January tower

Spotted and hearted at Tokyo airport

On arrival 

and departure...

Spotted and hearted in Tokyo town

Tokyo dog set (2016 edition)

Lukes Lobster Shack

I started to learn that big line = great food. There was a healthy line at Lukes all day for the fresh lobster in a roll. This is the sort of food I miss in G to the Z, simple, fresh  tasty. If you are in Tokyo go (it's in Shibuya): http://lukeslobster.jp/#/

Dominique Ansel Bakery

I found this bakery by chance, and as soon as I walked in the door I realised I was onto something pretty amazing. Turns out the dude invented the cronut, which you know I can happily live without...and is one of the 10 most influential pastry chefs of all time (yes there is such a thing). I ended up eating a Brooklyn sandwich because (laughably) I miss things like kale. Loser. Next time I'm having the omelette and backing it up with a frozen smores and a bloody mary.

The other great thing about this place? The soundtrack. Great 1960's vibe. Go early (to avoid the crowds) and go hard (I don't know why but it just sounded good).

http://dominiqueanseljapan.com/en

Streamer Coffee Company

Streamer coffee - apparently the Harajuku branch is impossible to miss. I missed it, but then I wasn't looking given I had the worlds biggest coffee at their Shibuya store: 1F 1-20-28, Shibuya, Shibuya-ku. 

It was a little out of the way, but a nice wander through the back streets of Tokyo city, where you can go for blocks without seeing another soul...Outstanding coffee and great donuts too. Please open in G to the Z....or at least tell the good coffee places here about selling things like donuts, or escargot, or croissants, or....oh.

Tiger Gyoza Hall

Sitting at the kitchen watching old hands make gyoza... sipping on a draught Asahi...trying to ask for kewpie doll mayo to go with my Japanese fried chicken and happily watching half the restaurant get involved. Gyoza the size of my hands (they don't call them banana gyoza for nothing) makes this  place I'd want to go back.  There were a couple of these around Asakusa - if you want a quick, cheap, good meal you should go. 

Mt Fuji sunset

Watching the sun set behind Mt Fuji, with the time to see the sky fading into the night. 

One of the great things about travelling solo is having the time to think and watch and just do your thing. No asking, no compromising, no nothing. On the flip of that though...to share moments like this. In the stillness, a long way above this great city, so much can be shared in the silence. The smallness of people, the big city lights, the greatness of Fuji-san.

Takashi Murakami - the 500 Arhats

So I only went to this exhibition because I wanted to see something on my weekend in Tokyo and there wasn't much around. Funnily enough the same thing happened a few years ago in Osaka when I went to see a Yayoi Kusama retrospective - and after that, I thought she was the bees knees. Can't say I feel the same about Takashi Murakami, but thinking about this exhibition and looking at the photos, you can't help but admire the ambitious scale of the work. Oh and all those fluorescent skulls.

The best part was at the end, which had a few paragraphs outlining how he became an artist (he wasn't able to draw manga so studied fine arts) and he articulated his views on the Japanese art scene (it's a hotbed of people who remain in a state of idiocy). And with that, I ended up liking him just a little bit more.