shinjuku eki
Continuing on from our Day 1 Trip Diary, we woke up early due to jet lag, so decided to walk around Shinjuku and find a place for breakfast. Most places were closed, but we saw a Denny’s and had a debate. It didn’t seem right to be eating there for our first meal in Japan, but we were all hungry and knew there would be plenty of food and choices.
Denny’s Morning!
Upon entering, we were quite surprised with the menu, because there were so many interesting choices that we had never seen at home. It was like being at a totally different restaurant, though the decor was similar, bright and clean. The girls opted for French toast for breakfast, but Andrew was hungry so got a hamburger dish with vegetables and a teriyaki-like gravy. It was easy to order by pointing at the pictures on the menu.
ticket gate / 改札
We lingered over the meal until it was time to find our train for the Ghibli Museum. Shinjuku Station was packed, and we were rather overwhelmed trying to buy our tickets and get to the correct platform. People were rushing in all directions and it was even hard to move forward with the stroller at times. But we finally made it to the Chuo line and caught the train for Mitaka Station.
Mitaka Station 三鷹駅
Because we were running close to our entry time, we decided to take the bus to the museum, and later walk back. The girls were very excited about going to the Ghibli Museum because they are big fans of Hayao Miyazaki’s movies, so I was worried that they might be disappointed. I should not have been, the museum was all we could have hoped for. The place was a trove of whimsical details and movie references. We had bought vouchers for the tickets before going to Japan, and were amazed to find that the tickets themselves each had a frame from a real movie reel. Talk about a fun souvenir!
Totoro Mitaka Ghibli Museum (三鷹の森美術館), Mitaka-shi, Tokyo, Japan
The entryway had lovely murals, but the central, glass-domed hall was breathtaking. There were spiral staircases, bridges, and terraces, all made out of intricate, spiraling ironwork. It evoked the fanciful settings from Miyazaki’s movies, but did not directly allude to one of them. Off this main atrium were other chambers, such as a series of rooms showing how animated films are made, and a theater with 80 seats that showed a movie exclusive to the museum. On the second floor was a model of the “cat bus” from My Neighbor Totoro which the girls played on for a while before moving on.
Cat Bus
Even the roof was unique, because it seemed like a wild garden rather than a roof. The robot soldier from Laputa Castle in the Sky stood in the center like a guardian. We took photos with that. Our big regret was that there was no photography allowed in the building, but we did get some nice views of some of the exterior details.
GHIBLI MUSEUM, MITAKA
Since we were again hungry, we decided to eat at the charming little Straw Hat Cafe next to the museum. There was a sink by the door with a cat-shaped faucet where we could wash our hands before eating. The menu was all in Japanese, but the staff were friendly and when I tried, “Osusume?” which was all that I could remember from the phrase, “What do you recommend,” they pointed out a few dishes that other patrons had and we ended up with delicious vegetable sandwiches with little Ghibli character flags on top.
Studio Ghibli Museum – Straw Hat cafe
Inokashira Park lies between the Ghibli Museum and the Mitaka Station. I had not heard about it, but we decided to visit since we were there already. The park was a long, thin band around a lake, but it turned out to be much more interesting than we expected, and we spent much of the afternoon exploring.
Inokashira Park @ Kichijoji
The girls enjoyed feeding the ducks in the pond, and Andrew and I enjoyed the row of stalls set up with local crafts. There were some fairly crude paintings and some elegant ceramics, jewelry and secondhand kimono. If it were not our first day in Japan, we may have picked a few things out, but instead browsed because we did not want to carry it all in our luggage.
Inokashira Benzaiten Temple @ Inokashira Park @ Kichijoji
We saw a shrine to the goddess of love, Benzaiten. We could see why she would want to be in such a pretty location. The most fun was a zoo in the park grounds. It specializes in indigenous animals, so there were little deer and endangered frogs and Japanese squirrels. But the best part was a petting zoo. Though the animals were not very exotic, they sure were cute. We laughed and laughed over the guinea pigs and their antics! I am glad that we found Inokashira Park because it was less crowded than some places in Tokyo, yet just as fun.
あくびするニホンリス（yawning Japanese Squirrel）
We took the train back to Shinjuku and took a short break at the hotel because we were all tired, then talked with the staff about a restaurant recommendation. We did not want anything fancy, but wanted something traditionally Japanese after starting the day at Denny’s. He suggested tempura at Tsunahachi Tempura.
proper shrimp tempura
I had never thought about tempura as a meal, more of a side dish, so was fascinated to see the restaurant. Guests could sit at tables, but we opted for the counter where we could see the food being prepared. Chefs dipped the food selection into batter, then into steaming vats of oil. They handed the pieces one by one on little plates over the glass protecting us from spattered oil, and we ate the crispy, hot tempura as soon as it was cool enough to touch. There was no English menu, but the chefs gave us an assortment of tender fish and vegetables. There was also rice, miso soup, and some pickles to round out the meal. They seemed pleased that we were there, and made a special effort to smile and put on a show for the girls. Emi was so happy with the kabocha squash that they gave her an extra piece. I want to go back there again when I have better Japanese and can request more of the delicious offerings!
photos by:
skvidal &
OiMax,
Kanko*,
Lucius Kwok,
Lora Sutyagina,
H.L.I.T.,
bm.iphone,
ShardsOfBlue,
*_*,
*_*,
_temaki_,
George Arriola
