This morning we started our day a bit more leisurely and took our time with breakfast. I tried a different option from the menu — it was delicious, but I just can’t get my head around having what feels like dinner, or at least lunch, for breakfast.

Afterwards, we spoke to the front desk about baggage forwarding — something I think is just so incredible about Japan. Who wants to lug their baggage around on those busy trains? Not me! The front desk said the bag and forms just needed to be submitted before 11am the day before you want the bag delivered. We decided we’d sort that later in the day.

I wanted to get some sorting done and update my blog, so Craig popped down to Bongo (the onigiri shop I mentioned yesterday). Just a half-hour wait for Craig — pretty lucky, really. He came back looking like the cat who got the cream, carrying three onigiri. Some of the menu options were pretty adventurous, even for Craig, who’ll try most things. He went with pork and kimchi, grilled “meat” with sweetened miso, and karaage chicken. Jessie ate half of one and enjoyed it, and Craig loved his and wished he’d gotten one with roe.

Once he was back, we jumped on the train to Harajuku to check out the famous Takeshita Street. We arrived around 11am, and while I was braced for chaos, it was busy but not unbearable. Obligatory photo in front of the sign — tick — and then we headed straight for the well-known ¥10 coin with rainbow filling.

It was a funny experience — a wait-out-the-back kind of situation. While we waited, a massive crow kept swooping down from the roof at the rubbish bin full of discarded spiral potatoes on sticks. The lady behind the counter kept shooing it away, but eventually the crow won, flying off triumphantly with a 30cm lethal-looking stick still half loaded with potato. Honestly, these crows are everywhere and they absolutely crack me up. They’re so naughty and just remind me of Moira Rose — IYKYK.

Ahead of us, a little boy was having a meltdown because he got a hotdog-looking thing instead of the rainbow cheese coin. We’d each ordered a coin, so Craig kindly offered to swap — his mum was super grateful and even took a photo of us doing the famous rainbow cheese stretch. Which, to be honest, was a bit of a dud. Bonus for Craig though: the shop staff were so delighted he swapped that they gave him a free spiral potato. The coins were tasty, but the cheese was a bit of a letdown — I’d rate it a 3.5 out of 5.

We wandered down the street, then made our way back up the other side (somewhat against the grain, but oh well!). A stop at Daiso (like a $2 shop, but with food) so that we could pick up a picnic sheet (more on that tomorrow), and I grabbed a shoulder strap for my phone which was life-changing. No more digging around in my bag to find it for directions, photos, Suica card scans… bliss.

Next up was Wiggle Wiggle — a place we’d never heard of, but couldn’t resist entering. It’s the flagship store and it’s so bold: bright colours, smiley faces, cutesy slogans… one level had little rooms for fun photos, which of course we took full advantage of.

Then came one of the day’s most delicious moments — tanghulus at Strawberry Fetish. There are a few branches, but we went to the one with a cute seat to eat in. Tanghulus are fruit (usually strawberries) candied on a stick — originally Chinese, but now huge in Japan. Craig recently made candy grapes from leftover toffee and thought he was on to something original… turns out it’s already a thing! He’s now considering introducing them to NZ 😉. These were so good — solid 5 out of 5.

Time was ticking, so we made our way to Shibuya to see the iconic scramble crossing and to buy Pokémon cards (on behalf). My phone was almost dead, but I found a charging station (these are everywhere and so handy!) and we continued on. Shibuya was a full-on sensory overload — people, sounds, smells (not all of them food-related!) — I’d love to come back and explore it properly another time without a tired child in tow.

The Pokémon Centre was packed but very cool — giant Mewtwo and all. I joined the long line while Craig took Jessie, who was in full hangry and sore-feet mode, to a café. I got what was needed, plus a few little extras (of course), and when we regrouped, Craig said we should really find somewhere with view down on the scramble. I did a little research and scoped out an amazing little lounge with a view of the scramble. For about $16 NZD, we had an hour of food and unlimited drinks, with tables overlooking the crossing. We even got one of the better view tables! Craig took a cool timelapse that really shows off the madness.

We didn’t stay longer in Shibuya — Jessie was shattered and we needed an early night before Disney the next day (spoiler: it didn’t quite happen). Back at the hotel, we filled out the baggage forwarding forms (which felt hilariously low-tech for such a modern service), packed our bags leaving just the Disney essentials, and dropped them to reception.

Then off we went to the nearby izakaya the OMO Ranger had recommended — sadly I forgot to get the name, but what a vibe! It had that local pub energy, complete with businesspeople unwinding with their own personal bottles of sake and several calendars featuring bare bums (?).

We sat at traditional seating, which was really fun, and a very flexible (and possibly very drunk) old man behind us gave Jessie a cherry wave. The staff handed us an “English menu”… which contained zero English. Unsure if it was a prank, but the waiter was deadpan. We ordered sashimi, yakitori (pork belly and green peppers with cheese), gyoza, edamame, and honey-drizzled potato cakes. We tried ordering sake, but the waiter kept pointing at beer, so we went with two big bottles of Sapporo. Eventually I used Google Translate to ask for a specific sake I thought would be beginner-friendly — success! We each got a little jug and a proper sake cup. We did finish all the sake… plus a bottle and a half of beer. The food was absolutely delicious and the whole experience was just awesome AND it only came to about $70 NZD.

We headed back to the hotel full, happy, and slightly tipsy — a quick green tea before bed, and lights out ready for our 5:30am Disney alarm.

Check in again tomorrow for our full Disney day — might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I’ve got lots of tips to share!

❤ Laus