The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps
For food lovers hunting for good food around Tokyo, I’m writing a series of the food we tried (or almost tried) around Ginza, Harajuku, Shibuya and Shinjuku. Look out for our honest reviews. :P First it was “What to Eat in Ginza“, then “What to Eat in Harajuku and …
For food lovers hunting for good food around Tokyo, I’m writing a series of the food we tried (or almost tried) around Ginza, Harajuku, Shibuya and Shinjuku. Look out for our honest reviews. :P First it was “What to Eat in Ginza“, then “What to Eat in Harajuku and …
From Harajuku (part 1, part 2), we walked through Cat Street to Shibuya. It was a long and tiring walk! But after we reached the end of Cat Street, it just didn’t make sense for us to walk back the street to take the train. It was nearer to walk on to Shibuya. -.-
One of the lesser known streets you can explore in Harajuku is the Cat Street. It has a vibrant street fashion culture to attract hipsters here to shop and get style inspiration. The place reminded me of a improved and magnified version of Haji Lane. Nevertheless, this is a good place to escape the thick crowd at Harajuku’s main tourist spots. So you get to enjoy your shopping in a more relaxed and less crowded environment.
The long street runs perpendicular to Omotesando Avenue and parallel to Meiji Dori (St.). You can start your journey from a bronze statue of a woman that’s beside Island Vintage Coffee and near to Kiddy Land (Omotesando Avenue).
You can find a range of shops that caters to your wants: from big mainstream brands to niche brands, from high-end pieces to affordable ones. However, the street is generally getting upmarket over the years.
When we arrived, it’s dark and some shop were already closed. I would recommend that you come earlier in the day. We didn’t really shop at Cat Street except for the cosy small shop you see in the photo above. They have many items that are pretty and affordable. The price range is surprisingly lower than the average we had seen around Japan. We bought some items and later realised they’re Made in China. No wonder. For Japanese who pride themselves with Made in Japan stuff, it’s not surprising that the only patrons in the shop are tourists. Hoho.
For those time-pressed, you can focus on a few stores based on this blog’s recommendation. With so many shops along Cat Street, I wished I had seen this list of shops before we went. A quick summary of the stores mentioned in the blog, starting from shops near the entrance:
Other than shopping, what should a hipster street has? Cafes and good food! :P
Cat Street has them as well as vending food machines. For coffee lovers, enjoy a cup of coffee at Streamer Coffee Company that’s famous for is their latte art. They have outlets in other parts of Tokyo and Japan too. For more information, refer to What to Eat in Harajuku and Shibuya Tokyo?.
But if you’re looking for food, you can try The Great Burger. We had our dinner at this warm, nostalgic and playful atmosphere. The burger was super awesome and yummy!! Try if you like burgers. It’s in a quiet side street of Cat Street. For more information, refer to What to Eat in Harajuku and Shibuya Tokyo?.
If burger is not your thing, you might want to try Luke’s Lobster that’s selling fresh lobster and seafood rolls (in bread). It’s near the entrance of Cat Street and it’s super crowded! We almost gave up The Great Burger for this. But the potential wait was simply too long for the cold and hungry us. Too bad we missed it because it has really good reviews online! For more information, refer to What to Eat in Harajuku and Shibuya Tokyo?.
Shibuya is a popular and colourful shopping and entertainment district. With many departmental stores and shopping complex like Tokyu, Seibu, Shibuya 109, Shibuya is a heaven for shopaholics.
Once you exit Cat Street, walk a bit more and you’ll be at Shibuya train station. Right outside of the station is a bronze statue of Hachiko.
But who’s Hachiko? Hachiko is the name of a dog known for its remarkable loyalty. It was said that Hachiko waited daily in front of Shibuya Station for his master to return from work. One day, his master died and never returned to the station, but the dog continued to wait for him at the station every day for the next nine years.
So after taking photo with Hachiko, we walked to the nearby Shibuya Crossing. Having seen so many awesome photos of Shibuya Crossing, I was excited to finally be in the center of the buzz. If you don’t know, Shibuya Crossing is the famous intersection where all the traffic lights changed colour at the same time. Hence, when the traffic light for pedestrians turned green, all traffic stops and pedestrians surged from all sides.
A good spot to observe this scrambling crossroads of life is at the second floor of Starbucks at the intersection. However Starbucks designed the store in such a way that you have to pass through their counter to buy something before you can go upstairs. Smart move, Starbucks.
Around Shibuya crossing, you will find Shibuya 109 and the entrance of Center Gai.
