A lovely home we passed by everyday on the way to the train station
Door at Hanazono Shrine Day 15 was a pretty easy day. Juan escorted Tamika and I to Shinjuku where we visited Hanazono Shrine and walked around the city. We went to Isetan, a department store, in search of Jean-Paul Hévin chocolates. Tisha gave the chocolate very high reviews, so I just HAD to try some. Y’all know I am a dessert connoisseur. After waiting in line for about seven minutes to go into Jean-Paul Hévin's store, which is in the basement section of Isetan, we were granted entry. The store is very small and holds about 15 people max.
After buying three miniature pieces of chocolate (about the size of a quarter) for 955 yen (roughly $10 USD), we left the store. Jean-Paul Hévin chocolates are extremely tasty. The chocolate is smooth and melts in your mouth (per Tamika). Was the chocolate worth the exorbitant price tag? No. However, it is the experience that counts. I could see $1 per miniature piece of candy, but then again, Jean-Paul Hévin chocolates are not available in the U.S.
Moreover, Tokyo is the most expensive city in the world--so the prices are to be expected. Afterwards, we browsed around the various shops in Subnade, an underground shopping center.
Tori gates
Hanazono Shrine
On Day 16, Tamika and I packed our things and reminisced about our trip. We were NOT ready to leave Tokyo! The city is amazingly beautiful, full of spunk, and all that jazz. Juan took us to Mori Town where we did a little shopping. We went to Mister Donut to taste the difference between their doughnuts and Krispy Kreme. Of course they were out of glazed doughnuts, so Tamika ordered a strawberry doughnut which was pretty good, but was still not sweet enough for me; I ordered a chocolate doughnut, which was not as good as Krispy Kreme.
As I stated in a previous post, sweets in Japan are not like the typical sweets found in the States. But I appreciated trying them. After leaving Mister Donut, we headed to Cold Stone Creamery where Juan and I had ice cream, which was SWEET! Later on that night, Tamika and I grabbed a bite to eat and headed back to the hotel to prepare for our departure.
On Day 17, with sadness in our hearts and a plethora of memories, Tamika and I left our “home away from home” for the past 18 days (we did not count the day we arrived ;-)). Juan came and saw us off as we boarded the bus and left Tokyo.
After traveling to different places in Japan (Tokyo, Kamakura, Yokohama, & Kyoto), Tamika and I said our last goodbyes to the place we fell in love with, and bidded Juan farewell. This was an awesome trip. Thank you to all our readers for following us as we sojourned throughout Japan. Thank you to those that prayed for us, helped us in various ways, and sent happy thoughts.
On the long flight back home
Japanese drinks
No comments:
Post a Comment