I had a rainy start for my next day in Tokyo. I was meeting my friend Junko for lunch in Nishi Ogikubo, which is almost an hour from Oimachi Station. The trains were running slightly behind schedule due to the rain, but I managed to make it in good time. 

Luckily the sushi restaurant Junko had reserved for us was nearby, so we weren’t in the rain for too long. The inside was quite small with only counter seating available, and likely due to the rain, there was only one other pair inside the restaurant at the time. We started off with the lunch special. The chef would magically replenish my plate with new sushi once I started eating. It was also nice that he would re-position my sushi so it was easier to grab at an angle from my left hand. I forgot how many pieces I ended up eating, but I got a few à la carte ones too. I definitely didn’t hold back when it came to ordering more.

By some miracle it stopped raining when we finished lunch. Junko and I spent some time walking around the streets in Ogikubo and Kichijoji. While Junko is from the area, it’s been a few years since she’s actively explored the streets, so she was surprised by how many stores have disappeared since covid. That afternoon we stopped by a cafe which she said used to be hard to get seated inside, but as with other shops, things have really changed with the times. Thankfully according to Junko, their cakes were still as yummy as before. My chiffon cake set was exactly what I needed as an afternoon pick-me-up.

After I bid farewell to Junko, I made my way back to the hotel to rest, then it was off again to Ginza for dinner. I don’t actually recall if I’ve ever been to Ginza in the evening, but it feels even more glamorous at night with all the storefronts lit up. I was busy admiring all the luxury boutiques that I failed to notice people Mario-karting on the streets lol.

For dinner my friend made a reservation at a multi-course fish restaurant that specializes in nodoguro or blackthroat seaperch. It is apparently one of the more expensive fishes. I didn’t know anything about this prior to going to the restaurant, but I could already tell how premium it looked after I was led inside our private dining room. =P

I forget how many courses we were served, but we had sashimi, grilled fish, shabu shabu (which the staff specially prepared for us at our table), and of course the rice afterwards. I wish we had these kinds of restaurants in Canada because I would be willing to splurge on these meals. We finished off the night going karaoke nearby, which was actually my first time since covid. 

I was lucky I was spoiled with good food the entire day. It was one of those rare vacation days where my time revolved around what to eat next. I feel like that’s how I should plan all my vacations from now on hehe.