dtam

Getting ready to holiday in Hokkaido

October 01, 2019・3 min read (481 words)

We called at least seven sushi restaurants but they all said the same thing: they only take bookings for foreigners through a concierge. It was a little disappointing.

Home, Ootsuka: finished Elbert's peperonchino pasta before I left. Delicious.
Home, Ootsuka: finished Elbert's peperonchino pasta before I left. Delicious.

I left at 1430 for Shibuya, where I picked up my 7-day JR Pass and made a reservation for the 0638 shinkansen from Ueno to Hokkaido.

Roar Brothers, Shibuya: inside a building called Shibuya109 which has shops almost purely catering for women, meaning that everyone walking around was a schoolgirl or woman in their 20-30's, so I felt a little out of place.
Roar Brothers, Shibuya: inside a building called Shibuya109 which has shops almost purely catering for women, meaning that everyone walking around was a schoolgirl or woman in their 20-30's, so I felt a little out of place.
Coffee brown sugar milk tea. The coffee comes from a freshly pulled espresso shot. The pearls were warm and really sweet, but it was okay since they didn't add much syrup. I still wish it was a little less sweet. Very good though and it's my favourite so far.
Coffee brown sugar milk tea. The coffee comes from a freshly pulled espresso shot. The pearls were warm and really sweet, but it was okay since they didn't add much syrup. I still wish it was a little less sweet. Very good though and it's my favourite so far.

The biggest Loft and Tokyu Hands stores are in Shibuya so I didn’t miss my chance to have a look at their stationery sections and then get lost again looking at bottles and coffee equipment. Afterwards I walked to Omotesando to pick up my socks from Tabio, and I got by without a single word of English although the cashier did say “small bag” so I can’t say the whole encounter was English-free.

Toriyoshi Shoten, Harajuku: dinner time. Do they get the menu printed cheaper because they advertise LIMEX? There was chicken sashimi on the menu which I would've tried but I was irrationally apprehensive because I didn't want to risk ruining my upcoming trip with food poisoning.
Toriyoshi Shoten, Harajuku: dinner time. Do they get the menu printed cheaper because they advertise LIMEX? There was chicken sashimi on the menu which I would've tried but I was irrationally apprehensive because I didn't want to risk ruining my upcoming trip with food poisoning.
Fried chicken with black pepper. Great.
Fried chicken with black pepper. Great.
Tori soba. Eh.
Tori soba. Eh.

Overall a pretty uneventful day but I’ve come to enjoy just walking around (and who knew that shopping is incredibly addictive too once you find the right stores).

Home, Ootsuka: cafe latte milk pudding.
Home, Ootsuka: cafe latte milk pudding.
Writing this caption makes me want to go buy another one and eat it again.
Writing this caption makes me want to go buy another one and eat it again.
Custard.
Custard.
While both desserts were amazing, I preferred the latte one with no crust or sauce at the bottom. Just pure mouth coating goodness and seriously up there in my favourite foods.
While both desserts were amazing, I preferred the latte one with no crust or sauce at the bottom. Just pure mouth coating goodness and seriously up there in my favourite foods.

I didn’t end up finishing a blog post and I haven’t even booked the last two nights (out of six) of my trip to Hokkaido yet, which I’m starting tomorrow. I couldn’t really find “obvious” places to go so we’ll just have to see. I slept late, not exactly ideal since I have to leave the house at 0500 in the morning. I’m excited to eat lots of seafood and dairy!

Since I'm only away for six nights I packed everything I needed in this backpack. Should make things a bit more convenient. If it was wasn't for the weight of my laptop (I estimate slightly less than 2kg including charger) I'd feel pretty comfortable wearing it all day.
Since I'm only away for six nights I packed everything I needed in this backpack. Should make things a bit more convenient. If it was wasn't for the weight of my laptop (I estimate slightly less than 2kg including charger) I'd feel pretty comfortable wearing it all day.

Waking hours

1120–2655

Written by Daniel Tam