Japan Trip Report Day 9
Unfortunately I couldn't go to Daikoku
Day 8, This almost broke me, can be found here
Today I woke up anxious to see if the pain relief patches that I put on last night would actually help. Absolute witchcraft, call Salem. Last night I could barely walk and this morning I was fine, and I didn’t really have issues the rest of the trip. I should’ve bought more to bring home.
The day started by finally trying the Family Mart Famichiki. It was good, I didn’t have it back-to-back to the Lawson’s one, but I’d say they were pretty similar. I got on the train and headed to Yokohama for a day trip.
Nismo is Nissan’s tuning and motorsports division. They make the Nissan racecars and go-fast parts for lots of their cars over the years. Their Omori Factory is a place that does restorations and maintenance and sells parts. It’s only open on weekends, and this was the only free Saturday I had to visit.
It’s a small place; they’ve got a couple new cars on display and about 4 other cars out as well. Small selection but I was happy with what they had. The 270R and the GT-R Z-tune were the highlights for me. They also had a Super GT racecar and a Formula E car. When you walk in, you’re greeted with an R390 GT1 hanging on the wall.
I was super excited to see these two rare cars and the other people who were there were equally geeked. There’s also the service area that is behind glass so you can see them working cars, which was also really awesome to see. Fun moment when I left, there was a clean R31 Skyline in the parking lot and a few of us were taking pictures when the owner came out. He popped the hood and revved for us a bit before taking off. Annoyingly, Nissan has an engine museum that is only open on weekdays, so I could only pick one; but I was happy with the choice I made.
To get to the main part of the city from here I could either cross the street and wait 20 minutes for a bus, or I could walk like 1.5 kilometers to the train station. After yesterday’s pain I was a bit wary of walking, but the patches had really helped and there were still a few left in the package, so why not explore this part of the city on foot.
On the way I passed a small grocery store and popped in to look around and get a drink. I came across a small bag of marshmallows and was intrigued so I grabbed a bag. Then I thought “I should grab another bag to bring home.” While waiting for the train at the station I tried a couple. Oh my gosh, Japanese marshmallows are so freaking delicious. I can’t describe them in a way that would do them justice, but they tasted less processed and had like a faint bit of vanilla in them. Since I’ve been back, I gave some to other people and they were all like “yeah these are different and way better than a normal marshmallow.” I feel like I’ve ruined regular marshmallows for myself now. I went to H-Mart looking to buy some and they had regular Jet Puffed marshmallows, and I was so disappointed. If you’re in Japan, seek out some regular marshmallows.
The Japan car tour continued with a visit to the Nissan Global Headquarters. They have their lineup of new cars available that you can get in and check out as well as a rotating exhibit of racecars and classics. I wasn’t super interested in the lineup they had at the time I was there. The highlight for me was the Figaro, a really pretty car they made for one year in the 90s.
There was another Pokémon Center, so that makes three so far. This one was pretty busy, and I had to get a ticket with a return time just to enter the store. I had about 30 minutes to kill, and it was lunch time, so I went in search of a food court. There was a sushi restaurant and since I hadn’t yet had sushi this seemed like the perfect time. I was seated at the counter, so I got to watch the chef prepare the food, which was cool. The sushi was very good, and the wasabi was strong.
When I finished lunch, it was time to enter the Pokémon Center. There were a lot of people, and I didn’t see any store exclusives (or a Raichu plush), so I left. Would you believe the next place I planned to visit was car related? Autobacs ASM specializes in Recaro seats and Honda S2000 parts. The S2000 is one of my favorite cars, so getting to see a bunch in various states of tune at the shop was a fun experience for me.
Yokohama has the last Hard Rock I planned to visit, so that was my next stop. Afterwards, I started to head towards the water to take some pictures. I came to a small park, and they were having a tulip festival.
I had seen the Red Brick Warehouse in a lot of the videos I watched as a top Yokohama attraction, but I hadn’t planned on going there. My path to the water took me by there and they were having a Flower Garden as well, so I stopped to check that out. This was really pretty with a lot of vibrant flowers. It was very busy, lots of people were taking advantage of the photo ops they had there.
I had made it to the water, but not quite the point I had set out to. It was still a ways away and I was getting tired and didn’t feel like walking there and back. I decided to call it a day and headed to the train station to make my way back to Tokyo.
On the train back, I just happened to look at the map on my phone to see where I was at, and I noticed I was a few stops away from Traveler’s Factory. I got off and made my way there. Traveler’s Factory is a really cool stationary store that has a vintage travel vibe. It’s a pretty small shop so there was a short line to get in. I ended up buying a little notebook I could use for eki stamps during the trip if I could remember.
Heading back to the train station I passed another grocery store, so I popped in looking for some more marshmallows, but they didn’t have any. I got dinner at a little ramen shop. This was a really good bowl of ramen.
This was my last night in this hotel, so when I got back to the room, I repacked everything to get ready for tomorrow. After packing I went to 7-Eleven and finally tried the smoothie machine. It’s a cup with frozen fruits and vegetables and there’s a machine you put it in, and it will blend it for you right there; these were really good and cheap. I ended up getting a few more throughout the trip.
Smoothie machine
If you’re wondering about the title. Daikoku is a parking area along a highway in Yokohama. It’s become a pretty famous spot for car meets on the weekends. It’s not served by buses or taxis, so you have to drive or be driven there. I would’ve loved to have gone but couldn't.