Last night in Tokyo

I came back to Tokyo 18:44 and went directly to the hotel in Shibuya. It was actually better than expected and very nice staff. I went up to my room, worked out a bit and took a shower. Then I went to a whiskey bar I had been recommende - zoetrope. It was a bit to get there, three metro stops away, but I figured it was worth the trip. When Google Maps told me I had came to the right address, I found no bar at all. But with the advice from of a helpful bartender in a nearby bar, I eventually found the place. 

I stepped in to a regular block of flats and took the elevator up to the third floor, only to find out that this particular day  - Zoetrope was hosting a private party until 10 pm... When looking in, the bar neither look so special and worth waiting for another hour, so I went back to Shibuya...

Now when the time was past nine I started to get really hungry. I did not find any restaurants that looked nice, but after a while I just took a random place and it was great!

They had a grilled organic chicken on the menu that was their signature dish - was served with a cream on Japanese lime and pepper that was nice. It was a big, bustling, smoky place where I got a table in a corner at the entrance with a perfect view of the entire restaurant.

As a single guest (and the only non-Japanese also by about 200 guests), I notice that the staff takes care of me a little extra, as with beer coming in like this:

It was really nice nice to sit in my corner and be looked after, but I wanted more and after a bit of advice from people I met walking around, I found what they said was Tokys biggest house club - Womb. Four floors but just a big dance floor.

Japanese counterparts to Rebecca and Fiona played on one of the floors.

Good DJ, nice sound and light and very good atmosphere, but an hour was enough for me. Going to club's is more fun with friends!

So - despite last night in Tokyo, I did not go "all in". Longing for my family now and looking forward to going home tomorrow!

Really like Tokyo!

I Checked in at the hotel, took a shower and to take at a look at my neighborhood in Shibbuya. So many people and energy! Lovely!

I jumped into a small pub and took a shot Yamazaki (although I do not drink whiskey as shots, rather sipping on it) - so good! I really look forward to the visit at Yamazaki on Friday!

Restaurants and food in Tokyo - research

As the food geek I am, food will be a big part of the trip. Given the number of choices, it is extremely hard to prioritize. I found a really great food blog where a couple spent six months to research an 8-day gourmet trip to Tokyo. They had then planned sightseeing around the restaurants they picked out for lunch or dinner.

A good tip they have is to eat the expensive special dishes - eg Kobe Beef - for lunch (as it is often much cheaper) and eat cheaper types of dishes for dinner. They had Kobe beef at "Steakhouse Satou" and it will apparently still be really good and affordable. Hard to find Satou and apparently their web (only in Japanese) do not give much clarity. But, via TripAdvisor , I found a blogger who has been there and who enthused over the steak. Google Maps shows apparently wrong, but this description should be right: From Kichijoji station, i took the North Exit, and then crossed the street. Saw PSFA and Shiseido on my left and walked into the walkway between These shops. Walked to I saw Satou on my left.

Photo of http://paulstravelpics.blogspot.se

Next tip (that I've seen in lots of places) is Sushi Dai at Tsukiji Shij. Should be really good sushi but crazy long queue.

Sushidai, picture from TripAdvisor

 

Whisky Bars and whiskey tasting in Japan - Tokyo and Kyoto

Whisky is one of my great interests and since over 10 years, I am with the whiskey association "The Barrel Boys", which in turn is a member of the Swedish Whisky Association. Our club owns whiskey casks located at storage in Scottland, at Bruichladdich and Glengoyne . Every other year we head over to Scottland to sample the drums but this year there will be whiskey tasting in Japan for me instead. I got in touch with a Whisky Club in Tokyo and asked for advice and got a whole list of good whiskey bars. The list seemed a bit out of date though, so after checking up the different bars online, this is the updated list:

In Tokyo:

• Cask Roppongi ( Website only in Japanese as I run through Google Translate, seems to have closed)
• Wodka Tonic (Unclear website , on Google maps, it looks like an apartment building!)
• Helmsdale (Scottish Gourmetpub, maybe not what I'm after when going to Japan!)
• Speyside Way (looks cozy! )
• Mashtun (looks good)
• Bar Highlander (Scottish bar, goes away for me for the same reason as Helmsdale)
• Bar Talisker (Ginza). Seems to have no website, but the address info available here .
• Shot Bar Zoetrope (Shinjuku Japanese whiskey specialist). Clearly the bar I am most eager to visit. Whiskymag , writes "The owner of Zoetrope, Atsushi Horigami, formernvideo games designer, set up this cool little bar as a shrine to his two great passions: Japanese whiskey and American movies". They might have one of the world's best selection of Japanese whiskey.

Shot Bar Zeotrope

And in Kyoto:

• Rocking Chair (difficult to understand the web in Japanese)
• Bar Y'ya (find no info at all on the web)
• Common One Club (find no info at all on the web)
• Yatta (restaurant and bar upstairs-near to Common wealth One Club)
• Tozan Bar (within the Hyatt Regency Hotel )
• Kanga'an (a restaurant & bar within atemple).

Here, Google Maps with Street View very useful, in several bars you can for example go in via Google and see how it looks inside the bar!

Bar Talisker in Tokyo in Google Maps - looks lovely!

Helmsdale Tokyo - do not look quite as cozy ...

So, I will "enter" all the bars via Google and prioritize those that look best!

I also got tips on that particular week I'm in Tokyo, it is also Tokyo Autumn Tasting Week in Bar High Society. A weekly event where they presents many new whiskeys. However, the image on the Bar High Society is not so appealing. For me - whisky bars should be small, dark and have walls full of whisky!

Bar High Society in the Park Hotel, Tokyo

In Kyoto (2.5 hours by train from Tokyo) is one of Japan's top 10 destelleries - Suntory - and it will be really fun to visit. They make the Yamazaki whiskey there and hold guided tours, tastings, etc.. Suntory will probably be one of the highlights in Japan!

At Suntory Museum

Tokyo and Kyoto in one week

What I want to do in Japan and how many places do I have time to visit? After some research, I came to the conclusion that Tokyo and Kyoto was just right for one week.

In Tokyo, I'll try to get a feel for the city, the atmosphere, watch people, eat lots of tasty food, see if I can find some good whiskey bars, maybe a cooking class, a little sightseeing, maybe a little shopping. And stay at some different hotels.
 

Image: Compact living at the capsule  hotel 9 hours in Kyoto.

In Kyoto, which is supposed to be very beautiful and quiet is also one of Japan's largest whisky distillers - Suntory -  and that the whiskey nerd I am, I must of course take me there for a guided tour and whiskey tasting . In Kyoto, there are also "9 Hours"a designed Capsulehotell which may not provide the best sleep but may be interesting to test ...