Lastly we walked a distance from the Shibuya crossing to the Spainish Slope. It’s a staircase leading up to Parco departmental store. According to some online source, it was so named because the narrow pedestrian street resembled a Spanish street scene. So I was curious to see it, but it was a waste of our time and energy to find this.
Personally, we prefer the character of Harajuku and Cat Street as compared to Shibuya’s city standard looking place. How about you? Otherwise, do you have other places to recommend in Shibuya that will change our minds? Tell us below or on our Facebook Page or Instagram. Moreover, bookmark this page > Overview Itinerary: Hokkaido and Tokyo (Winter/Spring 2016)
Harajuku Tokyo (原宿) lies between Shinjuku and Shibuya on the Yamanote Line. If you’re all excited about the shopping in Harajuku, you’re at the right place! Other than joining the young crowd at Takeshita Dori and the mature one in Omotesando Hills, there are many other options for you: Cat Street, LaForet, Tokyu Plaza, and …
Harajuku Tokyo (原宿) lies between Shinjuku and Shibuya on the Yamanote Line. At Harajuku, you get to witness Japan’s teenage scene and eccentric fashion at Takeshita Dori (Takeshita Street). And you get to shop at stylish Omotesando Hills or the nearby hipster district, Cat Street. There’s more shopping at LaForet …
For food lovers hunting for good food around Tokyo, I’m writing a series of the food we tried (or almost tried) around Ginza, Harajuku, Shibuya and Shinjuku. Look out for our honest reviews. :P First it was “What to Eat in Ginza Tokyo?“. Now, it will be what to eat in Harajuku and Shibuya?
Along Takeshita Dori of Harajuku, you will find many snacks and sweets, which is unsurprising given that the street caters to a young crowd and such food appeals to them. Of the shops selling food, I’ve listed a few notable ones here.
p.s. For more information about Takeshita Dori and Harajuku, look out for my subsequent post: “Takeshita Dori and Shopping | Harajuku Tokyo (Part 2)”.
Love Calbee potato chips? Be sure to pop by Calbee+ (Calbee Plus) for potato chips fried on the spot in front of you. You can choose the cut of the chips and the toppings you want on them.
Fresh and crisp out from the deep fryer, our order was drizzled with Royce Chocolate sauce for ¥250 (S$3.20). If you order the same, eat it while it’s hot because the sauce will harden in no time, which will then just be like those factory packaged Royce’s chocolate potato chips. You can also add soft serve ice cream to it and have a power combination of hot & cold, sweet & salty!
Other Calbee toppings include Salt & Butter, Double Cheese and Maple Syrup & Cream Cheese. We probably should try another topping if we were to go to Calbee+ again. The chocolate & chips wasn’t that special for us.
If you are adhering to a Japanese etiquette of not eating while you walk, head up to the second floor to finish your chips. When you’re done, you can continue to shop around the first floor for Calbee’s merchandise, including regional’s limited edition chips. But if you have no time for this at Harajuku, you can still find other Calbee Plus outlets at:
Most of Harajuku’s crêperies are located on Takeshita Street. The classic sweet crepes of fruit and airy whipped cream are more popular than savoury wraps of egg, tuna, pork cutlets, hot dogs, etc. Prices start from ¥350 (S$4.40).
Made to order before you, the shop assistants pour the egg batter on heat and cook it to a thin crepe where they expertly fold it to fill in your ingredients. Before you order or even queue, it’s good to take a look at the full menu on a big display at the side; or in Marion Crepes’ case, a glass showcase of their crepes’s plastic replicas.
Based on online research, we were about to queue at the supposedly famous Marion Crepes, when we saw a longer queue forming at Angel’s Heart that’s right opposite. So being Singaporeans, we trust the long queue syndrome as an indication of good food. Moreover, the pinkish shopfront attracted me! (P.s. if you don’t know I wrote a novella years ago called ‘Love, Pinkie’!)
We ordered a crepe of berries and ice cream for ¥440 (S$5.50). You may love it, but it was not fantastic in our opinion. It makes a nice dessert, but forgettable. Personally I prefer Marche’s savoury crepes over this. Oops!
p.s. There’s a toilet near to Angel’s Heart and Marion Crepes. Be warned it’s unlike normal Japanese toilets, it’s dirty.
Walking along Takeshita street, we noticed small groups of girls huddling around at the busy street. Soon, gigantic cotton candies caught my attention. That’s what the girls were gathering around to pinch and share! That made sense because the rainbow cotton candy was big enough to cover my face! Target market is definitely ladies and children.
