Day 3: Tokyo (Gotokuji + Omotesando + Shinjuku)
The day started off with a bit of sleep in followed by morning coffee (and tea) at a little corner coffee shop next to JR Shimbashi. Interestingly, the premises permitted smoking throughout. We were surrounded by office workers going through their morning routine with coffee, cigarettes and their weekly planners or newspapers.
Feeling unsure of what to have for breakfast, we decided to just head towards the platform for Gotokuji (Lucky Cat Temple). On our way, we stumbled across a little udon and soba shop at the corner of the JR Shimbashi Station. For about 800 yen (9 AUD) we were able to share a large bowl of Udon and a small bowl of Oyako don.
Our planned route to Gotokuji (Cat Temple) saw us travelling on Tokyo Metro’s Ginza Line to Omote-Sando and then a quick change onto the Hanzomon Line and eventually alighting at Sangenjaya Station. There is a Gotokuji Train Station but it is a longer walk to the temple. From Sangenjaya Station, we caught the local tram on the Tokyu Setagaya Line.
Luckily for us, our little detour to have Udon breakfast meant that by the time we arrrived at Sangenjaya Station, the special edition Lucky Cat Tram was waiting right there for us!
The insides of the tram were adorned with cat themed related decorations. A quick Google search told us that the Lucky Cat Tram arrives every 30-60 minutes at Sangenjaya. There were even a bunch of little Kinder kids with their teachers on a field trip who had just alighted and were waving to passengers.
Alighting at Miyanosaka Station, it was a short 5-8 min walk to Gotokuji. As we were fairly early, there were no crowds at all. Just a couple of other tourists heading up the suburban streets of Setagaya towards the famed Lucky Cat Temple. Many of the local residences had little Lucky Cat trinkets placed on their windows so keep an eye out for those!
Arriving at Gotokuji, we found small groups of people wandering around taking photos of little Lucky Cat figures placed around the temple. Some friends and family had visited Tokyo in Late Autumn and reported that they weren’t quite getting to see much red and brown… that aligns with our experience as it was pretty chilly and almost mid-winter but we still saw plenty of autumn leaves.
Wandering around the temple grounds, we eventually found the famed section of Lucky Cat displays. Take a deep breath… there’s quite A LOT of them…
A very happy cat lover!
Afterwards, we headed to the temple reception where we could purchase some Lucky Cat charms and souvenirs. You may also purchase figures of various sizes to add to the existing displays. We opted for a small-sized figure to take home as well as a couple of microscopic figures placed in a transparent omamori (lucky charm). Of course, we couldn’t leave without also securing ourselves a goshuin from the temple for the standard donation of 500 Yen (6 AUD). At the end of the trip, I plan to write a separate post solely showcasing the goshuin that we have collected this trip.
A tip for fellow travellers: at the shrine reception, you can pay by card using the vending machine to select the items you want. The queue for that, is however, quite long. If you have cash, jump straight into the temple reception.
As we headed out of the temple we saw other visitors (both Japanese and tourists) organising their goshuin in the lovely winter sun.
Gotokuji is definitely not your run off the mill temple or shrine. Particularly if you enjoy cats and/or Lucky Cat, it is definitely worth a visit!
Daikeizan Goto-kuji
2 Chome-24-7 Gotokuji, Setagaya City, Tokyo 154-0021
After departing, it was time to explore the local neighbourhood of Setagaya.
We had noticed a tiny cafe near the tram station and decided to take a brief respite there as well as enjoy a cuppa. Imagine our delight when we found out that they roast their own coffee on a compact roasting machine. The entire setup, like many places in Tokyo, was long and narrow. Every inch of space is used efficiently. I was extremely excited to see that they use the Mazzer Philos grinder for their filter coffee, a grinder I have been researching for awhile. I was able to chat with the barista who unabashedly recommended the grinder.
There were a couple of other Japanese visitors but most had left by the time I was done editing some more photos and writing. It is a very lovely spot and the coffee as well as Honey Butter Toast was very up to our Melburnian expectations.
