Unfortunately, the train from Shibuya to where we were staying was not a subway line. So, we had to use the normal PASMO/SUICA card for this part of our commute. For future accommodations, I will keep in mind to make sure there is a subway line running nearby.

Nevertheless, we loved our Airbnb for this trip. The building is located in an area surrounded by restaurants, stores, and even a 24-hour Don Quijote! I wouldn’t mind staying there again, to be honest. Here’s the link in case you want to check it out.  If it’s your first time to use Airbnb, use my code so that you can get a discount (shameless plug).

To give you an idea of how lively the neighborhood is, a 2 minute walk can take you to this street (or alley) – lined up with restaurants! This is one single continuous street in Sangenjaya (starts under the train station at the top, going through until the bottom part); and perhaps just one of many!

After resting up, we walked around the neighborhood, specifically the street above, and enjoyed the sights, scent, and the energy of it all. This really is Japan!

We spent a good hour walking around, trying out some of the take out food (chicken), and taking photos.  What makes this place stand out is that it isn’t a “tourist” district. This is more of a place where locals go to hangout in the evening or during weekends, which I really prefer over densely populated places.

For dinner, we ended up at a yakitori place called Torikizoku, where everything on the menu was at 280 yen (if my memory serves me right). And my god, I loved the liver skewers, it’s levels above what we have here in the Philippines!

After dinner, our next destination was my favorite sight/site in the entire world – the magnificent, bright orange illumination that lights up the Tokyo night sky – Tokyo Tower. We took the train to Shiba Park where you were supposed to get a good view of Tokyo Tower.

Since Tokyo Tower looked quite close to where we are, we decided to walk towards it.

Quite frankly, these photos don’t do Tokyo Tower justice. You have to see it in person to be fully amazed!

We didn’t go up to the observatory anymore, because you couldn’t really see Tokyo Tower from inside it. However, we went inside the building under it, and was surprised that there was a One Piece store, restaurant, and coffee shop in it!

It was time to go home, but before that, we had to touch the base of the Tokyo Tower, as if to harness some of its bright energy. We also took a few more photos outside, where there was a big snow globe with Chopper inside, and some illumination outside.

We were a bit hungry when we got home, so we ended the night with authentic cup ramen.

And that wraps up Day 1.  Check the rest of our trip here!