TOKYO-EKI ICHIBANGAI 東京駅一番街

Konnichiwa! I came back from Japan a month ago and still have not finish posting about my trip yet. Sumimasen.

We went to the Tokyo station Ichibangai to get some souvenir as it is famous for it. It is located inside the Tokyo station. Once exit the JR line, you'll come across this shop. Go in and have a look! It has the most delicious and sweetest cakes in the world. (proven by myself) :p And the staff there were very sweet too!

There's always a reason for a store to be named as Sweets Bouquet. Definitely a great deal for someone who has a sweet tooth!

After spending almost forever eating and wandering around, we followed the signboards written Ichibangai and walk down the stairs. That was where the adventure officially begun.

We went in to a food court and tried some snacks first. The pao and xiumai caught my attention because it's my favourite dimsum!

                                        The snacks were quite cheap and it taste delicious!

                                                                         Tokyo Pao!

We walked passed a few souvenir shops. Mummy told us not to buy until we finish our tour inside Ichibangai because there's a lot more fascinating things to see. 

We noticed this Calbee+ shop selling chips and decided to give it a try since the queue told us it was delicious. My sister, brother and mom queued for 20 minutes before they got their hands on a small cup of chips. Spot them inside the picture queuing up? 

They said it was worth queuing. The chips was crispy and delicious! Best of all, it was freshly made! You can even see the making process of the chips! I'll give 100 thumbs up for this!

My dad and I hate to queue so we walked around while waiting for them. We came across Garrett popcorn and was shocked to see someone queuing an hour just for popcorns. It seems delicious but the queue was way too long. This picture we took was just the first batch of queue. There's another 2 more batch behind. I wonder why the queue in Malaysia is not as long as it is in Japan? After all, Malaysians love food. Don't we?

We felt hungry as it was lunch time and began hunting for food. We saw San Marco curry house. I actually find the words Have you ever tried the Japanese popular dish, 'Curry and rice'? interesting. But daddy said he tried it and didn't want to have it again. He suggested we find something new.

And so I did. We found a standing sushi bar. Check it out here! It was definitely what my dad was looking for. New. We went in while the three of them queued for the chips. Haha! This sushi could also be named the cheapest sushi our family had ever eaten. We ate about 20+ sushi and it only costs about RM92. Plus, green teas and water are always free in Japan! Maybe because one sushi only costs 75yen. If we eat this amount of sushi in Malaysia, the bills will be up to RM100 excluding the drinks. We saved so much in Japan. Wow.

We saw this Gundam Cafe while walking towards the Tokyo Character Street after our meal. I didn't go in to check it out because we didn't have much time left.

We headed to the Tokyo Character Street where it is the heaven for all anime and cartoon fans! The first shop we went in was the Rilakkuma because my mum wanted to buy something for her friend.

Then it was my dad's turn to buy a hello kitty item for his colleague. My dad finds Hello Kitty store items very pink, girly and expensive. Duh dad, it's Hello Kitty. 

My bro and I didn't like any of the two, so we walked our way to the Pokemon store. That's what we're talking about. We wandered around the store for a while but didn't find anything nice. 

My brother is very into collecting legos and building them. So far, he has got 6 cars and a helicopter. Daddy bought him one in Gotemba and he promised it will be his last from Japan. I owed him a birthday present so he pestered me to get him a lego keychain. I think it's lost now. Oh no.

My brother stood inside the lego shop for 20 minutes looking at the mini lego figurines. He wanted to buy another 1 more set but mom didn't allow. We ended up getting a lego shape ice cube tray since my mom found it cute. Now I pretend like I'm melting the lego ice's head while drinking my hot milk. It's my new hobby now lmao.

An anime/manga store filled with items from One Piece, Naruto and many more similar anime that I don't watch. Sorry.

Chibi Maruko Chan, Hanawa and Honami

Chibi Maruko Chan, my first ever Japanese manga/anime. I first watched it back when I was 6 as it was a birthday gift from my aunt. Till now, I'm still having that box of DVD and still watching it over and over again. My mom bought me Maruko during her last visit to Japan and now I'm here for more!

It was like heaven there even though it was just a small section of it. I remember those days where I watched it even though I don't understand any Japanese. My favourite since a kid! 

Then we headed to another store. Our entire family, including my two uncles who's both an artist is a big fan of Hayao Miyazaki's animation. I saw many of our favourite characters as if they were real! The onsen house up there, was from one of my favourite, Spirited Away! I remember when I first watched it. I screamed because it was a little disgusting and scary. I was about 4 back then! I still don't like Yubaba. She's scary and wicked.

Hey Mei! I didn't know I had the pleasure to see you with no-face!

I had a great time at Tokyo Character Street in Ichibangai! It's like all my childhood favourites coming together, the memory of watching them in one of the few anime I first watched.