ENgrave Coffee Roasters
〒156-0051 Tokyo, Setagaya City, Miyasaka, 1 Chome−25−2 1F
After getting our coffee fix, we started our walk towards a local kendo budogu (kendo shop). On the way, there were lots of different little cafes and shops. Many of them selling cat paraphernalia. This is the street that most visitors would past by if you were heading to Gotokuji from the Gotokuji station.
Stumbling past a Lawson, Cherry spotted a very special gacha she wanted to get: oyster plushies!
The walk to the budogu was about 30 minutes and we past by Gotokuji station as well as many local fruit and grocery shops. Eventually the route took us through the residential neighbourhoods. The streets were narrow but most drivers were driving at a decent speed so we never felt unsafe. Setagaya was filled with lots of different intersections and some, at quite an acute angle.
Eventually, we arrived at the local budogu. The sign was attached to a residential apartment building but we quickly found out that it was located inside the building. Rather, you are meant to follow the sign and enter the lane. Right at the end of the lane was the budogu.
The budogu offered a wide variety of basic Kendo equipment. Particularly a wide range of shinais. Nothing we were really to purchase at the moment. I enquired about a training tool I had been on the search for and the lovely owner offered to order it in for me so I may pick it up on our return trip to Tokyo but I politely declined. There just won’t be enough time to head back to Setagaya on our return leg this time. He shared with me that he is reluctant to ship equipment to Australia due to the exorbitant cost of shipping. Post COVID, Japan Post has yet to resume EMS shipping for large items.
Definitely recommend supporting the local budogu if you happen to be travelling in the area. But in terms of exotic equipment, don’t expect to find much here. It is very much for the locals!
有限会社 武道鈴木 東京本店
〒156-0043 Tokyo, Setagaya City, Matsubara, 2 Chome−4−20
Luckily we had our coffee stop. From the budogu, it was another 15 minute walk to the closest station: Meidaimae Station. From there we caught the local trains on the Chiyoda and Inokashira Line to Omote-Sando Station.
Omote-Sando attracts a huge crowd given its proximity to the famous Meiji Shrine. Over the years, the famous street has grown into a luxury shopping area. It is beautifully lined with trees and many tourists visit the area for shopping as well as to photograph the beautiful urban streetscape.
It wasn’t really our plan to do any shopping here but Cherry has never visited so we decided to pop by on our way to Shinjuku. Particularly, I was keen to show her Cat Street, which houses trendy shops that were more affordable than the likes of Gucci and Louis Vuitton.
The sun was beginning to set at around 4.30pm by the time we entered Cat Street. There were many limited pop-up stores for the luxury brands. For example, Audemars Piguet was offering a make your own watch experience. Alas, it required reservations and we were politely turned away.
Down the street, we found a multi-storey Converse shop which allowed customers to customise their very own pair of Converse sneakers. We briefly considered ordering a pair that was Fudoshin Dojo themed but the options presented did not match what we envisioned for the shoe. The lovely staff told us that any shoe orders would be available by next day, 4pm. Very quick turnaround, considering the customisation options!
Near the end of Cat Street, we stumbled across one of Iyoshi Colas original shops. What a lucky find. Iyoshi Cola has recently collaborated with Kori Ice-Cream in Melbourne. Iyoshi Cola aims to redefine the drink with its unique blend of spices and soda water. For a limited time, you can visit Kori Ice-Cream in Melbourne to try their Iyoshi Cola flavoured ice cream as well as the drink itself!
The drinks are mixed up on the spot together with their “secret recipe” cola syrup. We were able to try the original blend as well as a flavour exclusive to Japan — which includes Yuzu. Options on the menu include Cola with a bit of milk. My lactose-intolerant stomach had to unfortunately decline.
Iyoshi Cola
5 Chome-29-12 Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0001
A further 5 minute walk led us to the end of Cat Street. From there, it was time to pass by Shinjuku to do a little bit of Vintage Camera browsing in Nishi-Shinjuku.
From Shibuya station, there are many options to get to Shinjuku. We took the famed JR Yamanote loop line. Make sure you take the Loop in the correct direction or you will find yourself taking the long way around.
