Living in Los Angeles, as well as several other self-proclaimed "Cosmopolitan" cities, I can easily identify certain areas where persons of like ethnicity congregate. China Town is right on the other side of the four-level. Korea Town is on Wilshire. Want great Armenian food, off to Glendale, etcetera.

I am guessing that the same holds true in Tokyo. When I am over there in April and I get a desire to eat, drink and speak American where do I go? I realy don't want to spend my whole two weeks in such place, but a few hours one day might help.

Thanks in advance,
Andrew

There are Denny's scattered around if you are really desperate for that 60s American experience, but I don't know of any specific ethnic section in the Tokyo area except I hear that there is a Korean concentration around Okubo station (close to Shinjuku) and there is a Chinatown in Yokohama.

The closest thing to a foreigner (upscale) "ghetto" might be the Hiro-o area, but there are still plenty of Japanese there. Also maybe around Roppongi. I also view Harajuku as a lot like Rodeo Drive.

However, you won't have ANY problem finding American eats and drinks in all parts of town. As far as speaking American, I guess you can always post on FT!

Ginza might also be considered Rodeo-like. Window shopping and all.
As the above said, roppongi is pretty close to America-town, though gaijin-town might be more appropriate, as you'll find countless American-speaking Aussies there.

No "americantown" or congregation neighborhood that is distinctivly from english speaking countries.

There are many bars/pubs operated by expats (not neccessarily all american) can be found around tokyo, not all concetrated in one section..

Food, Outback steakhouse, TGI fridays, Denny's, KFC, of course abundunt amounts of Mcdonalds and Starbucks Coffee.

In Roppongi you'll probably run into more people from english speaking countries (again not neccessarily american) especially during nightlife hours.

I would say Roppongi Hills gets as close as you will get...but it still feels Japanese. Many places over there are western (Grand Hyatt, Atelier, LVuitton, etc), but none are quintissentinally American.

Ginza might feel somewhat American, as might many of the department stores (Mitsukoshi, Matsuya). The Apple Store in Ginza (and probably the others too) definately feels American.

I'm not sure about this, but might West Shinjuku (where the Park Hyatt is) feel a little like NYC? It won't get you the total feeling, but the style of buildings might help.

You can easily get American food in any western hotel - if you desperately want something, the Grand Hyatt has a high level of food quality.

I'd say enjoy Japan - one of the great things about it is that it is totally "western" and developed, yet still quite different from the USA. If you really are that desperate, though, try the hotels.

Just curious, but what would you guys rate as the best American restaurant in Japan?

Sure, there is an America Town (http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~dora/disney/sea/sea_image/tokyo_disney_sea.jpg) in Tokyo! ^

Sure, there is an America Town (http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~dora/disney/sea/sea_image/tokyo_disney_sea.jpg) in Tokyo! ^

LOL ^ :D

There's an Amerika Mura in Osaka

http://www.quirkyjapan.or.tv/osaka.htm
&
http://www.tokyoclassified.com/tokyotravel/tokyojapantravel/371/tokyojapantravelinc.htm

Am I the only one who thought of "The Simpsons go to Japan" on seeing this title? Here are two nuggets of joy from the episode:



"Homer: Whew. All that seizin' made me hungry.
Lisa: Me, too! Let's go to an authentic Japanese noodle house.
Homer: The toilet recommended a place called Americatown.
Lisa: Dad, we didn't come halfway around the world to eat at "Americatown".
Marge: I'd like to see the Japanese take on the club sandwich! I bet it's
smaller and more efficient.
TV: We now return to "Battling Seizure Robots".
[The four Simpsons all have seizures]"

"Americatown is themed with a random assortment of United States politics and pop culture. Each table is shaped like a state. The Simpsons sit at Massachusetts.

