The Ride to Narita and Ippudo Ramen

Passing by Shinjuku again on the NEX train to Narita.

And by Shinjuku's Time Square.

I finally got an okay photo of the Osaki gnome.

Tea time on the train. I think I'm hooked on Kirin's Salty Lychee drink. It's really good when it is hot out. I also tried 7-Eleven's Matcha White Choco cookie. It does look like the photo on the package and tastes like matcha green tea.

As the train heads out of Tokyo Prefecture, there were glimpses of Sky Tree.

And headed towards Narita the landscape turns to farms.

A little green beginning to show back in March. By June, everything was green. A bit of blurriness due to the speed of the train, sorry about that.

And into Narita International Airport with a little time and feeling a bit hungry, I decided to check out a well known place.

Since airline food is hit or miss, I end up not eating so much while flying. So I opted to get a bowl of the Shiromaru Classic ramen at Ippudo Ramen.

Nice soft boiled egg. As for the ramen, I wasn't feeling it. I don't know if it was because there were a lot of loud people in the place, or if it was a bit heavy. It was a decent bowl but it was kind of underwhelming in flavor.

Ippudo is in a lot of places now, so it's easy to check it out while staying in Tokyo. Now I can say I did just that.

I also was tempted by cookie samples at a shop by there. And ended up bringing home a box of Sagu Langue de Chat in their sakura flavor. Ishiya Ginza is actually in Hokkaido, with a couple shops in the Tokyo area.

These light cookies were really nice. After my long flight back to Oregon on Delta Airlines, it was a nice treat to enjoy with green tea.

To Tokyo Dome and Beyond

Trying to remember how many trains I took this day. There was the Oedo Line from Daimon station to Aoyama-Itchome Station where I caught the Hanzomon Line to Kudanshita Station to get to Budokan. Then I got on the Shinjuku Line at Kudanshita Station to Jimbocho Station where I took the Mita Line to Suidobashi Station. So far four trains and my next stop was Tokyo Dome City.

A very wet and rainy Tokyo Dome City that is usually teeming with people and kids. So in a way it might have been a good choice for this day.

While I have been at Tokyo Dome before (more on that later) it was my first time walking around the shops and amusements outside of Tokyo Dome. One of my reasons for coming here was to visit the Jump Shop.

Because sometimes one has to be a little dorky. This Jump shop is much bigger than the one at Tokyo Station and it has a couple full size statues of their characters. Luffy from One Piece was in the window, inside was Naruto (I think) and this natural perm hair guy. Gintoki from Gintama. While you can't take photos inside the store you can take photos of the statues so I...was a dork and took a couple.

I bought a few things and then went looking for food. A lot of shops are geared towards kids there along with the food court.

Although bigger people can find things to eat. Like ramen. Ramen Setagaya that is.

I couldn't find much information about this ramen shop online, perhaps because there are so many ramen places in Tokyo now? I went for the Narutama Ramen のり玉ラーメン which came with extra nori sheets to put in the ramen as you eat it.

Despite there only being one review on Yelp Japan for this place, this wasn't a bad bowl. The noodles held up and the broth was not too salty or fatty tasting. What little I could find is they use chicken bones along with pork and seafood for the broth. It wasn't really a tonkotsu so perhaps it's more shoyu? It was good for a colder rainy day.

Back outside I realized the rain was not going to let up at all. At least Tokyo was getting that well needed water after feeling so dry. And I spent time listening to and watching the waterfall fountain outside of Tokyo Dome Hotel.

Tokyo Dome City is known for it's amusement rides including their roller coaster and Ferris Wheel. Which wasn't getting many riders this day.

So I took a few photos of Tokyo Dome. Last time I was here was March 28, 2008 for the first X-Japan reunion show. It started really late and didn't last long because Yoshiki collapsed at his drums. Still it was a moment in music history and I got to see Sugizo play with them for the first time in a concert.

Since it was too wet to go to the Koishikawa Korakuen Garden next to Tokyo Dome I headed for Korakuen Station. Easier said than found I discovered. But after a walk I did find it and headed for my last stop of the day. As for these two maneki neko, it's something I bought in the Jump Shop. Little Gintoki and Hijikata chibi from Gintama. I could not resist.

I'll be Seeing You Narita

I haven't written a lot about the hotel I stayed in because it was not enjoyable. While they had a decent breakfast every morning and the people at the front desk were fine, the way things are done there was a little crazy. I've stayed at a few hotels and ryokan in Japan and none of them cleaned rooms the way this place did. Starting at 10 am they open all the rooms on a floor and clean all of them at the same time. This goes on till almost 4 pm.

That's right, you can't be in your room from 10 am to 4 pm on days they are cleaning. Even if it's a day where you aren't having cleaning done and want to sleep a little, it's not going to happen. There are loud speakers on every floor so employees can page each other during the cleaning time. Except the loud speakers are in all the rooms. Oh and check out is at 10 am.

Because of that I found myself traveling early to Narita Airport for my flight back home. Which wasn't till late afternoon. I could have left my bag at the hotel but it was so hot outside that I would not have a place to shower afterwards if I did go out and walked around. So I won't recommend that hotel to anyone planning a long stay in Japan. One or two nights maybe but that's it.

With lots of time to waste and feeling totally exhausted I dragged my suitcase around the airport till it was time to check it in. Then I sought out food.

Narita was still a zoo. Places I had eaten on previous trips were packed with people. So I decided to go for something quicker. Also thought it was time I finally ate ramen in Japan. So I headed for Ramen Kagetsu Arashi.

I went for that genkotsu miso ramen. It's the little sign on the left. I have to say they have it together in regard to handling high demand. I got my bowl and attempted to find a seat. Ended up getting one from a woman who was saving it and another for people who didn't show up until I was done eating. Had to give her a look just to get it. Not cool of her to do that when there weren't any free seats available.

At least I was able to sit and enjoy my ramen.

The ramen was pretty good. Not overly salty, the broth was on the mild side. I figured the toppings would be average and they were. The noodles were good, stayed firm till the end. I ate every last drop.

Wandered around, bought some Kitkats and a bottle of water. Somehow while I was doing that this little kitsune found his way into my bag. Guess I have to start giving him offerings or something now.