Tokyo Day 1: Getting Lost, Finding Ninjas & Conquering Shibuya Crossing

Tokyo Day 1: Getting Lost, Finding Ninjas & Conquering Shibuya Crossing

He’s coming cuz they’re going to be coming. All right. Well, first actual day in Japan. Yes. Um yesterday we landed 4 or so. We got on a bus, got to the city and uh struggled a little bit to get around and it just ate. We looked for a 7-Eleven with our bags for a while. Yeah. We couldn’t find a place that was supposed to be easy to find, but it’s just so it didn’t know what level of the city you’re on. And we were in the Shinjjuku station, right? The busiest station in the world. Shabuya or Shinjjuku? One of the busiest stations. We ended up just quitting and getting a Uber, which actually worked here. So, what are we doing today? We’re going to the We’re going to try to get to a soule pancake place. Why are you whispering? cuz I’m excited about the soule pancake. And then we’re going to go to the government building to go up high for an observation deck, which is free. And then the main thing is to try and find this not samurai, this ninja place, which is kind of secretive, but when things aren’t secretive, we have a hard time finding it. Then we’ll do the Imperial Palace area, right? Yes. Look at that. That’s cool. Like he’s interested in this tree. That is cool little guy. So now we’re just trying to do our first attempt at getting on a train. [Music] We’re trying to figure this out. Uh, we need to exit the west gate. And we don’t know if west gate is the same as west. It says take west exit. Yeah, we don’t see the word exit. Heavy. West square. [Music] There is the government building. Uh, one of the most accurate things, Becky, that anyone’s said on this trip so far, it’s only a day, was Becky in the shower. What’ you say? I feel like Elf, well, Buddy the Elf in the little elf shower. It was so crowded. Yeah, that’s a good description. And now every time I get in the shower, I think of Buddy Le. [Music] What do you have, Becky? A sule pancake. Okay. They look really neat. And then good balance. I got a chocolatey drink and Becky got a strange fruit one. Musket. Okay, we have our soule pancakes. Becky’s going to give it a shot. She’s a bit excited about this. What you got? Super light. I mean, I don’t have anything on it, but Oh, it’s weird and good and I don’t know how to describe it. It’s so fluffy. Is it a cotton candy? Kind of disappears in your mouth. Is it a cotton candy of pancakes? Not really. Yeah, I guess. Okay. It’s kind of weird. [Music] How was your sule pancake? Excellent. Egg cuz it was eggy. Yeah. Five. I described it as a a very light fluffy um similar to French toast, but I think you said French eggy and syrupy sim but didn’t taste like French toast. No, just reminded you of it. Yeah, it did. All [Music] right, we’re at the top 45th floor of the uh government building and it’s aironditioned inside. Lots of windows to look out. So, we’re going to do some enjoying and a gift shop, of course. Yeah, lots of interesting stuff. [Music] [Music] Welcome to Nice little area up here. There’s a shop. Lots of windows. Climate controlled. I see your book. I just got it here. So, there’s a piano up here and there’s a line that is by the piano that you can get in if you want to play the piano. And there was someone in line. He was really good. She’s doing something. So she waited in line her turn as she’s going to play. [Music] [Music] All right. Where we at? So, we’re in Shinjuku area of Tokyo. What would be one big landmark of that? Um, uh, I don’t know. Godzilla. Godzilla. [Music] [Music] Yeah. All right. We are going to our ninja restaurant. We have a 30 minute travel time and only an hour to do it in. So, we’re really pushing it here cuz we might get lost. Yeah, we might get really close where we want to be, but on the wrong floor. We don’t know. It’s It can be tricky. So, here we go. We’ll see if we make it. We’ve made it to the building we’ve been looking for. Good amount of time. And I think we already found it. Push the button. [Music] How many [Music] [Music] ta is ninja changing? [Music] Oh, thank you for waiting. Next two. Ninja. [Music] Okay. Take a bite. [Music] Three, two, one. Oh, ninja mistake. Okay. Okay. Thank you very much. Okay. [Music] Okay, it’s ninja bonga shfish mazi snake. Oh yeah. Hi. Thank you very much. The shish outside is very very hot. Okay. Be careful. Dangerous. And the smooth is very good. [Music] Yeah, I needed help. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Yes. Okay. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you. Yeah. Don’t worry. This is Ninja special bread. Oh, ninja bread. Nice. Thank you for ninja training. [Music] Ninja. Oh no. I will show you more ninja mazi. Ready? Ready. [Music] Snowy. It’s snow ninja mazi. [Music] Thank you. Thank you. All right. What did you think of the uh Ninja restaurant? Oh, it was really fun. Yeah, it was very unique. Yeah, it was interesting. Even just walking into the building into the door. It was like a waterfall and then the entrance is they tell you the instructions I don’t know what 24 hours in advance or something of where to go and you can’t really it just looks real quiet. You can’t really tell. And then this guy comes out ninja dressed and I guess we’re obviously going to need two people and he asks and so he comes and gets us and then we get another ninja comes in and we go through this dark spot and then it’s it’s a show just to get to your spot to your table. Yeah. So and the food was good. Lots of variety. Very interesting too. We had a little bit of eel, some Wagu beef. Very good. Star that was edible. Yeah. And then after that, we walked over to the Imperial Palace, which is closed on Monday. At least this Monday. Yeah. And uh we walked around the outside a little bit and it got hot. Can’t really see much. And we saw the bridge. If you look on Google Maps, we’re walking amongst uh a garden, a national garden. But you can’t walk amongst the trees that are well manicured. You just have to walk outside of them. Yeah. So this this part I know it wasn’t open. Can’t see much. Not real nice hiding. Yep. Is pretty buildings um kind of around the park. But we’re about done with this hot spot. Going to hit find something inside. [Music] All right, we are going to the Shabuya Scramble. We’re going to check out hopefully Shuya Sky. Uh we’re doing this a little off of our planned agenda because uh Impal the palace Imperial Palace is not open today, Monday. So, and it got hot, so it’s going to be still warm, but there’s some in maybe indoor stuff around the area, too. It’ll be kind of crazy. Really busy area. So, we’ll see what we got. Shabuya Sky will be another day. Today is Shabuya Scramble. So, that’ll be interesting. This is the world’s busiest street crossing. Shabuya Crossing. [Music] Go a baby. Look at this guy. [Music] [Music] We found the magnet building. There’s a little bar up here. Got a iced cocoa. Becky got a jasmine. Jasmine tea. And the view is uh occupied. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] This is a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music]

