Omotesando

Omotesando is equivalent to Chungdam-dong in Seoul where boutiques of famous brands are clustered. 

It started to emerge as a hot place back in few years, when fashion brands and famous architects began to collaborate to build unique design shops. 

Since the grand opening of Omotesando Hills in 2006, 

which received spotlight of media worldwide, it has been leading the fashion trend, 

hence it is often referred to as the ‘catwalk of the trendsetters’.

MEIJI JINGU 

You will love the scenery here. It’s a shrine dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken. You may encounter a group of cosplayers on weekends.

OMOTESANDO HILLS 

Omotesando Hills, opened in 2006, is a complex of boutiques, restaurants, café, gallery, shops etc. 

It has in total 93 shops and 38 offices. 

It takes quite a time to look around as it is very big. 

DAIHACHI TAKOHANAMARU

It’s a takoyaki shop which became famous after the famous Japanese group of singers called ‘kinki kids’ filmed a TV programme here. 

 

It offers you a variety of choices which ranges from 500 yen to 800 yen, and I personally recommend omurice takoyaki. 

It’s a take away only shop, but you can sit on the bench in front of the shop and eat. 

Azabujuban

Azabujuban is the Beverly Hills of Japan. 

Many Embassies of different countries, including Korean Embassy, are located here. 

Thus many foreigners live in this area. 

Looking at them enjoying a cup of tea at an exotic café reminds me of some place in Europe. 

Also, this is the place where I had my first part time job when I lived in Tokyo, so I have a special attachment to this place.

An exotic but at the same time, very Japanese atmosphere is very attractive.

KONPACHI NISHIAZABU

Ex-US president George Bush and Ex Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi once had dinner here and since then many foreigners eat at this restaurant. 

In fact, over 90% of the visitors are foreigners and this appears as a must-go place in foreign tour guide books. 

 

Handmade soba and kushiyaki are the most popular dishes at this restaurant. 

On the first and second floor, you can enjoy soba and kushiyaki, and on the third floor, sushi is provided. 

If you want to have dinner here, you may want to reserve it beforehand.

Mont Thabor

The shop is very close to where I worked, 
so I used to buy gyunyupang everyday on the way home. 

The best thing about this bakery is that it provides free tasting, 
so you can try almost any you wish and buy what you like. 

Also, from 9pm, everything except for loafs is sold at half price, 
so you can see a line of customers waiting for the closing sale near the closing time. 

This bakery has ruined my diet plans….. It is just TOO GOOD xD

Hokkaido gyunyupang (pastry made with Hokkaido milk) is the most popular item in this bakery. 

Useful websites for travelers in japan

Hear are my picks for 4 useful websites for travelers in japan.

I hope this helps with your travel plans.

1. Wingbus (http://www.wingbus.com/)

This website provides information about HOT SPOT like famous restaurants, shops and tourist attractions. You can download a printable brochure in PDF format. 

The most often used function is 'Wingbus map'. 

If you are a smartphone user, you can access the website from your smartphone with the Wingbus application. 

2. Enjoy Tokyo (http://www.enjoytokyo.co.kr/mem/share/index.php?cate=1)

This website enables you to determine where to transfer when you ride the subway. 

Just enter your depature and arrival station. 

And also you can view convenient information such as subway map, fares, etc.

3. KTBtour (http://www.ktbtour.co.kr/main/index.asp)

The studio Ghibli has a permanent exhibit on the history and techniques of animation. You can see Totoro's Cat Bus, a process of making animation films and an original short film which can be seen only in the studio Ghibl theater. If you are a fan of Japanese Animations, you must visit the studio Ghibli.

if you want to purchase tickets of The studio Ghibli, you can get them only here. When you enter the studio, present your voucher and passport at entrance and exchange voucher for film ticket. Unfortunately, Date changes and cancellations are not allowed.

4. jalan.net (http://www.jalan.net/)

It’s one of the largest online hotels & ryokans booking site in Japan.

You can not only easily reserve your favorite one among "Accommodation Plans" of more than 20,000 participating facilities on the web, but also get all kinds of information about travel in general, including the news about 160,000 sightseeing spots and various events, fun photos, and review evaluations.