Japan

They were raving about a brand called Blue Elephant’s glasses, necessary action taken (we just took a photo)

We went to Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu for dinner. we'd made the reservation back when we were still in Turkey. The waiters kept shouting and we had no idea what was going on. (We also couldn't understand what exactly they were saying.) At Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu (and at many izakaya/Japanese restaurants), the waiters shouting is actually a cultural tradition! 'Irasshaimase!' 🗣️ When a customer walks in, they shout 'いらっしゃいませ!' (Irasshaimase = 'Welcome!') Why they shout: - It's a sign of warmth and energy. it makes the restaurant feel lively - Team spirit, other waiters join in and they all shout together - It shows they've noticed the customer - In Japanese hospitality culture (omotenashi), it symbolizes the importance given to the customer. Gonpachi is also famous as the restaurant that inspired Kill Bill. I ordered oyakodon: a Japanese dish made of chicken, soft-boiled egg, and rice, I liked it. 👌 Oka ordered a bowl with noodles and wagyu beef; the meat was pretty fatty, so... eh. The one with the spoon in the photo is the oyakodon.

We went to Meiji Temple. Photography was forbidden, so I couldn’t take pictures of the inside. Under the name ‘How to respect,’ they walk people through it step by step: 1- They have you toss money into a grid/box 2- Bow and greet twice 3- Clap twice 4- Close with a prayer This felt a bit like a scam to me. there could even be people watching from a distance just messing with us. I loved the urban forest that’s inside the shrine grounds, though. There were amazing trees, and it was really enjoyable to walk through. This forest is entirely artificial and consists of about 100,000 trees, donated from all across Japan. It was built in 1920, and after being destroyed in World War II, it was rebuilt in 1958. The kazaridaru (飾り樽) at Meiji Temple, decorative sake barrels! What do they mean? These are sake barrels donated to the shrine as offerings by sake producers from all over Japan. In Japan, sake is considered a sacred drink offered to the gods, which is why it’s commonly seen at Shinto shrines