breathtaking sceneries and everything else, it's hard to deny this as one of my favourite countries!
Special thanks to Chiap Lee Co., Kuala Lumpur Chiap Lee (KLCL) and of course, Arai for this privilege.
Now as you might already know, Japan is the second trip of my Traveling Marathon this month haha as less than 24 hours ago, I was having such a wonderful time during my first ever visit in Hong Kong.
Went around Kowloon Bay with this classic Norton from PAM Motors,
shopping around with mom, dessert hopping with Loretta and the rest!
Flew back to Singapore just to repack my luggage, having just a few hours to catch my breath before hopping onto SQ634 bound for Haneda, Tokyo!
7 hours later, I find myself basking in the summer vibes of Tokyo and over the next few days was nothing but pure indulgence of endless belts and plates of sushi, food, shopping and cafe hopping!
Among all kinds of sushi, Salmon Belly Aburi tops my list! The moment that heavenly thing lands on your tongue, it just melts away.... Shiok max.
Trying out different creative variations of Maki is always fun cuz any way they make it, it's always still sooo gooood.
Apart from Japanese food being delicious, they're pretty healthy too! Like this Tuna Aburi here, packed with Omega 3 fatty acids and oils that's really good for the body! So, what's there to resist? ;)
From Ginza to Ueno, Tsukiji Fish Market to Asakusa, Shinjuku to The Imperial Palace, we combed them thoroughly through over the next few days via taking the efficient subway everywhere, stuffing ourselves non-stop with food and being kind to our wallets with more window shopping than just throwing our credit cards and sweeping everything off the shelves at the malls.
Tsukiji Market is most popular for catching the auction of fresh Tuna, but you've got to be a real early bird (like 4:30am) in order not to miss it!
For us, we're satisfied just being spoilt for choice looking at the wide array of fresh seafood here in the late morning and picking what's ready to be eaten.
Did you know? That Tempura is actually a classical Portuguese dish made popular by Japan! Just like this crunchy shrimp and vegetables nicely battered and deep-fried to perfection for our taste buds.
And off we go for more sssssuuushiiii,
before making a stop at Yokohama, to visit Japan's second largest motorcycle store - NAPS.
From riding gears to biking accessories, to motorcycle workshop and what not, they carry such a wide variety of items and brands here it's hard not to call this place a Biker's Paradise!
Back on the train tracks, it's interesting to know that starting the operation in 1927, the Tokyo Subway now carries a daily ridership of 8.7million people, with 285 stations across 13 different lines. It is the main transport for locals and tourists like us.
And let's just say that taxi fares here are... unforgiving. Hahaha.
As complicated as it may sound, it's actually very easy to get around with the subway because everything is clear and systematic.
Hopping on and off the subway stations before landing at Asakusa.
Known for the famous Sensoji temple,
Shinto Shrine,
and the 5-storey Pagoda that's always being well-maintained over the years.
Ok let's go hunt for more food.
Bidding goodbye to all diet plans...... LOL.
At one of the nights, we took the subway down to the world's busiest railway station - Shinjuku, where it handles more than 2 million passengers each day!
It is also the place filled with tons of shopping malls and departmental stores, enticing you in to shop till you drop!
But before we allowed ourselves to get sucked into that blackhole of endless shopping hahah, we grabbed our luggages and headed for Saitama because the following day, we've got a very educational and exciting place to visit! And I would need all my focus and energy to absorb all that information, which I'm going to share with you!