A Ritzy Day

Sunday, August 5

We left our hotel (see picture below) ready for more Tokyo thrills.

I'm kidding.

Maybe.

Our first stop was 六本木 (Roppongi), an area known for its population of young and wealthy, many of whom include foreigners. We checked out Tokyo Midtown, the area's latest happening spot.

Though I was alarmingly out of place among the rich folk, I loved the hip, artsy aspect of the mall, whose bookstores stock a variety of art/design publications and whose spacious halls are dotted with the occasional sculpture.

We lunched at PhoNam.

We sat on a raised platform overlooking the (very clean) kitchen, above which soft clouds of steam filled with the fragrance of tarragon hovered. I ordered a basic chicken pho, which had a light, clear broth (non-oily) with thin, slippery noodles and tender chicken breast. The soup was paired with garnishes of cilantro, crisp bean sprouts, and a slice of lime. I flavored my chicken with the accompanying spicy sauce. An un-pho-gettable dining experience.

From Roppongi, we caught the subway to 原宿 (Harajuku), though not before passing singer Angela Aki en route to the Sony Music building.

I love Harajuku.

We stopped by the Audi Forum for a peek at my future car. When we last visited in December, there was nary an R8 to be found. This time, the showroom featured TWO of the sexy beasts.

Rawr.

After bidding my goodbyes to my car--a car I'll never be able to afford--it was appropriate that we snacked at Sad Cafe.

So true.

Sad Cafe is an Americana-styled bar/restaurant inhabited by artsy types who smoke and talk about poetry and angry music. Where do we fit in?

タコライス
The food at Sad Cafe, just like Harajuku itself, is cheap and good.
I had a lunch set of bouillon, bread, taco rice (oh yum), and a large iced coffee for a mere 600円.

Following our snack, we were off to 新宿 (Shinjuku), where we visited the impressive Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office Building.

We next went to the Keio Plaza Hotel, where we met up with friends from Lewis and Clark College who are now attending New JET Orientation. We found Ryan in the lobby and were soon joined by Takako (a law student and expert Tokyo-ite). We greeted Clay as he arrived, and along with his friend Andy, we all had at a nearby izakaya. I'm excited that we'll see more of them here in Japan!