Luckily we got to sleep in! We woke up at a leisurely 9:30am & Alex made us tea :) We finally got ready to get up & go. First stop, Owl Cafe! Japan is famous for themed restaurants, you name it, they probably got it. Alex found this SUPER cute Owl Cafe, so we took the metro to Chuo district to made reservations early. Once we made our reservation, we stopped in small take-away food stop. I ordered a Bento box & Alex ordered Korean noodles. I had no idea what half the things in the Bento box were, lucky Alex knew the names/animals of everything I was attempting to eat :D
The Owl Cafe we such a unique experience!!! You walk into a small one room cafe, that must have nearly two dozen owls sitting on perches. Once we ordered our drinks we then got a briefing of how to handle the owls & then were set loose to pick which owls we wanted to hold on own hands, shoulders or heads hahahah! There were owls a small as 100g to ones that were twice the size of my head! They also had these Harry Potter robes which Alex & I enjoyed a little too much :)
After wayyyy too much fun with all the little owls we made our way to the Bunkyo district by metro to Tokyo Dome! Tokyo Dome is a huge shopping, amusement park &, the most exciting, famous Japanese onsen ;) THIS is what I've been looking forward to! Anyone that knows me knows how much I love my R&R, & this type of traditional Japanese bathhouse is a 'must do' for my list here. It's something I would recommend anyone that visits Japan to do, but I know most will find it very uncomfortable instead of relaxing.
After removing our shoes & stowing them in lockers outside the main entrance of the Spa LaQua, Alex & I were given electronic wristbands that would keep track of our expenses within the onsen. You pay for all the services used at the end. We then set foot into the women's 'locker room' where we were given a choice of three spa outfits to wear. We then figured out how to use our wristbands to open our lockers where we changed into our little dresses. Photography is absolutely not allowed, but Alex & I snapped these quick ones; we couldn't resist!
We then walked towards the signs leading to the baths, where we stepped into a room full of little cubbies where everyone was removing their clothes... so what's the point of the little outfits we were given?!? Alex & I were a little hazy on the order of events at this point. There were a few english signs but any with enough information to help us understand precisely the etiquette for this whole things was. As luck would have it, we came across an english speaking Japanese women who told us to use the little towel to 'hide yourself' if we wanted but to go clean our skin/bodies before entering the baths. We definitely chose to 'hide' ourselves with the small hand towel that was provided!! Definitely wasn't made for American girls who are not 5'0'' & 105 lbs....
We then walked towards the signs leading to the baths, where we stepped into a room full of little cubbies where everyone was removing their clothes... so what's the point of the little outfits we were given?!? Alex & I were a little hazy on the order of events at this point. There were a few english signs but any with enough information to help us understand precisely the etiquette for this whole things was. As luck would have it, we came across an english speaking Japanese women who told us to use the little towel to 'hide yourself' if we wanted but to go clean our skin/bodies before entering the baths. We definitely chose to 'hide' ourselves with the small hand towel that was provided!! Definitely wasn't made for American girls who are not 5'0'' & 105 lbs....
We walked into a mass of low set 'stalls' of cleaning stations, where there was a small stool equipped with shampoo, conditioner, makeup remover & body wash. We washed our bodies, while trying to discretely watch what everyone else was doing so that we could follow suite. FINALLY we were ready to enter the baths. All the baths are mineral infused ranging from 20ºC to 42ºC (68F-107.6F) & a sauna that was 120ºF!!!! We tried it all, trying to climb into the water as quickly as possible to keep ourselves covered. As modest, southern girls, we were definitely out of our comfort zone, as ladies from 13 years old to oldest of grannies just walked around, unapologetically naked. After spending a few hours, we then got back into our spa clothes & explored the rest of the facility, which included segregated men & women's lounges & also a unisex lounge. These lounges were basically hundreds of recliners equipped with personal TVs, blankets, magazines just to relax or sleep. It was so strange to see everyone enjoying this type of communal yet personal relaxation.
After seeing everything there was to see at Spa LaQua, we put back on our normal clothes and explored the rest of Tokyo Dome!
It was time to meet up with Alex's friend Owen, a Taiwanese guy who had just finished a six-week internship in Alex's town. Alex made reservations at yet another themed restaurant: Alcatraz ER! We removed our shoes before entering the jail cell, & ordered weird drink concoctions that were all medical themed.
Our waitress was a nurse & there was a 'show' midway through dinner where they shut off all the lights so it felt like a prison break gone wrong! It was actually so scary :(
Our waitress was a nurse & there was a 'show' midway through dinner where they shut off all the lights so it felt like a prison break gone wrong! It was actually so scary :(
Owen then wanted to take us to an Irish bar in Shibuya! We got to walk across Shibuya Crossing, which is the largest street cross in the world! It felt like the NYC of Japan! It was such a cool experience to be with the hundreds of people trying to cross the street in a million directions in this one spot in Tokyo.
Finally, we made it back to the Air B&B! Time for bed, as tomorrow we have to get up EARLY to hit the Tskuiji Fish Market! The earlier the better!!! Goodnight!
-Allie
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