On Day 3 of our adventure in Japan, we went for breakfast without straying from the safety of chain fast-casual restaurants; but this time, we opted for a Japanese restaurant—Yoshinoya. My dad bought a ham, egg, and rice bowl while I chose a beef bowl. It wasn’t the best breakfast I had ever had, but it was food, and what seemed like decent Japanese fare.
We returned from breakfast to our hotel. We checked out and took a taxi with our luggage to the New Otani Hotel in the center of Tokyo. From the New Otani, we took the train to Sugamo in search of a Soba noodle restaurant my sister discovered from a Buzzfeed video. When we arrived at the restaurant, Tsuta Japanese Soba Noodles, we discovered the 9-seat establishment had a 3-hour wait. Begrudgingly, we made a ¥1,000 per person deposit for our reservations and ventured out into Sugamo to explore until our 3pm reservation time.
In Sugamo, we explored convenience stores, stumbled upon a small Buddhist temple, and my dad got a haircut from a Japanese barber. This part of Tokyo was a little rough around the edges (by Japan standards, of course) but had a big-city charm to it.
When we returned to Tsuta noodles for lunch at 3pm, we waited an extra hour after our reservation to order (since the time you were admitted to the restaurant was dependent upon the speed of the patrons before you). When we ordered, we were greeted with a very confusing ticket vending machine. We managed to buy tickets for pork soba noodles and broth. Although the food wasn’t worth a 4-hour wait, it was still tasty.
After a long day, we returned to our hotel and attended the reception for our tour group.