I was more impressed by the eateries around my Tokyo hotel than by the shopping in Tokyo. Maybe I had raised my expectations a little too high. Oh well...
Anyway, for the 3 nights in Tokyo, we stayed in Nishi Shinjuku Tokyo Hotel. It is really value for money at 315000JPY/504SGD for 3 nights. Works out to be only $84 per person per night only.
This is the entrance to the hotel and you can see it on the road level when approaching it. There's a lift to the reception level, so don't worry just by looking at this pic. ;)
The room is spacious, clean and neat. It's much bigger than Dotonori Hotel we stayed in in Osaka but the service staff are not as warm. At least we didn't have to squeeze when bathing and pack our luggages.
And this time round, no free toiletries samples were given but the hotel uses Kose toiletries.
To get there from the big Shinjuku Station, you'll need to exit from the West exit, passing by the departmental store, Odakyu. It takes about 10 mins to walk there rather than 5 mins as stated on its website.
Initially, I was a little apprehensive about this location as web users were recommending other hotels and not many mentioned Nishi Shinjuku Tokyo Hotel.
But there was a foodie surprise awaiting us....
Every night, we will deliberate what to have for dinner. Little did we know that there's a lot of good eateries situated right at our hotel's door step.
Best Meal In Tokyo: Sashimi, Oyster, Potato Salad, Fish, Bi-ru
The meal above which was enough to feed 3 people cost us a mere 60SGD. We had 3 bottles of beers, 1 raw mackerel, a cooked fish dish, potato salad and 6 humongous fried oysters. It was so filling that I could only finish 1 oyster. I don't know how bf managed 5!!!
And the food was very fresh and succulent. There's even a staff that can speak English to help recommend what's fresh and good for the day.
You see, in the day time, the store looks like a usual fresh fish store supplying to customers nearby.
By noon, it'll be crowded with the office crowd. And when night falls, the place gets even more crowded and bustling throughout the night. We thought the food won't go wrong if it can draw so many customers and we were right!
It was my best meal in Tokyo!
Just about 50m away lies another cozy hideout; A friendly Yakitori restaurant.
It's a plus point that the lady boss can speak English and she is very warm and friendly, making sure we feel welcomed and happily recommending a nice sake for us. This restaurant has a family run cozy feel to it.
We spent our last night in Tokyo enjoying beer, warm sake, claypot and Yakitori yet again.
The lady boss was so obliging that she even made onion Yakitori when I asked for spring onion ones. She got confused and looked confused since I suppose they don't usually make that. It tasted sweet and nice though.
On our last day in Japan, we decided to head back to our hotel area and try out the Udon restaurant that seems to perpetually have customers inside.
It offers about 20 kinds of Udon. After collecting your selected Udon, you'll need to head to the Tempura counter (inside left of restaurant) and pick your Tempuras.
We were real greedy and picked a total of 5 side dishes when most people only pick 1 per person. My Udon at the bottom of the pic was supposed to be a dry one but bf assume that all Udons come with soup.
This eating place is filled with the working crowd mid-day. Don't be deceived by the boring signboard on the outside. A wide selection of tasty food awaits if you step in.
And now you know, if you don't mind the 10 mins walk from Shinjuku station, do check out the 1st Sashimi stall I mentioned. It's worth the walk!
I have still yet to try Robotayaki in Japan. Any recommendations for good Robotayaki for my next trip?
**Read more about my Japan trip here.**