Homer: I can't believe they stuck us at Taxachusetts! [points to table] Hey, you know, I once knew a man from Nantucket.
Bart: And?
Homer: Let's just say the stories about him are greatly exaggerated.
Waiter: Howdy gangstas! I'm average American Joe Salaryman waiter.
Bart: These prices suck! 10,000 yen for coleslaw?
Lisa: Don't you serve anything that's even remotely Japanese?
Waiter: Don't ask me; I don't know anything! I'm product of American education system. I also build poor-quality cars and inferior-style electronics.
Homer: [cackles] Oh, they got our number!"

http://www.snpp.com/episodes/AABF20

Club sandwiches in Japan can be pretty good! ^ But I would love to know one place that does those and accompanying fries/coleslaw etc. better than average.

Just curious, but what would you guys rate as the best American restaurant in Japan?

I have heard very good things about the New York City Grill at the Park Hyatt. I think it's American, but it may be more continental. I've never eaten there; I try to eat solely Japanese food in Japan (with the exception of breakfast in the Grand Hyatt Tokyo, where their western is better than their Japanese).

Club sandwiches in Japan can be pretty good! ^ But I would love to know one place that does those and accompanying fries/coleslaw etc. better than average.

Oddly, Royal Host does a good club sandwich....too bad there are too few fries :( .........

Just curious, but what would you guys rate as the best American restaurant in Japan?

There are always a wealth of boutique places, but if I am understanding the Q correctly, then I would have to say an across the board good American food place is not an option here. To me, American food that stands out world wide are breakfasts (cafe, diner) and lunches (deli, sandwiches, etc.). Price is a function of "Realness" and here you will not find that in a restaurant. You can get very satisfying cheesesteaks at Legends and decent burgers at Roti (probably the best in town IMHO). If you want good American food, go to an international supermarket, stock up on fixings, and have a few friends over and make it yourself. If staying at a hotel, you are here for such a short time that if you need a fix, you can it at one of the above places, Roti especially, and then I highly recommend waiting until you get back Stateside for American quality, portions, and prices. Give some of the local cuisine a whirl,, and then head to some of the fusion places run by some astonishingly good Japanese chefs whose base cooking style and ingredients are Japanese yet who have infused other countries' touches to create some of the best "new" food of which international travellers can avail themselves.

Mike

There are always a wealth of boutique places, but if I am understanding the Q correctly, then I would have to say an across the board good American food place is not an option here. To me, American food that stands out world wide are breakfasts (cafe, diner) and lunches (deli, sandwiches, etc.). Price is a function of "Realness" and here you will not find that in a restaurant. You can get very satisfying cheesesteaks at Legends and decent burgers at Roti (probably the best in town IMHO). If you want good American food, go to an international supermarket, stock up on fixings, and have a few friends over and make it yourself. If staying at a hotel, you are here for such a short time that if you need a fix, you can it at one of the above places, Roti especially, and then I highly recommend waiting until you get back Stateside for American quality, portions, and prices. Give some of the local cuisine a whirl,, and then head to some of the fusion places run by some astonishingly good Japanese chefs whose base cooking style and ingredients are Japanese yet who have infused other countries' touches to create some of the best "new" food of which international travellers can avail themselves.

Mike

Thanks for the detail. I think that at some point we will just want to sit down and grab a burger and a beer. I will look up Roti. Do you have an address/district/subway stop to use as a a locator?

You can get very satisfying cheesesteaks at Legends and decent burgers at Roti (probably the best in town IMHO).

I second the Roti part. They make some of the best burgers in the world, forget town. To me, only second to the sadly gone Division 16 in Boylston St. in Boston. One moment of silence for the Div, if you please.

Thanks for the detail. I think that at some point we will just want to sit down and grab a burger and a beer. I will look up Roti. Do you have an address/district/subway stop to use as a a locator?

Have a look here:

http://www.eatpia.com/roti/index.html

Hosted on the ever useful eatpia.com website. :)

Mike

Club sandwiches in Japan can be pretty good! ^ But I would love to know one place that does those and accompanying fries/coleslaw etc. better than average.
If anyone gets up to Akita City (yeah, right), one of the restaurants at the Castle Hotel has a fantastic club sandwich with fries for lunch. It's on the expensive side (maybe 1400 yen), but well worth it. (Then again, that's expensive for Akita but not for Tokyo.)

