Izakaya visit

Checked in at Sakura Hotel in Ikebukuro. This is the same part of town my brother and I stayed in last time we were here. The Hotel is very basic but it's only a short walk from Ikebukuro Station and has a nice cafe/bar and free wifi. The single room I have isn't big or anything but it has sufficient space and the bed is bigger than I expected.

Despite being seriously jet lagged we headed out to a local Izakaya for some food and beer. Izakayas are traditional Japanese Pubs. They serve alcohol and lots of little dishes designed for sharing. A bunch of Izakayas have popped up in Toronto like Guu and Don Don and all have been really great.

12 of us crammed into a small private room (no shoes allowed) and sat around a table set close to the floor (although there was room below for our legs).

We ordered a wide range of dishes some of which impressed (a bizarre hot pot combination of rice cake, cheese and oh let's say, kimchi, maybe) while others were less popular like assorted chicken on skewers (of course the chicken was made up of gizzards, hearts, liver and other assorted less popular parts of the bird).

A real Izakaya experience was a great way to spend our first night in Tokyo.