It’s only been a few months since I’ve been in Tokyo last, but this time it’s only a short 24 hours. It’s definitely enough time for me to roam a bit around the city, eat, then roam around some more, eat… you get the drift.

Let’s talk about some of the roaming first.

The city has been going through quite a bit of urban renewal with the opening of mix-use complexes such as Roppongi Hills and most recently Tokyo Midtown and the Shiodome area, which I reported on not too long ago. Then in areas such as Ginza, which at one point was most well-known for its expensive real estate, many buildings have been remodeled along the main streets; one of these is the Giorgio Armani tower, which just opened on November 6th. The 12-floor building houses many of Armani’s brands such as Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani and Armani Casa presented with Armani’s minimalistic look. There’s even an Armani Spa, a first for Armani.

But, I’m really here for the food. So let’s move on.

This time I went to a great all-you-can-eat shabu shabu dinner in Shinjuku for less than $25 per person. An $18 all-you-can-eat menu is also available. The only catch is that you will have to finish your dinner within 90-120 minutes, depending on your selection, and drinks are not included. Wished I had taken photos, but I was too busy trying to eat… so these were taken from the shop’s website.

The next morning I went to the famous Tsukiji Fish Market for some fresh sushi. The place that I went to was a conveyor-belt place with truly yummy sushi. My favorite was the anago (saltwater eel) and then the toro (fatty tuna). The sushi was priced by the plate, from 99 Yen (US$0.88) to 695 Yen (US$6.23). It was worth every penny. The best part was when we asked for the bill. The waitress took out this RFID scanner device and just scanned the plates and voila – our bill was ready! None of the manual counting was needed. This was definitely a great application of RFID technology.

After eating, I roamed around some more, and found Krispy Kreme! Apparently people in Japan are lining up more than an hour to get a taste of America. I remember when Krispy Kreme first opened here in California, when we had to wait quite a while just to get a donut. Go figure.

Until next time, Tokyo.

Shiodome.

This time one of the places I wanted to visit was Tokyo’s Shiodome district, one of Tokyo’s latest developments. At the center of Shiodome is the Caretta Shiodome, which for the most part is an office building complex occupied by Dentsu, Japan’s largest advertising company. This building also houses a 1,200 person theatre and a shopping mall on the lower floors, and a series of restaurants on the 46th and 47th floors. For the ordinary tourist like you and me, the best thing to do is to take the elevator directly up to the 46th floor and take in the view to the south side of Tokyo, but note that there is no official observation deck available. To see anything else, you will have to dine at one of the restaurants, as the best views are saved for customers.

Next door to the Caretta Shiodome is the headquarters for Matsushita Electric, more commonly known for its Panasonic brand worldwide, and the National brand in Asia. The building is also the site for National Center Tokyo, which is a showcase for all of Matsushita’s products on four floors. This is a great walkthrough if you are into home appliances and furnishings. Refer to the links below and experience the center for yourself.

One of the most interesting things that I saw was the A-La-Uno toilet, which is a self-cleaning toilet bowl that also conserves water. The toilet also features a sensor system in which the toilet cover opens when someone is near, and automatically closes. The most interesting yet bizarre feature is its 3-D sound system located at the base of the toilet bowl, which plays up to 16 different types of tunes according to the time of day. Of course, you can always turn the feature off…

Tokyo Midtown.

Opened just in March of this year, Tokyo Midtown is the latest development in the Japanese capital. This multi-use complex houses offices, residences as well as a hotel, shopping mall, park and museum. The first thing that I went for was the new 21_21 Design Sight museum designed by the offices of architect Tadao Ando and Nikkei Sekkei. The name “21_21″ was chosen to indicate vision into the future of design, beyond the “perfect” 20/20 vision.

At the moment, there is an exhibition called “Chocolate,” which is the first exhibition for the museum. Inside you will find chocolate and chocolate-inspired installations that are enjoyable yet inspiring. One of the best installations is a room of 30 different chocolate art that range from rose stems to peanut shells to cityscape. Again, no photos inside, so you will have to come to Tokyo to experience this for yourself. The exhibition ends July 29.

