Tokyo Day 8: Setagaya

Today most of our plans were set in Setagaya, which is a ward of Tokyo just south-west from the central city. It’s a bit less tourist-y, with the exception of a few places, and there were a couple of things we wanted to see and look for out there.

It took us around an hour to get there from our hotel. We had to take the Ginza and Hanzomon lines, with about 15 minutes of walking in between stations.

Our first destination was the Carrot Tower. It’s part shopping centre, part offices, and the name was chosen by children in a competition. The building is sort of orange coloured, so I get where the kids were coming from in naming it so. It has thirty floors, four of which are underground, and offers a free observation deck on the top level.

We came in via the front doors on the ground floor, where there were several shops and cafés scattered around. Caz had wanted to see the Game Freak offices so she could flip them off (she loves Game Freak, but the latest Pokémon game release had apparently been a shitshow), but we couldn’t access the 22^nd floor, where they lurk. I assume there’s a staff entrance somewhere. Instead we took the lift to the 26^th floor and Caz flipped off the carpet there instead.

The view from the Carrot Tower is fantastic. It was a clear day so we could see for miles. In the distance were hazy shadows of mountains and more of the city spreading out into the distance. We sat on a vacant bench to admire the view, next to two businesswomen having a serious sounding conversation.

One of the women abruptly stopped the conversation and leant over to say hello. She asked us what brought us to the Carrot Tower and we mumbled a bit about Game Freak and then said the view was fabulous. The lady had good business English so she had a nice conversation with us. She asked about our trip so far, whether we’d been to Mt. Fuji, and what other plans we had. The conversation was polite and not too long, and her interest in us was so heart-warming. We felt a bit fuzzy and warm afterwards as we sat for a while longer, taking in the city below us. Before we left, I had a quick walk around the floor in search of toilets, so I got a good look at all of the views.

We returned to the ground floor to a bakery/café that we’d seen on the way in, called Chef’s Press. There were so many delicious looking things, so we took a while to decide what to get. We got the same lunch. A camembert and ham bread, a cheese and tomato sausage roll, a soy milk and honey doughnut, and a berry mix smoothie. It was presented in a little basket, like a mini picnic!

We went to some seats just outside to eat. It was really funny because we were the only tourists in the area and received lots of interested looks from the old people around us, accompanied by excited chatter. We didn’t mind – it was kind of expected in Setagaya, as it’s far less of a tourist attraction, so we must have stuck out a lot. The food was fresh, filling and delicious. Japan definitely has baked goods down to an art.

We had to get to Sangen-jaya station at this point, which the map said was only a minute walk through ‘unnamed streets’. Simple, except I got a bit lost in the side streets for a while. It was fine, as there were so many tiny shops and things to see in the streets. I eventually got my sense of direction back and found the station. Because we weren’t on the main line and were further out in the city, the line running from this station (Tōkyū-Setagaya) isn’t like the main subway trains. It was actually a darling little single-carriage tram that seated maybe a dozen people. It was a lovely ten-minute ride to Miyanosaka station, and we enjoyed looking out of the window. We disembarked at the station, which was nothing more than two platforms on either side of the street, with the tram tracks running in between. It was so quaint!

After walking around the longest wall ever in a quiet side street, we got to the front gate of Gōtokuji Temple. As is often the case in temple grounds, it was beautifully peaceful. A few people wandered here and there, but it wasn’t crowded by any means. There’s a fantastic triple pagoda on the left as you walk towards the front shrine building, and on the right there is a large bell. There are plenty of trees planted around the grounds, creating dappled shade on the paths. The sun was shining and the weather was actually really warm, so we took our time strolling around the grounds.

We made a beeline for the area that makes Gōtokuji temple famous – the rows and rows of lucky cat (Maneki Neko) statues left by visitors. They’re all white (apart from one fluorescent pink one, which is fun to try to spot!) and of many different sizes. Some were huge, and some were smaller than my thumb. All were placed with care and reverence by people who offered the cats to the temple when seeking or receiving good luck.

Not far from the cat area was an information centre and shop, where you could buy your own lucky cat statue to place at the temple or take home. We both bought medium-sized ones, bearing in mind our luggage limits. There were also cat-themed prayer/wish boards (Ema) that you could buy to write on and hang up at the temple. We found some little paper fortunes (Omikuji) for 100¥ and decided to get one each.

Outside we opened our fortunes. With the help of Google Translate, we managed to work out that mine was a blessing (吉) and Caz’s was a great blessing (大吉), so that was nice! There’s a really nice tradition for receiving bad fortunes – you tie the paper onto a tree branch in the shrine grounds, and it’s said to keep the bad fortune there, away from you. Luckily ours were good, so we could take them away with us. They’re still sitting in our wallets now.

We were supposed to go to the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka at one, but had lost track of time at the temple. By the time I realised, we wouldn’t have had time to get there in time (it would have taken the better part of an hour), so we made the decision to not go. It was a shame, but we were also having such a nice time at Gōtokuji Temple that we weren’t really ready to leave yet.

We hung out in the sunny grounds for ages, just taking in the sunshine and peace. I went to peek in the window of the larger temple building and another shrine so I could see the altars inside. They were really stunning and huge. We also found vending machines that had a lucky cat design on them, not far from the temple buildings, and I had a quick look at the adjoining cemetery because I couldn’t leave without seeing it.

We needed to get back to Setagaya-Daita station, so we caught another tram. This one was a special cat train that was unveiled in 2017. It had a face on the front and pictures of lucky cats on the side. Inside, the overhead handles were shaped like lucky cats too! It was the cutest tram ever, and we were suitably delighted.

