Exploring the City

Tuesday Little Miss (LM) and I spent exploring the city centre around our hotel. The day started off with a nice breakfast (with C - what a treat to spend time together!). The breakfast lounge was almost empty so it was quiet and I must say the staff here give the best service I've ever experienced anywhere. But back to breakfast.. the lounge has ceiling to floor windows looking out on a Jap style garden and LM was entertained by a bird that came to the stream. It's really lovely.

Then we went off to some government office to do some paperwork. The fella at the desk didn't speak a word of English but was very polite and helpful and we had S with us to help interpret somewhat. It was very fast and efficient, no long queue like in good old M'sia!

Then C went off to do his stuff, and LM and I came home for a nap. After that we ventured out on our own. I thought we'd have some sushi for lunch, and I was thinking along the lines of Sakae Sushi conveyer belt system where u just take what you want. Also, they should have a decent choice of 'cooked' sushi, or so I thought. Well, the hotel concierge directed me to a sushi bar in a 'shopping arcade' which looks more like a street with shops along both sides, just that it has a roof over the street. Small little shops with a great variety and very interesting.

There were 2 shops selling the most gorgeous flowers, stationary shops with lovely papers for craft work, but the ones I liked to look at best were the fruit and veg shops. The produce was so fresh, so clean (no dirt or mud on the potatoes, thank you very much!)and cheap! I saw a HUGE cauliflower for only 100 yen. That's about SGD1.30only! unless it was per 100g or something la... but still I felt like buying and getting cooking!

Finally after walking all the way down the street/arcade and back again I found the sushi bar. I went in and there was a chef there behind the bar with - RAW seafood laid out in front of him! I sat down and asked for a menu. They didn't speak a word or English but pointed to a small scrap of paper with jap on it. I looked at it, looked at the seafood, looked at LM and, as nicely as I could with many smiles, got up and left!

In the end I found a small cafe at the back of a produce shop where you could pick out 5 plates (mini plates) of food from a selection. I had rice, pot salad (my fav dish for now) some saucer of veg, and fried chicken. They added a bowl of miso soup yucks but LM ate the tofu inside. The veg was ok but the chick was so cold the fat had congealed and separated from the meat. Gross.

In the evening we walked around the shopping mall near the hotel. Much more high class with shops like Laura Ashley, Coach etc. There was also a part with small shops selling so many kawaii or cute stuff. They have stuff copied from all the cartoon and books... they had a whole range of Eric Carle's The Hungry Caterpillar, the Moomims etc. The H. Caterpillar range was really cute. They think of everything! Gift shopping here is going to be so easy!!

I bought LM a tiny (about 10cm long) baby doll to entertain her and she is so cute with it! She will cuddle it, pat pat it to sleep, feed it her biscuits etc! Only 150 yen.

Today we are going to do some more exploring after LM wakes up. Thank God for free internet access in the rooms otherwise I would be pretty bored.