Edited to correct the hotel...

If anyone gets up to Akita City (yeah, right), one of the restaurants at the View Hotel has a fantastic club sandwich with fries for lunch. It's on the expensive side (maybe 1400 yen), but well worth it. (Then again, that's expensive for Akita but not for Tokyo.)

The Howework's in Azabu Juban and Hiroo (and the Pantry in Roppongi Hills and Kyobashi) makes a pretty decent club sandwich. However, their chikin salada sando (gurahamu tosto) is a work of art. I've been eating it for over a decade, and it is always excellent.

I like the hamburgers at Kama'aina, a Hawaiian burger place. A bit hard to describe how to find it, it's near Shibuya. Leave JR Shibuya station at Hachiko exit, go to the Hachiko police box (koban), turn right, pass under the railroad bridge and walk up the hill for about 10 minutes and turn left at a large 5 way intersection. Kama'aina is a block away.

There's another branch in Yokohama.

The Howework's in Azabu Juban and Hiroo (and the Pantry in Roppongi Hills and Kyobashi) makes a pretty decent club sandwich. However, their chikin salada sando (gurahamu tosto) is a work of art. I've been eating it for over a decade, and it is always excellent.

And a very accepatable salad bar too. Their bacon double cheeseburger is what I would also describe as very good. Forgot that one. :)

Great burgers and sandwiches at the places mentioned above, but you might never feel that the price is "right" and the side orders will be smaller than you are used to (but remember, this is healthier.... ).

I think RichardInSF is thinking of Kua'Aina, which has expanded its branches in the Tokyo area. They do a pretty good burger and fries:
http://www.kua-aina.com/

And I will also add three places to this list.

Mos' C - in Kichijoji (http://vip.mapion.co.jp/c/f?uc=4&pg=1&grp=MOS&ino=BA436946) and Kagurazaka (http://www.mapion.co.jp/c/f?uc=4&pg=1&grp=MOS&ino=BA348396).

OH DEAR - SCRATCH THIS RECOMMENDATION
I've had two mediocre experiences at Mos' C (now renamed Mos' Classic). Distinctly lower quality than before. Sorry to say that this place no longer makes a great burger.

This place is not your father's MosBurger.
It is a high-end burger outlet operated by the Japanese MosBurger chain. The burgers and sandwiches themselves are superb. But there are some Japanese quirks about the place - for example, they only give you three or four french fries and a tiny pickle with your order. On the other hand, they offer much better selection of beers than I usually find in America.
Prices are high. (Two people won't get much change from 5000 yen after burgers, side salad, order of onion rings and a couple of beers).

The Exchange - part of the Palace Hotel (Otemachi)
Excellent delicatessen-style sandwiches - and they should be at the prices they charge (about 1300yen for an American Club S'wich). This is the place to come if you want a "pastrami-on-rye" or a "BLT-on-French-go-easy-on-the-mayo". They offer a pretty good dill pickle with the sandwiches, but no coleslaw or french fries. (Shame). Don't even think of buying a drink in this place (400yen for a can of soda - almost four times what you pay in the convenience store in Otemachi station, 50 meters away).

Wolfgang Puck Cafe Opening all over Tokyo. Better than average burger and fries.

So, you should have no problem getting your fix of America among Tokyo's "cosmopolitan," dining culture....

But how about the idea that Tokyo is "cosmopolitan?"

Well it really isnt' a "cosmopolitan" city, in the sense of having many pockets of predominantly foreign populations, such as you might find in the "Salad Bowl" cities like Los Angeles, London, New York, etc. I guess Tokyo just has fewer people from overseas than those places, and even fewer of those overseas arrivals become long-term residents.

