The beginning of a new chapter

Hello there :) I hope you enjoyed your weekend and are ready for a new productive week. 

Mine kind of started on Friday - well, it was only one course where some introduction was done, so nothing particularly demanding. Next week, however, the real fun is going to start with all the 11 courses I will be taking ;) 

A night out with obstacles

 

Tokyo Tower during the night

To celebrate our first day of studies, Alizée, Essi, Tharshi and I went out for dinner and drinks. We were aiming for a particular bar which was located on the 28th floor of a hotel, promising live piano music a spectacular view over Tokyo. 45 minutes of walk from campus and we entered a totally new area - which was, as we found out, a financial district. Very high buildings and people in fancy clothing - of course, food there was not very cheap either. Nor was entering the bar: 1800 yen per person just to get seated! However, it did look very exclusive, so we have decided on going there dressed appropriately and maybe with some reason to celebrate ;)

A bit of Steampunk is never wrong

Dinner :)

     

A Kamikaze and a
 Tequila Sunrise,
onegaishimasu

At the end of the night, when it was just Essi and I left because the others were too tired, we still wanted something to drink. So we went on to explore Shinagawa - which was halfway home - and found it very difficult to even enter a bar. Either it was really full everywhere, or they didn't want us in because we are foreigners - who knows? Eventually, we managed to find a table at Virgin Café.

If you ever go out to a bar in Tokyo, be warned (we have been warned, but somehow didn't really expect it nevertheless), that there is a fixed table charge of which no one informs you in advance. So with each of us having just one drink, however good it was, we ended up paying over 2000 yen!

While we were sitting there, we missed our last train. Yep - trains in Tokyo go only until half past midnight or so. We were already worried we would have to spend the night in a capsule hotel, but in the end, we were able to catch a different line which stops just a couple of meters away from our usual station. Phew! 

Dolce vita at its finest

Such a long and fun night requires some sleep afterwards, and also because it was raining all day and I needed to get some work done, I didn't feel like going out on Saturday. Today, however, was the last day of the Tokyo Coffee Festival - we just had to drop by! Especially because it can be a challenge to find "real" coffee in Japan.

The festival was located at the United Nations University (which is indeed an autonomous organization within the United Nations), at the Farmer's Market. It was basically a large food market where they have everything, even falafels (I realised how much I missed them at this point). And, of course, lots of coffee. Expensive coffee, exotic coffee, beer coffee, cold pitch-black coffee in bottles... oh, and sweets, cups, books, and live music as well. We could try ourselves through a lot of things - or rather, we were almost forced to do so. Even some sake - which was the best one I ever had. Maybe I should give it a try, even though I didn't like sake back in Germany...

The University with a strange sculpture

Avocado curry at the Farmer's market. Yes, I always take a picture of my food

Purple sweet potato bagel 

The Lagerphones bringing very lively atmosphere to the crowd - as you can see in the following video

The second-darkest Matcha ice cream ever

Another place to visit nearby is the "Tea and Spoon", an ice cream parlour which offers seven different sorts of Matcha ice cream - from light to dark. You can't miss it because there is a long queue in front of it, consisting mostly of locals, so you can already see how popular this place is. And it is for a reason. My plan is now to try all the different sorts :P

Because Shibuya is one of the many shopping districts in Tokyo, it was an obvious thing that we also paid a visit to one of the giant malls named "Shibuya 109". While shopping, you can discover many characteristics of Japanese culture which you thought were just stereotypes - like super-cute clothing, loud high-pitched female voices and large crowds everywhere you go. But I was amazed how much really good, tasteful clothing they offer - and mostly for a reasonable price. 

Shibuya on a Sunday night - view from the train station (hence the dirty glass and reflections)

Now tomorrow, it's getting serious. I have to be at my first Japanese language class at 9am - rarely been to University that early! Have a good night and make it well through Monday. :)