Thread by @meemalee

Made it. #sashimimimi

View from our hotel. #sashimimimi

Late lunch at family-friendly pasta chain @lapausaofficial - mine was spaghetti with scallop, cod roe, shiso and nori #sashimimimi

Hayao Miyazaki’s Giant Clock is near our hotel.

Sadly, the mechanism is being refurbished right now, so we didn’t get to see it in action. #sashimimimi

Miyazaki-san’s clock is in the same style as Howl’s Moving Castle, right down to its chickeny feet, so it’s a sight to see, even without the show. #sashimimimi #ghibli #HayaoMiyazaki

Cute creatures posing with cuter creatures. #sashimimimi

Gashapon aka capsule toys!

A terrible money-wasting addiction I have passed onto my children!

These machines are everywhere but esp. in geeky places like Akihabara.

(if you’re familiar with Shenmue, you’ll understand my urge to say “Why don’t I GET another?”)

#sashimimimi

Stars from Nippon TV (and me). #sashimimimi

Weemalee is a big fan of @gudetama_sanrio hence her t-shirt, so these special Gudetama x Chococro from @st_marc_cafe309 were a must-try #sashimimimi

The kakigori (shaved ice) at @st_marc_cafe309 is pretty damn good too and only ¥440.

These were matcha & aduki bean and strawberry 🍧😋 #sashimimimi

Last thought for the day - the drain covers in Japan are excellent. #sashimimimi

Started the day off choosing drinks from a vending machine.

These things are everywhere in Japan, and the selection is different in pretty much every one.

My hojicha iced tea was very good. #sashimimimi

Then bumbled past this Nippon TV bouncy castle which we had to drag the kids away from because the queue was immense. #sashimimimi

After a bit more of a wander, we went to Katsuya (かつや) in Shimbashi and had tonkatsu (pork cutlet), ebi furai (pankoed prawns) and a smashing tonjiru (pork, vegetable and miso soup).

Katsuya’s a chain and cheap as chips, but would definitely go again. #katsu #sashimimimi

Dessert was ice cream puffs from Hirota.

These are choux buns stuffed with flavoured ice creams - we chose strawberry, milk tea and rice. All ace. #sashimimimi

Carried on wandering past the gado-shita (“below the girders”) restaurants and bars built under the railway arches between Shimbashi and Yurakucho. #sashimimimi

Disappointingly small Godzilla. #sashimimimi

Pleasingly large inflatable athlete

(for Tokyo 2020) #sashimimimi

The flagship MUJI in Yurakucho is as excellent as you can imagine.

We had more kakigori there too - strawberry and yuzu this time 🍓🍊🍧 #sashimimimi

After more shopping, dinner at Sushi-Go-Round under Tokyo Station.

Below is salted salmon roe, sweet shrimp, and seared tuna, yellowtail & salmon.

We ate *way* more than this though (about a dozen plates stacked) and it came to £40 for the four of us. #sashimimimi

The walk back to the hotel was interesting.

Night! #sashimimimi

At Kaminarimon today, the big “Thunder Gate” at Sensō-ji temple in Asakusa #sashimimimi

Summer time in Japan means summer festival foods like takoyaki, chicken karaage, and yakisoba #sashimimimi

We queued for the world famous jumbo melon-pan from Kagetsudo. Think warm, fluffy brioche with a crisp, sugared biscuit topping (no melons actually involved). Bliss. #sashimimimi

The kids do like posing and opportunities abound. #sashimimi

Lunch at Sansada, one of Japan’s oldest tempura restaurants which seems entirely staffed by older ladies.

Their tatami room is perfect for small children who have fallen asleep. Their kids’ bento is also brilliant. #sashimimimi

Couldn’t resist ordering Sansada’s Hokkai Oyako-don - salmon roe, grilled salmon flakes, and salmon sashimi on rice. #sashimimimi

Then more ambling and a run around Ueno Park to attempt to wear the kids out before heading back to the hotel. #sashimimimi

Packing up again for Osaka tomorrow, so convenience store dinner tonight. Still ace though.

Instant noodles chosen by husband and kids.

Cold fresh udon with daikon, spring onions, fishcake, sudachi (a really fragrant citrus fruit) and tsuyu sauce for me.

#sashimimimi

Am more than a week behind, but I now have working WiFi again, so at some point soon expect a splurge of posts 🎌

Right now, you may envy my collection of Japanese @haagendazsuk ice cream🍦 #sashimimimi

I also bought this hat today.

#sashimimimi #guesswhereigotit