After viewing an exhibition based on sweets, I went straight for the Pâtisserie Sadaharu Aoki inside the shopping mall at Tokyo Midtown. Walk into the store and you will find all kinds of eclairs, cakes, macarons and other sweets and cookies. I just had to buy a macaron (or two) and some mini green tea madeleines to satisfy my sweet tooth. There were quite a few other shops that are worthy of mention, including a fun-looking cooking school where you can make and eat your own cooking, from desserts to main dishes, right in the middle of the shopping mall.

On the ground floor, you will also find a limited touch-and-feel exhibition of Japanese designs, including the “Handsome Tofu” (Otokomae) pictured below and a host of other designs. It’s a great place to come face-to-face with fun designs that you would otherwise feel intimidated to touch and feel at stores.

On my way out, I also found a high-end 7-11 store. Just had to share this.

Roppongi Hills.

Roppongi Hills is probably the first mixed-use complex of its kind in Tokyo. Opened in 2003, Roppongi Hills integrates work, living and lifestyle all in one place. My main purpose here was to visit the Le Corbusier exhibition at the Mori Art Museum on the 53rd floor of the Mori Building in the complex.

The exhibition itself features many models of his works, as well as full-size reproductions of his famous “Unité d’Habitation” apartments and his wooden house “Le Petite Cabanon” that was in the French Riviera. It is amazing to see how someone has thought of something that we consider “modern” today back in the early 1900s. The exhibition ends September 24th. If you buy a ticket to the exhibition, a free entrance ticket to the “Tokyo City View” is also included, from which you can see beautiful views of the city.

On my way out, I also ran into this fun parade, where children and adults alike were participating. Storeowners along the parade route also came out to join in on the fun.

Minami-Aoyama and Omote-sando.

The last area of Tokyo I visited was the Minami-Aoyama and Omote-sando areas, where street style meets luxury. In Minami-Aoyama, you will find a mix of luxury shops along the side streets such as Vivienne Tam and Kate Spade, and as you walk up towards Omote-sando you will find the famous Tod’s Building along with Dior, Louis Vuitton and more. Make a turn to the right and you will find many small shops that sell used clothing for young people. It’s truly a dynamic place to people watch.

I am going to take a few days off, and will return again in about 5 days or so. More updates when I return!

There seems to be this conception that Tokyo is quite an expensive city, but I don’t always agree. There are quite a few bargains to be found here in the city, and the resources are out there for you to find them. Of course, having some Japanese language ability will definitely make that easier.

Ramen at Ichiran: 780 Yen (US$6.50).

This was a recommendation from a friend of mine. Ichiran is actually a chain ramen shop that serves only one thing: ramen. Walk into the store and you will find a machine from which you buy tickets for what you want to eat. Don’t speak Japanese? Not a problem. There are always pictures there to help you out. Once inside the restaurant, look for empty seats indicated by a lighted number and sit down at the corresponding booth number. Your wait staff will then provide you with an ordering form (available in English) so that they may make your ramen to order. Select from the type of soup stock to the firmness of the noodles, then give your wait staff the tickets — and wait for your soup. It’s that easy.

All-you-can-eat Dessert at Dessert Kingdom: 1300 Yen (US$11).

While walking through the train station, my friends and I picked up a coupon book called “Hot Pepper” and found an endless amount of coupons for restaurants around the Shibuya area (editions also available for other areas of Tokyo). The one that caught our eye was “Dessert Ohkoku” (Dessert Kingdom) in Shibuya, which offers an all-you-can-eat menu for just 1300 Yen, and with the Hot Pepper coupon drinks are free (expires 7/31). Note that you only have 90 minutes from the time you enter the store to take advantage of the wide selections of desserts, pastas and sandwiches. Don’t forget to bring an empty stomach! This place will be crowded on weekends, so do plan ahead.

Dinner at Tsuki no Shizuku: 4000 Yen per person (US$33.33).

This is another Japanese food chain that offers a series of tofu-based dishes and more. What’s great about this place is that it’s actually not extremely expensive (drinks included). English menus are readily available for those who don’t speak Japanese, or you can simply order your food and drinks directly off of the touch-panel menu — complete with pictures and prices — in the comfort of your private room. We had quite a few dishes, ranging from homemade tofu, fatty pork, Japanese-style fried eggs to horse sashimi and fresh fish carpaccio. At the end of the meal, all of us were quite stuffed. Remember that you never have to order everything at once, so pace yourself so that you may try more things on the menu.