After our arrival in Tokyo, from Shanghai, we quickly checked into our hotel at Shinagawa. We were staying right next to the train station, at Prince Hotel Shinagawa. My review about the hotel is here.
The plan was that we will meet my friends in the lobby and take my brother and I out for dinner. We met our friends and then took the train the Shinjuku. My friends chose this place as they wanted to show us the bus station from where we would be taking a bus to Mt Fuji 4 days later. Our friends wanted us to get acquainted with the train system, the Shinjuku train and bus station and the lockers where we were planning to keep out luggage.
They also showed us how to operate the lockers where we could keep our luggage while we climb the summit they took us our for a traditional Japanese meal.
After that we went to grab a bite. The restaurant we went was close to the Shinjuku bus station, on 12th or 14th floor of some mall. It was a small and cosy place, seating at the most 25-30 people.
What I loved about this Japanese dining experience is the way you are served. Everything is so precisely or politely done – such a serene experience. The waiter and waitresses move so gracefully, just like a musical.
First the server came and laid out the table. Even the chopsticks were wrapped in a beautifully decorated wrapping paper.
We started with nice appetizers
The main course was tempura – fish and veggies
We opted for some nice sake and sochu to go along with the food. My friend kept on filling my sake glass immediately once it was empty.
We concluded with nice dessert. The portions were small, but really tasty. The mango piece I ate might have been the tastiest mango I have ever tasted, and that is quite a statement as I come from India and in India they have a few hundred different versions of Mango.
My brother and I truly loved this experience. It was not overfilling, but just precise. I was happy and contended after the meal!
After the dinner, we walked around Shinjuku to get a feel of the place. Shinjuku seems a party area and you can see a lot of teenagers and foreigners enjoying the evening.