As other people have mentioned, there are some well established, long-term communities from Asian countries: There are "Little Koreas" in the Okubo area (near Shinjuku) and around Ueno. There are also several vibrant Chinese communities. If you go as far as Yokohama, there's even a "picture post-card" China Town with dragon gates and everything.

There is a kind of "Quartier Francais" in the Iidabashi area, which stands out as a rarity - in that one Western nation has put its stamp on the neighbourhood. Now don't get me wrong - This is not an area where you can communicate in French. Most of the people you will see around Iidabashi are Japanese, but there are enough French people living here to make a cultural impact. I guess it might have started because parents wanted to live near the French school and some French people were working at the L'institut Franco Japonais de Tokyo, and then the supermarkets started stocking products from France...
Finally, there are now many French restaurants in this area - but most of them are run by Japanese people - offering their take on French cuisine (some of which is excellent).
Once or twice, I have been asked by store owners in this area "Which part of France are you from?" I suppose that many of the Westerners that they come across in the neighbourhood are from France. (I have to tell them that I'm not from any part of France...).

As for a "Little America" district in Tokyo. Well, there is the "American Club," which acts as a haven for the long term ex-pats ... but that's a rather exclusive, member's only "Little America."

Someone jokingly mentioned "Amerika-mura" in Osaka. How about "Ame-yoko-cho" in Tokyo? (I believe it got its name during the American occupation of Japan after WWII, because the black market there was selling loads of products that had been "liberated" from the American military stores). By all means take a look - but don't go there expecting anything American. It's a quintessentially Japanese experience (and a nostalgic trip down memory lane to the austerity of post-war Japan).

[QUOTE=Pickles]The Howework's in Azabu Juban and Hiroo (and the Pantry in Roppongi Hills and Kyobashi) makes a pretty decent club sandwich. However, their chikin salada sando (gurahamu tosto) is a work of art. I've been eating it for over a decade, and it is always excellent.

Yup, and they deliver (homeworks).
TGIF has a good burger, fries and drink set for weekday lunch..1,000 yen.
Anna Millers has a good ruebin and great pies.
Had (what was called) a corned beef sandwich at TAC yesterday.
Also Subway is all over the place.
I miss Johney Rockets : (.

[QUOTE=Pickles]I miss Johney Rockets : (.

Yea, the one up on the 6th floor of that narrow building on the Roppongi Crossing was quite memorable. I took my mother (who grew up in the 50's) there and she was transported back to her youth.

Am I the only one who thought of "The Simpsons go to Japan" on seeing this title?

Don't feel left out buddy, that was exactly my 1st thought too!

(...but otherwise we seem to be surrounded by a bunch of squares in this forum?!)

(...but otherwise we seem to be surrounded by a bunch of squares in this forum?!)

Yes. We have you surrounded... on all four sides.
:D :D :D

Mr. Sparkle.
A joint venture of Matsumura Fishworks and Tamaribuchi Heavy Manufacturing Concern.

Mr. Sparkle.
A joint venture of Matsumura Fishworks and Tamaribuchi Heavy Manufacturing Concern.

There's your answer, fishbulb!

I have heard very good things about the New York City Grill at the Park Hyatt. I think it's American, but it may be more continental. I've never eaten there; I try to eat solely Japanese food in Japan (with the exception of breakfast in the Grand Hyatt Tokyo, where their western is better than their Japanese).

Have to reply to this comment. I shared your sentiments on my first visits to Japan but nowadays couldn't care less what I'm eating as long as the taste and portions are OK. I could eat Japanese breakfast with grilled fish and natto, then have Italian pasta lunch and Japanese eel dinner and enjoy all meals equally. Anyway, really happy about the burger & sandwich links on this thread. :)

Let's just enjoy what is available out there and not think too much about origins. :)

speak American

Haha

that was exactly my 1st thought too!


Same here! May I assume that the Americatown Simpsons episode has left a greater impression on European FTers?

May I assume that the Americatown Simpsons episode has left a greater impression on European FTers?