Alighting at Shinjuku station was once again, very overwhelming. A station with 200 different exits and filled with hundreds of thousands of people transiting through, it is not recommended for the faint hearted. Always follow the signs for your designated exits. We have found on previous trips that it is very easy to lose track of the signs so feel free to ask around if needed! Our friend who was born and raised in Tokyo once told us that locals found it difficult to navigate too. I hope he wasn’t being polite when he told us that…
Our first stop was Map Camera. One of the more popular establishments. They run an eBay store online as well as offer international shipping options from their website through the service, Buyee. Disappointingly, they didn’t offer much options in terms of antique cameras and their prices weren’t cheaper than ordering from them overseas. You of course, enjoy the 10% Tax Free discount if you are purchasing as a tourist.
Definitely still check them out if you are in the market for secondhand digital cameras or Leicas and Hasselblads. Just do your homework and compare the prices. The other thing is that you can definitely trust that they are transparent with their description of the used products you are buying.
Map Camera
〒160-0023 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Nishishinjuku, 1 Chome−12−5
Next stop was Shinjuku Used Camera Market. I was able to purchase a used Nikon FM2 Film SLR from them last year at a very decent price. They offer a wide variety of old film cameras. Very narrow store and the baskets on the floor are filled with cameras and equipment that are marked as “junk”. Useful to look through those if you have need for parts or feel confident in restoring some of them. Decent prices as always but like most stores in Japan, don’t expect to be able to bargain.
Please note that they are cash only. If you see an item you like, they are happy to hold it for you until you get cash. I spotted a Mamiya C330 and a couple of Fuji GA645s that I might consider on the return leg of the trip… if they are still there.
The entrance can be a bit hard to locate but it is located at the ABC Mart and there is a side entrance. You can take the elevator to the 2F or walk up the stairs.
Shinjuku Used Camera Market
〒160-0023 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Nishishinjuku, 1 Chome−13−2
The last place we checked out was Used Camera Box. It was even harder to locate and is found in the Basement of a building with a narrow entrance. Follow the yellow sign that says カメラBOX and you should do just fine. Follow the stairs down and you should see many fascinating old school camera posters and photographs.
Our first time here and it was an even narrower shop than the previous store. Even though it was near closing time, the owners were still processing cameras and wrapping them up if they were marked as junk before chucking it into one of the many baskets on the floor. Some cabinets were filled entirely with junk cameras. Make sure to look for the red circular symbol on the price tags that mark the item as “junk”. Lots of variety of Film SLRs but nothing that caught our eye.
Used Camera BOX
〒160-0023 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Nishishinjuku, 1 Chome−13−7
It was time to leave Shinjuku. By this point in the night, we were both tired, starving, and a little bit overwhelmed from the crowds of Shinjuku. We decided to head back to Shimbashi. The plan was to see if we might be able to get into the local Omni beef butcher shop which doubled up as a little Yakiniku restaurant which passed by the night before but had a massive line. It took us a bit of retracing our steps to find the place.
Thankfully, tonight, they had a spot for us! We waited for 5 minutes for them to clear a table for us and were promptly ushered to our tables. The store manager spoke a little bit of English and was able to recommend us some cuts of meat to try. Given our state of hunger and the fact that we have only been having konbini food for dinner, we opted for the premium set which included various cuts of premium Omi beef, finishing with a special cut that was meant to be eaten sukiyaki style with raw egg.
The set included:
1 x Premium cut steak (120g)
2 x Marinated cuts (80g each)
2 x large slices of Sukiyaki style cut beef
healthy amount of salad
rice
soup
Pickled vegetables
Cherry and I had a highball each for drinks.
The total cost of the meal for both of us came to 23,958 Yen (about $245 AUD). A bit on the expensive side but considering we were getting Omi beef… we were satisfied.
Omi Beef Store Main Branch
4 Chome-20-3 Shinbashi, Minato City, Tokyo 105-0004
With our bellies filled, we headed back to our hotel and relaxed for a bit before packing for our departure the next day. Next stop: Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture.
