Japan: Tokyo Part 5 - Dinner at Gonpachi (take 1 at Nishi-Azabu - aka the 'Kill Bill' restaurant)

Two of our most memorable meals in Tokyo were both at Gonpachi, each one at a different location, the first meal being at the Nishi Azabu location, which also inspired a famous scene with Uma Thurman in a yellow tracksuit, Onitsuka Tigers and samurai sword in Quentin Tarantino's 'Kill Bill 2' movie. The food at this Edo village decor restaurant was a delight and affordable, and such a fun atmosphere! I highly recommend going there!



I am glad I got to sit at the bar area, surrounding the kitchen...love watching chefs at work...

I wish I had taken a photo of this chef preparing a Japanese omelette, it was incredible!

Tanuki yakitori stick - Stuffed shiitake mushrooms

Wasabigamo - Duck breast with Wasabi

Sakiika Tempura - fried squid strip - so tasty and only ¥300, i.e. approx. US$3

Agedashi tofu


Sake...of course, vital in every Japanese meal (or Japanese beer...)

“Irrashaimase……!!” All the chefs behind the counter bar (and also floor staff) shout loudly, welcoming guests as they enter the restaurant, and also when they leave.

The best/freshest/tastiest crab I have ever had.

Kobe beef - I thought it was quite pricey considering the size, but hubby insisted on trying it, not knowing if he would get another chance to eat this incredible Japanese beef (we did a week or so later, in Kobe itself...that was mindblowingly good!)

This was upstairs in the hallway above my head

Pumpkin & Coconut Zensai - with glutinous rice balls and vanilla ice cream

Hot chocolate fondant, sesame snap and sesame ice cream - amazing!

Japan: Tokyo Part 4 - Omotesando

The walk up Omotesando towards Aoyama (previous post) on Jingumae is lined with designer stores sporting incredible architecture...


The Christian Dior building by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa

I borrowed the picture above to show you what the building usually looks like, I think the Dior building was red especially for Christmas...White stripes are printed on the acrylic walls so that the building's appearance changes beautifully depending on the light during the day and the level of penetration of lighting at night.

The Louis Vuitton store by architect Jun Aoki

Tod's store by Toyo Ito - its distinctive exterior is made from two contrasting materials of seemingly bare concrete and glass. Just like the branches of the zelkova trees along the street, the pattern on the building’s façade get finer as it reaches upwards.

What better way to recover from all the walking than with Sushi train!!! This restaurant was opposite the Omotesando Hills shopping complex (where hubby enjoyed a sake tasting afterwards)

Hubby's favourite: ikura (salmon roe)

Hubby was puzzled as to why the 'wasabi' was given in powder form, and added some to his soy sauce, and was quickly told by the waitress that it was green tea instead, haha! So glad it was him and not me!

Maguro sushi (tuna) - the tuna in Tokyo has to be the freshest ever...

How cute is this mural/wall?
Pictured: Nina Ricci silk goosedown-filled teardrop jacket by Olivier Theyskens

Japan: Tokyo Part 4 - Aoyama (inc. THE Prada store)

Aoyama is another area near Harajuku Station, with incredible architecture and designer stores:




Herzog and de Meuron's Prada Epicenter:

Please excuse the 1001 photos I took of this building, it was absolutely superbe! I was intrigued by its incredible architecture (both outside and inside), a definite must-see in Tokyo! I had to see it twice, as the first time I saw it was when it was closed, at night...

LOVED the geometrically trussed, bottle-green coloured, bubble glass fronted building...


Incroyable!

We could not figure out what this 'hall' lead to, please excuse the silly pose...hubby told me the light was shining directly on my face otherwise, making me look freaky in the photo...


On our second visit to Aoyama we realised the 'tunnel' was the exit from the basement floor of the Prada store

click to enlarge (I drooled over the Chloe Paraty in black Python)

You can see a little of the incredible interior structure of the Prada store in this picture

Stella McCartney - spreading a little Christmas cheer

Loved the accessories at Miu Miu! I still long for a Miu Miu bow bag...

Ah...Dries...how I love thee...

As do I love thee, Pierre Herme...

Coat:Burberry Prorsum quilted military coat
Scarf:Burberry alpaca fine-knit scarf
Gloves: Coach kid leather gloves lined in cashmere (so warm and so so soft!)
Bag: Chloe Ava bag in Mocha
Dress: Ilana Moses deep purple slip dress

Unfortunately the range of macarons available was quite limited, and the many flavours I had fantasized about trying for so long were not available (e.g. green matcha, jasmine, or white truffle and hazelnut, olive oil...)

Japan: Tokyo Part 3 - NHK Flea Market and Yoyogi Park

On Sundays, next to Yoyogi Park (i.e. next to Harajuku Station), you can find a flea market next to the NHK hall...


Donna Karan Signatures wool jersey dress
Chloe buckle boots
Nina Ricci silk goosedown-filled jacket
Chanel 5159H sunglasses

Loved this guy's style, from his cute vest to his dusky pink corduroy overalls....

I usually do not fare well in markets, as I get overwhelmed with the volume of items, but on a men's rack I found this vintage bomber embroidered jacket for a mere 500 yen (roughly US$5)...score! I will take some close-up pictures someday...

Not for sale
and too cute for words!

I was tempted by this vintage leather coat with fur trim, but the weight and bulk of it made me put it back on the rack...

Yoyogi Park is one of the largest parks in Tokyo, next to Harajuku Station and Meiji Shrine in Shibuya. The park is a popular hangout, especially on Sundays, when it is used as a gathering place for people to play music, practice martial arts or theatrica plays, etc. It also boasted the cutest dogs I have ever seen.

It was such a delight to watch this Japanese man bring so much joy to little children in Yoyogi Park with a plethora of different nets creating bubbles of various shapes and sizes...

Bringing joy not just to the kids...silly me burst the bubble wearing my silk Nina Ricci jacket, so it's now off to the dry cleaners...

On Sundays you get to see the cute & crazy fashion of Japanese youngsters

The Japanese dogs also often wear the cutest outfits




Early afternoon the 'rockabilly groups' come out to dance...as well as guys dressed up as Elvis.