It was at this point that I started feeling really fatigued. Today was my first real ‘bad day’ of the trip, so it could have been a lot worse, but I was still annoyed about it because being at onsen tricked me into thinking I was well-rested and could carry on as I had been. We decided that we’d take it slowly and not stay out for much longer.

We walked through increasingly quiet streets to find our next stop – Shiro-Hige’s Cream Puff Factory. I didn’t realise that it was a tiny little place on the corner of a residential street, and was delighted when we found it all tucked away. Downstairs is a little gift shop, where you can buy some Studio Ghibli merchandise as well as cream puffs to go. There was a narrow staircase that you walk up and turn left at the top to access the café. On the right are the big coolers and baked goods for sale, and on the left is a small seating area with floral curtains and lots of sunlight. It was fairly busy but we secured a table straight away.

We got a drink each and then looked at the cream puff options. They are all shaped like Totoro, and have different little icing accessories on, which is so cute. I think the flavours change seasonally, like a lot of things in Japan. Our options were: Strawberry cream, custard, chocolate, and banana with whipped cream. We decided, as there were only four flavours, to get two each and test each other’s fillings too. Caz had the custard and chocolate, while I had the strawberry and banana ones. It was almost a shame to cut into them because they looked so cute. Of course I made sure to snap a couple of photos to remember them.

This one was the strawberry flavour.

We sat in the café for a long time after finishing our cream puffs, and it was nice because we weren’t rushed out or anything. It was nice to just sit quietly and let our food settle. I’d recommend getting a cream puff from Shiro-Hige’s – it shows up on Google Maps but it really is like a hidden gem in an area not very frequented by tourists. It’s a nice place to have a break.

It was late afternoon so we discussed heading back to Shibuya to have real dinner at a place we wanted to visit. Eventually we hauled ourselves up and settled the bill, before we were bowed out of the cream puff factory and back to the sleepy suburban streets. We went to Setagaya-Daita station because it was much closer, which meant that we had to take the Odakyu line to Shinjuku, before getting our usual Yamanote Line to Shibuya.

At Shinjuku station, as we were walking to make our connection, we found a little place called Caramel Ghost Garden. I was immediately roped in because I love caramel and ghosts and gardens. There was a girl out front with a plate of samples. She saw us looking and offered them to us, so of course we took one. It was a sort of apple pie-flavoured cake piece and it was so tasty. Lots of ‘oishii desu’ and thanks ensued, and the sugar boost got us onto the next train and to Shibuya.

It was busy, as Shibuya often is, and we made a quick scuttle over one of the big crossings amongst crowds of people. This is such an essential Tokyo experience. In films, the crossings always look really overwhelming but I find that it’s an ordered chaos when you’re actually in it. The Japanese are very careful about where they walk and maintaining personal space between one another, so the crowd works together and flows like water. The only people I bumped into at crossings were other tourists who weren’t keeping their eyes ahead.

Our chosen dinner venue was one that I’d found quite by accident. In the months leading up to this trip, I had a habit of idly scrolling around Google Maps and clicking on anything that caught my eye. During one of these sessions, I zoomed in on the small side streets in Shibuya and saw a place named Whoopi Goldburger. The punny name made us immediately want to go there, and our resolve was strengthened by the good reviews we found online.

We got there a little before opening time, and we still ended up being the last ones able to fit in! It seems like a popular place for locals as well as tourists – we were the only foreigners in there at first. There are only about nine or ten seats at the bar, and the wall is right behind them, so it’s a tight squeeze. But this only added to the intimacy and authenticity of the place. The walls are covered in drawings from local artists and stickers from around the world. An old TV was playing skateboarding compilation videos. My favourite thing was a drawing of two guys (who I assume are the creators of the place) offering a burger to Whoopi Goldberg.

Just behind the bar area are the grills where everything is prepared, so you can watch as your burger cooks. The staff are really cool and so quick with getting your order done. The menu offers several different burgers – variations of the classic Whoopi Goldburger as well as other celebrity names like Kevin Bacon and Helena Bonham-Carter. I decided that I needed to try an original first, so I chose the Teriyaki Whoopi. Caz went for the Kevin Bacon. We each got a side of fries and Caz got some onion rings that we shared. For drinks, we had ice-cold Coca Cola in glass bottles.

The burgers were absolutely fantastic – thick, juicy and well-seasoned. They were also gigantic, which made them well worth the price. As we ate, we could see the excitement of other people when they received their food and everyone was furtively eyeing each other’s dishes to see what the different burgers were like. It was just a really great communal experience.

I love a little hole-in-the-wall indie place so I really, really enjoyed it there. The food was amazing and the atmosphere was casual and familiar. I would seriously recommend paying Whoopi Goldburger a visit if you’re in the Shibuya neighbourhood. And I would also recommend random scrolling on Google Maps when planning itineraries – you never know what you might find.

At this point, even though it was only 6pm, we decided to call it a night. I wasn’t feeling great due to fatigue and thought it’d be a better idea to have a chilled out evening in the hotel room before carrying on tomorrow. We took a taxi back to the hotel and the driver was so jolly, it was adorable.

Now we’re sprawled on our beds just idly chatting and browsing YouTube. I hope I can feel less tired tomorrow as I feel bad for not ‘making the most of it’. The reality of chronic fatigue is that you must listen when your body tells you it can’t carry on. I didn’t want to risk pushing through it and potentially putting myself out of action for a day or more.