The shop selling this is Totti Candy Factory that’s located on the 2nd floor. Other than this cotton candy, it also sells colourful cake pops handmade by a pastry chef and a range of candy, chocolate and marshmallows.
If you are at Harajuku, consider dropping by Cat Street, Harajuku’s off-beaten track where you can walk from Harajuku to Shibuya. Moreover, along the way, you get to eat good food and shop in a vibrant street fashion culture.
We headed to Cat Street to have our dinner at The Great Burger, touted as one of the best burgers in Tokyo. This restaurant is located in a quiet side street of Cat Street but well-lit enough for us to spot it. Once we found it, we stepped into a warm, nostalgic and playful atmosphere that’s bustling with a young adult crowd. Decorated in a vintage decor, there are many artistic and interesting posters and retro figurines displayed around the restaurant.
From their menu, choose from classic burgers with cheese and avocado to unique burgers with mango, baked apple or asparagus. Other than burgers, you can also order sandwiches, beer battered onion rings, pancakes, buffalo wings, etc. There’s also a beer and wine selection for you to pair with your burger. Look out for their lunch set special!
We ordered a burger set that comes with fries and a dish of buffalo wings for ¥2,061 (S$26). The wings were nice like those we can find in Singapore, but it was the sauce that made the dish even tastier. Of course, being famous for its burgers, the burger stood out – it was super awesome, juicy and yummy!!
p.s. For more shops around Cat Street and Shibuya, refer to my subsequent post: “From Harajuku’s Cat Street to Shibuya”
We didn’t know about Luke’s Lobster before we went to Tokyo. Seeing how popular it was, we almost gave up The Great Burger for this. So if burger is not your thing, you might want to try Luke’s Lobster that sells lobster and seafood rolls (in bread).
It’s close to the entrance of Cat Street that’s in Omotesando area. The place was super crowded! Ding Tai Fung kind of crazy queue – except Luke’s line looks like a longer wait of about 1+ hour. The potential wait was simply too long for the cold and hungry us. That’s too bad for us because it has excellent online reviews! You should try to beat the crowd and go on a weekday when it opens at 11:00 am. The queue starts to grow monstrously after 11:30 am.
It is more of a takeout concept where people hung around the eatery to dig into their rolls. Some sat on the few benches in front of Luke’s counter, while a few stood around with their rolls and yet others sat on any available space.
Arriving in Tokyo during late 2015, Luke’s Lobster is founded by Luke Holden and his father in New York to sell affordable and fresh lobster rolls. Their current menu includes lobsters (duh), crab, shrimp, etc.
Luke’s uses the sweeter and tenderer portions of the lobsters sourced directly from Maine – claw and knuckle meat. Served slightly chilled, the rolls are fresh with no other topping but a little seasoning. This helps you to taste the freshness and natural sweetness of its lobster. You can also try their lobster chowder but skip the mac and cheese.
Image Credit: curiouslyravenous.com
You can choose from “Japanese size” lobster roll: ¥980 and “US size”: ¥1580. The bun size is the same (size of a hotdog’s), but it’s the amount of lobster meat that differs. You can also upgrade the US size to a lunch set that includes a pack of kettle chips and a soft drink for ¥1980.
Sadly, I didn’t try this lobster roll out, so the food review is based on this blog.
After your meal, enjoy a cup of coffee at Streamer Coffee Company, opened by the first Asian champion of the World Freepour Latte Art, Hiroshi Sawada. They have cold brew, hand drip, aero press and self-developed Nitro. But what they’re famous for is their latte art of “Free Pour”, the pinnacle of all barista techniques. They have outlets in other parts of Tokyo and Japan too.
So that’s all, folks~ Enjoy the food in Harajuku, Shibuya! For the places to shop and sight-see in Harajuku and Shibuya, refer to my subsequent posts, “Meiji Jingu, Yoyogi Park and Ota Museum (Part 1)” and “Takeshita Dori and Shopping (Part 2)“.
Ginza (銀座) is Tokyo’s famous upmarket shopping, dining and entertainment district on one of Japan’s most expensive real estate. In this district, you will be surrounded with high-end boutiques, department stores, art galleries, restaurants, night clubs and cafes. Ginza used to be the site for silver coin mint from …
For food lovers hunting for good food around Tokyo, I’m writing a series of the food we tried (or almost tried) around Ginza, Harajuku, Shibuya and Shinjuku. Look out for our honest reviews. :P First up, what to Eat in Ginza Tokyo? Tsukiji Fish Market Before starting your …