Whatever... :rolleyes: Eat my shorts.

Same here! May I assume that the Americatown Simpsons episode has left a greater impression on European FTers?

Er… not really. I remember Mr Sparkle and the seizure cartoon and the gameshow and the expensive coleslaw and the aiport ‘lottery’at the start – but I’d forgotten about ‘Americatown’.

Anyway, it was way off mark. Coleslaw only costs 10,000yen if you order it after 5pm ;) .


I still think suggesting Tokyo Disney is hilarious :-:

Just a quick note that Yamaya is a neat little store (in various parts of Tokyo) for great food finds. Good place to get pasta, olive oil, cookies, beer and wine, etc.

Then again, when I'm in Tokyo, I prefer to leave memories of America far behind!

Just a quick note that Yamaya is a neat little store (in various parts of Tokyo) for great food finds. Good place to get pasta, olive oil, cookies, beer and wine, etc.

Then again, when I'm in Tokyo, I prefer to leave memories of America far behind!
True, but I love Yamaya not just for the American stuff, but German, Mexican, French, and other places!

I am guessing that the same holds true in Tokyo. When I am over there in April and I get a desire to eat, drink and speak American where do I go? I realy don't want to spend my whole two weeks in such place, but a few hours one day might help.

Thanks in advance,
Andrew

When I lived in Tokyo nearly 30 years ago, there was a housing development near Mejiro Station called Tokugawa House, which looked like an American suburban cul-de-sac, complete with little blond children running around outside.

I visited only once, when one of the residents held a gathering for those of us who were graduates of the same language program, so I don't know if the housing development still exists. But if it does, it would be the closest thing to a real America Town I've ever seen. It had no businesses, though, just residences.

I'd say enjoy Japan - one of the great things about it is that it is totally "western" and developed, yet still quite different from the USA. If you really are that desperate, though, try the hotels.

Sounds like you haven't made it out of your 4-Star hotel in Tokyo... :(

I would think a lot of Japanese people would be offended.

To the OP, you won't have any trouble finding American style food, and in Tokyo, you are sure to run into other English speakers.

Sounds like you haven't made it out of your 4-Star hotel in Tokyo... :(

I would think a lot of Japanese people would be offended.



You’ve just stumbled on one of the true marvels of Tokyo and other large cities in Japan – people seem to find what they expect to find there.

If you expect to see a ‘Western’ country – that really is what you will see. Shinjuku will remind you of New York, Omotesando of London’s Chelsea district – Tokyo has an amazing, and very seductive, knack of fulfilling people’s expectations of it.

For some it is a Western city – there’s enough Japanese people who genuinely want it to be, so they won’t be offended.

For others it is a never ending jumble of villages and hamlets and towns and even cities, where crafts passed on for many generations are carried out, neighbours bathe together and catch up on gossip, families’ front rooms serve as shops, bowls of piping hot noodles in soup are transported by delivery boys on bicycles (fitted with huge gyroscopic devices.) These are a few of the thousands of things that make Tokyo ‘Asian’ too – for some, these are immediately apparent. For others, they would need to wilfully seek them out – but then you’d only seek them out if you knew they were there, and if you knew they were there, they’d immediately be apparent.

Whilst some people would need years to begin to uncover everything that this constantly changing city has to offer, others struggle to find enough to do in 2 days.

So please don’t be too harsh, it is a legitimate view, and there are plenty of people in Japan who would be delighted to hear it!

You’ve just stumbled on one of the true marvels of Tokyo and other large cities in Japan – people seem to find what they expect to find there.

If you expect to see a ‘Western’ country – that really is what you will see. Shinjuku will remind you of New York, Omotesando of London’s Chelsea district – Tokyo has an amazing, and very seductive, knack of fulfilling people’s expectations of it.



Thank you LapLap, that is an excellent point.

