Today, we opted to venture to one of the outer neighborhoods of Tokyo proper, to explore the Omiya area. With our time in the country, I must proudly say, that we became expert navigators of the public transportation system. That being said, Japan made it super easy and understandable, even though the Tokyo system is
absolutely massive and intricate.
The Omiya neighborhood is known for its bonsai artists and gardens, and was very high on Adam's list to experience. We walked from Omiya Train Station through a beautiful park
with a few shrines.
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| People leaving their prayers at the temples |
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| Adam rescued a tiny turtle from the path |
The main attraction is the Omiya Bonsai Village. Adam has always been fascinated by the art and
intricacy of bonsai, and after this day trip, I gained some serious respect for
it as well.
Our first stop was the Toju-en Bonsai Nursery:
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| Toju-en Bonsai Nursery |
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| Toju-en Bonsai Nursery |
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| Toju-en Bonsai Nursery |
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| Toju-en Bonsai Nursery |
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| Toju-en Bonsai Nursery |
After this, we continued on to the
Omiya Bonsai Art Museum. This is really a great place to learn about the history and culture of bonsai, and I truly gained a whole new perspective and true respect for the dedication of the process. It is a small museum that doesn't take much more than an hour.
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| Omiya Bonsai Art Museum |
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| Omiya Bonsai Art Museum |
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| Omiya Bonsai Art Museum |
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| Omiya Bonsai Art Museum |
Lunch was epic: Himawari Sushi. We accomplished 14 plates (2 pieces per plate)
between the two of us, and it was the best sushi that we have enjoyed thus far
in Japan. The tuna belly and the salmon belly was mind-blowingly delicious! My happy place <3
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| Himawari Sushi |
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| Himawari Sushi: Tuna belly |
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| Himawari Sushi: So proud of our stack, almost to local standards! |
We spent the remainder of the afternoon walking randomly around the city, taking the the sights, sounds, and smells. It was nice and relaxing, though we actually logged almost 10 miles for the day.
Dinner: Takahasi Ramen. We found this place randomly walking around the
night before, as it was a single counter with about 15 chairs around it. The
line was out the door and around the corner of the building. Always a good
sign. We were fortunate to walk right in the late afternoon, before the dinner
rush. From the machine outside, we both ordered a pork
ramen with a soy sauce broth base, with a hard-boiled egg and extra roasted
pork. We have eaten ramen several times now, and this place served the thickest
variety yet. It was absolutely delicious. By the time that we left, the place was full with a line of at least 10 people waiting to get a seat.
We came back here for the next 4 nights for dinner.
Not kidding.
We have never been back to the same place more than twice, and that only happened once before.
This place is a MUST DO if you find yourself in Tokyo, and you like ramen.
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| Takahashi Ramen |
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| Takahashi Ramen |
