Once he is up we wake the others and soak in the magnificence that is a Japanese bath. If you have never been to Japan or other countries that have large, piping hot baths you will not understand. There is something so revitalising about it, the almost scolding water penetrates your extremities and gives back all the energy you thought you lost. Sore joints, aching muscles and cricks in your neck are leeched from you.
We head out looking for a coffee. Japan does most things well, but coffee here is something they do exceptionally. There is a small cafe down the road from the Hotel that entices you with the smell of fresh roasted beans from their window. Any place that roasts their own coffee must take pride in their produce. We have been there before on many trips and knew it was time to head back there.
You know you are in Japan the first time you sit down, order your meal and are handed a wet towel. This is something Australia doesn't get, wet towels are amazing!
I ordered an egg and ham salad muffin. The picture looks appetising and I am starving. Lo and behold the finished product looks like the picture, something that seems uncommon everywhere else in the world but it business ans usual here.
We spend most of the day in Shinjuku, Matt wanted to buy a lens for his camera and, by way of being in the magical camera store that is Map Camera, I wanted one too. After shopping around it was time for meat. Kingdom of steak is a sizziling plate restaurant we found on our first trip and keep going back to. the portions are good, the food is amazing and the smell should be illegal. In my hypnotic state i even forget to take a photo. I am sure I will be back and one of my friends will snap me out of it so I can show you all a picture of it in its full glory.
We wandered for what felt like an age, hunting the lens Matt desired, as it is Christmas everywhere had sold out, and eventually headed home. As is always the case with being in Japan, the hunger soon returned. We stopped in at a chain restaurant this time that our Japanese travelling partners know so well. The remnants of that $10 meal sitting on the table remind me of why I love it here. And yes, that is a tall bottle of delicious Asahi.
We head back to the hotel, full of food and laden with bottles of Japanese whisky. Anyone who knows me knows that I love a good whisky. There are some who enjoy their Jack Daniel and coke, some that enjoy a Jim Beam on the rocks, but I love whisky. It is an experience for me, each whisky providing an entire smorgasbord to my senses. The colour in the bottle. The sound of the cork being forcefully removed from its vessel where it has steadily sat protecting its charge. The sound of it being splashed into the glass. The first, second, third and fourth smell; all different and all revealing what is in store. The taste, oh the taste, a good whisky is a meal, with many courses and a different taste to each. It will start with the tip of your tongue, work its way through your mouth sitting in the middle for while so you can take it all in, then it will head down your throat as you swallow. Lastly it will stay, even though it is not longer there you can still feel its coating of your cheeks and tongue, taste it as it evaporates and feel it as it warms you on the way down. If you can't tell it is a passion of mine.
Holy crap, what have I just had to drink! My nose is confused, hell I am confused. Why does this smell like a rum. The sweetness, the coffee, the flavour profile of a Jamaican or Venezuelan Solera rum is filling my nostrils, I go back again and again expecting this to be a mistake. What has Nikka created. Matt, Jono and I all sat confused, not knowing what the hell we were drinking. I love Japanese whisky, it breaks molds and does things that the Scott's can't. They are not bound by hundreds of years of traditions and can do things differently. This is a masterpiece, a rum profile on the nose, and in the mouth. It is not till you swallow that you get the taste of whisky, as though it is letting you know at the end that you are in fact drinking whisky. To top it all off, you finally realise you are drinking a grain whisky. This should taste like a Bourbon, this should have a distinct and common taste. Once you start to explore it you get the corn, the nut the caramel. You can see how they would all come together to create this.
Now fairly liquored up Matt and I went in search of Christmas lights. Tokyo Dome is right near our hotel but it took several hours to get there. We took the long way, and as wondering often does, it took us to some cool places. I'll leave you with some photos of our adventure.
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