When I lived in Tokyo nearly 30 years ago, there was a housing development near Mejiro Station called Tokugawa House, which looked like an American suburban cul-de-sac, complete with little blond children running around outside.

I visited only once, when one of the residents held a gathering for those of us who were graduates of the same language program, so I don't know if the housing development still exists. But if it does, it would be the closest thing to a real America Town I've ever seen. It had no businesses, though, just residences.

I think the America Towns, if you're talking about American enclaves, are to be found on US military bases. The nearest ones are probably around Yokosuka (home to a large naval base), south of Yokohama, and then Yokota Air Base (I don't know if it's still operating), west of Tokyo, reachable via the JR Chuo Line.

Obviously, you probably have to be US military to get access...

I like the hamburgers at Kama'aina, a Hawaiian burger place. A bit hard to describe how to find it, it's near Shibuya. Leave JR Shibuya station at Hachiko exit, go to the Hachiko police box (koban), turn right, pass under the railroad bridge and walk up the hill for about 10 minutes and turn left at a large 5 way intersection. Kama'aina is a block away.

There's another branch in Yokohama.

I believe it's Kua 'Aina (http://www.kua-aina.com/main.html) , and according to their site, there's now supposed to be eleven of them throughout Japan. My personal recommendation is to go for the avocado and bacon burger, maybe with one of the Kona microbrews.

Whilst some people would need years to begin to uncover everything that this constantly changing city has to offer, others struggle to find enough to do in 2 days.

I think 1.5 days is more than sufficient. Don't you agree?

I think 1.5 days is more than sufficient. Don't you agree?

Well Pickes... I think the jury is still out on whether you should waste 1.5 days in Tokyo.

I am waiting for the publication of "1.5 Days To See Everything You Could Possibly Want To See In Tokyo." Until I see evidence to the contrary, I refuse to accept that there is anything beyond the amazing beer machine in the RCC to merit a visit. No reason to spend more than 1.5 hours in this dull backwater. I call it "The Fort Wayne Of The Orient."

Move along, move along....

I think 1.5 days is more than sufficient. Don't you agree?

This is passing into "Group Lore," isn't it? ;)

JR

It takes you 1.5 days, eh? Well, I can see all those sights in 1.4 days! Try to top that!!! :)

Too bad I am going to be there for a whole week early next month, maybe I'll just see everything 5 times.

I think 1.5 days is more than sufficient. Don't you agree?

No, but then, I lived there for a while, speak Japanese at a professional level, and have been traveling there for 28 years without running out of things to see and do.

One of my favorite things to do on days off is to pick a major street, such as Waseda-doori or Chuo-doori and just walk the length of it. I always find something interesting, such as a street full of stores selling nothing but shelves, or a little "pocket" temple, or a Meiji-period building that somehow survived the bombs.

No, but then, I lived there for a while, speak Japanese at a professional level, and have been traveling there for 28 years without running out of things to see and do.

Come on, especially someone like you, who's well versed should know better. I still insist that 1.5 days should be plenty, and I don't know where you think that speaking Japanese at a professional level gives you any more insight on how long Tokyo is good for. If anything, you'd be more likely to agree with me, nee?

Not to spoil the fun, but in case you haven't figured it out, your leg is being pulled. Old inside group joke. :D

Not to spoil the fun, but in case you haven't figured it out, your leg is being pulled. Old inside group joke. :D

The nakama strikes again!

Careful guys! You're in danger of getting a hernia. Don't forget to stretch!

(Guess I wasn't subtle enough.... gomen nasai!)

- is there a word for something you read on the net that you can't then shake off? (An equivalent to the German term 'earworm'; used for an irritating melody you can't shift)

- is there a word for something you read on the net that you can't then shake off? (An equivalent to the German term 'earworm'; used for an irritating melody you can't shift)

Urban legend

It takes you 1.5 days, eh? Well, I can see all those sights in 1.4 days! Try to top that!!! :)

Too bad I am going to be there for a whole week early next month, maybe I'll just see everything 5 times.
I've considered everything you guys have said, and I now realize I was sadly mistaken. It shouldn't take the average visitor much more than 3 hours to see everything worth seeing in Tokyo. And that includes a 30 minute lunch at Mickey D's.