Join the Sunflower Travelers for their first actual day in Japan, diving deep into the vibrant heart of Tokyo! After a challenging arrival day that included navigating the notoriously busiest Shinjuku station and ultimately relying on an Uber, this episode kicks off with an exciting quest for fluffy soufflé pancakes. Experience their delight as they discover these “super light,” “eggy,” and “excellent” pancakes, described as “weird and good” and reminiscent of a very light, syrupy “French toast”. Next, soar to the 45th floor of the Tokyo government building for a free observation deck experience, enjoying expansive, air-conditioned views of the city and even catching a live piano performance. We also share a humorous “Buddy the Elf” moment from the previous night’s shower!
The adventure continues as they embark on the “main thing”: finding a secretive ninja restaurant in the Shinjuku area, a journey complicated by the risk of getting lost or being on the wrong floor. Prepare for a truly unique experience with ninja-dressed staff, a “show just to get to your spot,” and even “ninja training,” alongside tasting “ninja special bread” and intriguing dishes like eel and Wagyu beef. While a visit to the Imperial Palace proved hot and disappointing due to it being closed on Monday, the day culminates in the iconic Shibuya Scramble, the world’s busiest street crossing. Watch as they navigate the bustling crowds and find a fantastic bar in the magnet building to enjoy well-deserved drinks and captivating Tokyo views.