Chapter 3

Happy Pancake and Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

The next day, our grandparents had breakfast in the narrow restaurant across the lobby of the ryokan. We had some sushi from the convenience store. We did not eat much as my aunt had planned and told us that we were going to eat fluffy pancakes. The name of the restaurant was ‘Happy Pancake’.

We walked to the nearest MRT station and rode the train because it was very far. Happy Pancake was located at Omotesando. It was much further away from the ryokan than last night’s restaurant. On the train, we were not supposed to talk or be loud. After an hour of the train ride and walking to the restaurant again, we finally reached the restaurant at eleven a.m. It was not lunchtime yet, but that was okay.

Thankfully, because we were early, the restaurant was half empty when we arrived. We ordered straight away. We were seated at 3 different tables this time. Nathan and I wanted a chocolate pancake and others had savory pancakes and banana pancakes.

We all loved it. The pancake was delicious and very fluffy. It was the fluffiest pancake I ever tasted and it was the first time for us to eat a fluffy pancake too. We were so full and happy indeed after eating at Happy Pancake.

After that, we walked around and decided to visit the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. We had to walk again, naturally, to the MRT station. It was a long walk. At the station, we had to buy the tickets using coins and notes. Japanese money is called Yen. There were lots of stairs in the MRT station. When we got off Shinjuku station, we walked again to reach the National Park.

The Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is a huge park. We entered it after paying the entrance fees and I looked at the map and found out that it was a circular park. We walked and found lots of trees. We reached a small resting place while some of us went to the toilet. In that place, Nathan slept on the floor because he was so tired. Then we all followed him and laughed.

We continued walking on the garden path. The view was beautiful and serene. There were not many people there. So, my cousins, my brother, and I went to play tag and hide and seek on the grass. However, an old Japanese man riding on a bike shouted at us. We could not understand him because he was shouting in Japanese but he was furious. I think it was because we stepped on the grass. So, my parents told us to stop and get off the grass. The old man then went away appeased.

For a keepsake, we took many pictures and videos in the garden. We were playing and shouting at times too. We wanted to learn how to say thank you in Japanese, but the words were very long. So, my grandpa taught us to say it as Arigato Nasi Goreng. We kept on shouting and saying those incorrect words he taught us and the others laughed at us.

Tired of walking, we rested at the canteen and bought some drinks. After more than an hour, we left the garden to have dinner first before going back to the ryokan.

We had early dinner in a Japanese sushi restaurant in one of the big malls. The food and sushi were served on a moving belt. We had to wait for our orders to arrive and we ate in separate places because there were eleven of us. It was super crowded. We thought it was because it was Christmas. However, Japanese people did not celebrate Christmas. People still went to work on that special day like it was a normal weekday.

After we return to the ryokan, my mom told me that she and my dad would go out at night. She told my brother and I to sleep with my aunt in her room. So, we were dropped at my aunt’s room to sleep there. Meanwhile, my parents went out at ten p.m. and went to meet their friend at Shibuya to eat and hang out. After that, they were supposed to catch the last MRT train at midnight, but they were five minutes late for the last train. So, they have to ride Japan Railway (JR) instead. However, they could not reach Asakusa. The train stopped at Ueno station and they had to wait in line for a taxi to get back to the ryokan. It was much colder after midnight.

By the time they had their turn to get a taxi, my mom’s phone battery was so low that it almost died. The taxi driver could not understand them at first. Then my dad showed him a picture of Asakusa Temple and he dropped them off there. They walked back to the ryokan and they were really tired. It was two in the morning when they finally reached the ryokan.

However, the entrance door of the ryokan was locked as there was a curfew after ten p.m. My mom called my aunt and luckily my aunt woke up and picked up her phone. She sleepily told them that they needed to enter a code and she went to search for the code and told them the code and my parents finally could get in. They went to their room and had to pack up still as we were going to check out soon. Then they finished packing at four a.m. and they only slept for two or three hours. My parents called it their adventure on Christmas night.