Thanks for opening up my eyes on this. My bad.

And much as it grieves me to admit it, my wrestling partner's impassioned description of her take on Tokyo is very touching. I'm glad she feels that strongly about the city.

I've considered everything you guys have said, and I now realize I was sadly mistaken. It shouldn't take the average visitor much more than 3 hours to see everything worth seeing in Tokyo. And that includes a 30 minute lunch at Mickey D's.


There's also a Shakey's in Omotesando, which hasn't been renovated or updated since 1984, so it is kind of a time capsule. I don't know if there are any left in the US. Also, there used to be tons of "Mister Donut's" around, but not anymore. It was quite funny, because they were rather upscale and would serve you an expensive donut on bone china. The chain would present its deep Boston heritage, although the few remaining "Mister Donut's" in Boston were scary places populated by homeless scraggly one-toothed hags, on both sides of the counter. As far back as 1984 the one in Route 9 in Wellesley/Natick was in such bad shape that only the letters "UT" remained up on the sign, so we called it the "UT".

There's also a Shakey's in Omotesando, which hasn't been renovated or updated since 1984, so it is kind of a time capsule. I don't know if there are any left in the US. Also, there used to be tons of "Mister Donut's" around, but not anymore. It was quite funny, because they were rather upscale and would serve you an expensive donut on bone china. The chain would present its deep Boston heritage, although the few remaining "Mister Donut's" in Boston were scary places populated by homeless scraggly one-toothed hags, on both sides of the counter. As far back as 1984 the one in Route 9 in Wellesley/Natick was in such bad shape that only the letters "UT" remained up on the sign, so we called it the "UT".
It was pizza with relatively normal toppings so, as red-blooded teens, we were SO there. I think it was near the Sanno Hotel too, which used to be an American GI joint. Also hung a few times at a bar called the Red Baron.

If you check out some other threads, Donut-san is alive and kicking. Saw and ate at several in Tokyo and Kyoto. Heck, there's even one right across the street from the JR station in Nara (nice place to sit and have a choco donut).

It was pizza with relatively normal toppings so, as red-blooded teens, we were SO there. I think it was near the Sanno Hotel too, which used to be an American GI joint. Also hung a few times at a bar called the Red Baron.


This is a different one, in Omotesando proper. A remnant from the pre-bubble days, they must either own the physical space or have some pretty good evergreen lease that allows them to remain in business in what is now some of the most expensive real estate in the planet.

This is a different one, in Omotesando proper. A remnant from the pre-bubble days, they must either own the physical space or have some pretty good evergreen lease that allows them to remain in business in what is now some of the most expensive real estate in the planet.
there are quite a few in LA. They almost went out of business but have revived themselves by appealing to large Hispanic group gatherings, like birthday parties or after-ballgame bashes. I bet they make the pizza at C.E. Cheese taste like CPK.

Come on, especially someone like you, who's well versed should know better. I still insist that 1.5 days should be plenty, and I don't know where you think that speaking Japanese at a professional level gives you any more insight on how long Tokyo is good for. If anything, you'd be more likely to agree with me, nee?

I always used to say when I was there for about 1.5 years, that it's a nice place to live, but I wouldn't want to visit there.

I'm surprised it would take more than a day to see the worthwhile "sights" in Tokyo. Seriously. :D

I always used to say when I was there for about 1.5 years, that it's a nice place to live, but I wouldn't want to visit there.

I'm surprised it would take more than a day to see the worthwhile "sights" in Tokyo. Seriously. :D
I just returned from my 3rd trip there, and I haven't left the Tokyo/Yokohama area.

I absolutely love Tokyo, it's such an amazing city to me.

To each their own of course, but I can see how after 1.5 days, the city may seem a bit tiring.