So this is another video part of my Hidden Spots series
and today we're exploring Sangenjaya
Sangenjaya is in the Setagaya ward in south-west Tokyo
it is only a five minute train ride away from Shibuya station
yet it has a completely different atmosphere.
It's a calmer old neighbourhood in Tokyo
and has a lot of interesting streets and unique shops.
Today I'll be showing you one of my favourite cafes in this area,
free views of Tokyo from up high,
and also the hidden back-alleys where you can enjoy
the best local experience of Japanese drinking and eating
So are you guys ready to check out this area with me?
The first place I went to was this coffee shop called Komeda Coffee.
They have more than 400 branches across Japan
and it is a very popular coffee shop amongst the locals
so sometimes you might have to write your name down
and wait a little before they call you.
It has a comfortable atmosphere so it's a great place
to come alone or with others.
And when you come to Japan most places will give you
this Oshibori, a wet hand towel, to wipe your hands before you eat
I get so use to this that I miss not getting it when I'm overseas
There's a lot to choose from but Komeda Coffee is
famous for their sandwiches.
The food sold here is also a very typical breakfast meal for Japanese
Their sweets and coffee's are also very popular here.
I wasn't too hungry so I decided to get the egg bun
and when you're ready to order just press the bell and they will come
So this is what it looked like
Komeda Coffee cuts up the egg and mixes it with Japanese mayonnaise
which makes it taste really good
and actually egg and mayonnaise is a typical filling
in Japanese sandwiches.
So now let's walk and see the free view
from the tallest tower in this area
Sangenjaya has a few shopping streets where the locals
go to do their everyday shopping
It has many different shops so it's very convenient
to find what you're looking for.
It's really interesting
the Japanese infrastructure is really different.
and it's so cramped, all these little back alleys
they hardly have any gardens
so you know, what do the kids do?
I mean, when I was a kid I loved to play in the garden
but then again I'm from New Zealand
so that's all we had, like nature and all that stuff
Ah the typhoon is coming, look how windy this is
I personally love local areas, as you know,
but I also want to show them to people, you know
because a lot of people, they don't know how to find it
especially if you're a tourist in Tokyo
I can see where I'm taking you guys now
So this is the building
It's free to see a view of Tokyo
It's completely free
but it's not so well known
It's called The Carrot Tower, i'm not too sure why
because it doesn't look like a carrot to me.
Now we're in the building and we're going to the 26th floor
Now take the elevator to the 26th floor
and the elevator should be pretty straight forward to find
So we are here on the 26th floor
and thank god it's not raining because it's typhoon season but
ah you probably can't see it, it's too bright
right, let me fix that
When you first exit the elevator on your left you'll see this view
You can see Shinjuku skyscrapers in the background
and this is what it looks like when you first enter
they have a lot of big windows for you to see the view
a lot of people also buy lunch and bring it up to eat here
You can see the local neighbourhood and the city in the near distance
There are also affordable cafes here
And if you have a meal at this restaurant
you can enjoy the views of Skytree and Tokyo Tower
So near the tower we were just in
there is actually a cool little alley way
filled with small interesting restaurants and Japanese bars.
thats so cool
These alley-ways are called 'Yokocho' in Japanese
and they can be found all over Japan.
When you walk down these alley-ways, it takes you back in time
and it has an old, traditional Japanese atmosphere to it.
The shops here are smaller than average
as it builds a cosy atmosphere for you
and the other customers and the shop staff
to be able to eat and have conversations.
There are also some pretty interesting and hidden away shops
so go explore and see what you can find.
The Yokocho I just showed you guys now
is more of the, what do you call it?
the standard one, that most people would know
but the one I am at now is more for the locals who live in this area
and it looks like a lot of these shops have been going on
ah, have been running for a long time
A lot of them aren't open yet but look how small they are
So at night these shops would be full of people
and have a fun atmosphere
and it's also a great way to experience drinking and eating like the locals
Also there are a lot of different kinds of foods for you to try out and eat
And I love how some shops you can just eat on the streets while everyone is walking past
So if you want to have a night out and drink and eat the locals way
definitely check this area out.
So I hope you guys enjoyed this video of the Hidden Spots series
and I will be doing much more of these so if you're coming to Tokyo
I hope you can add more and more onto your list
and if you're not coming to Tokyo i hope you can just see a different side of Tokyo
so yeah, I hope to show a lot more of those on my channel here
and people are kind of looking at me like a weirdo
because I'm sitting on these swirly stairs and taking a video talking to my camera, obviously
AAHH OH My god the bugs are on me!
oh my god that scared the hell out of me
holy crap
I hope you guys enjoyed this video
please leave a comment down below about some other videos you guys would like to see me do
and I will see you in the next video