Here is a summary of what we actually did, vs the initial draft of what we thought of doing, which was updated a few more times since my initial post.
No draft for Thursday as it was our arrival day, but we did have dinner at Tonkatsu Aoki (Kamata). Cash-only, and I would suggest skipping the 400gram katsu option - while almost everyone in the restaurant was going in that direction and we did too, it was WAAAAY too much for us, especially with rice and soup on the side. Stick to 200gm portions, or if you're really hungry, the 300gm. 1/2kg of pork was overkill. I would suggest trying out their different salts where you can dip the fatty ends into the salt for a massive flavor burst. After dinner we went over to the Ebisu Garden to see the last of the holiday lights and that really odd chandelier.
(Draft) Friday, Dec 26
• Lunch in Ginza
• Matcha Shopping at Takashimaya Nihonbashi (Ippodo Tea Co.)
• Custom Dashi Making at Azabudai Hills (Dashi Okume)
• Dinner at Azabu Kogaiken Nakameguro (Omurice Hamburg)
(Reality)
We had our usual omakase lunch at Sushi Taichi Ginza - this visit was arguably better than the last two lunches, some of the pieces, particularly the iwashi/sardine were eye-roll-back-in-your-head good. After lunch we decided to walk to Takashimaya (I needed to break in my new Hoka shoes, $50 cheaper than the USA). Along the way we stopped by Moriichi, which is a great shop to buy origami paper and amazing greeting cards. I love this particular location of Takashimaya because of the history, the amazing products, and the chance to ride the old fashioned elevators with uniformed operators and metal grate doors, just like my childhood. We took a trip up to the rooftop garden, which while much prettier in spring with blooming azaleas, was a nice respite from the busy streets below. In warmer months, the rooftop has a small cafe where you can order drinks and small snacks and sit at a table in front of the garden.
From there we worked our way down floor by floor, making a detour to one department I hadn't visited before, the kimono salon. Here, we saw some of the most amazing textiles and fabrics, many were handmade silks costing tens of thousands of dollars, along with a few "Obi" that were priced in the hundreds of thousands of US$. The fabrics were absolutely stunning, and while photos are not allowed, if you find yourself in the store, it's worthwhile to stroll through this section as some of the pieces are museum quality. After a visit to the men's store, where I came dangerously close to buying a cashmere sweater, we went to the basement food court to get my matcha powder from Ippudo, and some yokan from Toraya.
We headed over to Dashi Okume, and while the cutoff for custom dashi was earlier in the day, I decided to buy a few of their pre-made custom blends to provide some ideas before trying my hand at inventing my own recipe.
From there, we had dinner at Azabu Kogaiken Nakameguro, and we arrived just in time to be seated at the counter with no lineup. If you like omurice, this is definitely the place to try, as this location is famous for its hamburger omurice where a custom blended patty is placed over rice, and an omelet on top, along with a demi-glace to pour over after you split the omelet. We also tried their crab croquette, and the curry omelet with fried prawn. Literally everything at this restaurant was absolutely amazing, both visually and in taste, so strongly recommend it for anyone who enjoys omurice and western-style Japanese cuisine.
After dinner, we walked back to our hotel in Shinagawa along the Meguro River to see the winter lights where all of the cherry trees are lit in pink to resemble the cherry blossoms.
(Draft) Saturday, Dec 27
• Shibamata Taishakuten Temple & Suikeien Garden
• Yagiri-no-Watashi Manual Ferry
• Lunch in Shibamata (Tempura or Soba)
• Shunka-en Bonsai Museum
(Reality)
We headed out to tour Shibamata Taishakuten temple. It was a very nice temple complex, nothing absolutely earth shattering, but I felt it was worth the visit. The temple includes a nice Japanese garden, and ornate wood carvings inside the main temple building. After the temple, we walked over to Yagiri-no-Watashi, expecting a historic experience with an old Edo-period river crossing ferry. Realty? A guy in a long wooden boat with an outboard motor who takes you on a 30 second ride to the opposite river bank. We passed and instead lingered in the park to watch a Jr High baseball game before heading back to visit the Shunka-En Bonsai Museum. If you're a big fan of bonsai, this is the place to visit, with prize winning trees, and historic trees - but if you're just mildly curious, there is another museum closer to Edogawa, or even the bonsai in the Japanese garden of Showa Park.
After the bonsai museum, we had a "date" for the last fireworks at Odaiba, and were lucky enough to grab a few snacks and a table at Decks Odaiba to watch the fireworks - then avoided the crowds who passed by Jonathan's where we had dinner. It was always on our list to try after the restaurant made so many appearances in the hysterical TV show The Hot Spot - it didn't disappoint, and we enjoyed our meal, and would always have it on our list as a backup plan if one is available where we're at. After dinner we planned to walk back across the Rainbow Bridge, but it was already closed for the night, so we took the bus back to Shinagawa.
(Draft) Sunday, Dec 28
• Ikegami Honmonji Temple
• Miyamaedaira Gensen Yukemuri no Sho (The Onsen)
• Kuhonbutsu Joshin-ji Temple
• Jiyugaoka Neighborhood Walk
• Dinner at Nami no Jiyugaoka
(Reality)
We decided to drop Ikegami Honmonji and go direct to Gensen Yukemuri because the onsen gets busy and earlier is better. This is a higher-end locals traditional onsen focused on very unique water preparations, and we enjoyed the experience and would go back again. The onsite restaurant is famous, especially for tofu, but after we finished our soaking, the wait list was 32 names long, so we decided to leave it for another time.
Kuhonbutsu Joshin-ji Temple is absolutely stunning - we walked the grounds, visited the main temple building, and the cemetery behind, where families were visiting loved ones, and cleaning/washing the headstones. From the temple we decided to walk again, and enjoyed the residential neighborhood and spotted one possible akiya candidate - not sure if it was for sale, it would be been a perfect rental property given the proximity to the train station and southern Tokyo, but the big crack in the foundation had me somewhat nervous. Setagaya with nearby Jiyugaoka would be our ideal place to own a small home in Japan and we just loved the environment here. We wandered into Jiyugaoka-proper and ended up at Jiyugaoka de Aone mall, where (on a clear day) you can see Mt Fuji from the upper deck of the mall. We also tried Grandir bake shop, a chain from Kyoto, which has arguably the best tasting bagels we've ever had - a thin crispy shell on the outside, with a soft, pillowy, chewy inside. It's what every bagel in North America wishes it could be.
For dinner, the plan was engorging ourselves with ikura at Nami-no, but after sitting down we discovered they are cash or PayPay only, and rather than run around looking for an ATM, we decided to put it off for next time since we're back in February.
That was pretty much it - the following day was departure day, but we had time until 3P - however, most businesses were already closed for the new year holiday, leaving few options. The original plan was to walk from our Shinagawa hotel to Happo-En to admire their gardens, but they were closed, so after checking out another nearby park that was also closed, we ended up with the throngs at Ueno Park for a little walk and headed back to get ready for the airport.