Shinjuku-Gyeon Park!

What to do on a humid Sunday after an exhausting week? Walk to Shinjuku-Gyeon Park of course! This was the park we were attempting to locate a while back... but we were sure we had the right green blob on the map. I always insist on attempting to walk anywhere in Tokyo (but that usually turns out to be a bad, sweaty idea (Imperial Palace anyone), so we usually walk there and take the metro back (but that's so expensive!).

Anywho. We set off to the park and it only took an hour or so to get there. The gate we were attempting to enter was closed, so we had to walk around the whole park to find the right gate. The entrance fee was 200 yen (less than two dollars) and it was a beautiful park! There was a French Formal Garden, English Landscape Garden (aka large green field with trees), and a Japanese Garden. It was pleasant to walk through and would be a great spot to bring a book!

After walking through, I decided I was hungry. We were close to Shinjuku Station (a major hub in Tokyo) so we decided to walk around to find something to eat. It was extremely crowded, however, because it was a Sunday and most of the places only had brunch available, so our walking was fruitless and we decided to give up and head back to the hostel to grab a bite to eat there.

Once we got back to the hostel, I decided I was going through major meat withdrawl (I mostly eat pasta or soup) so Paul and I decided to bite the bullet and go to Outback (which would be a major expense for the week). We went to Outback and pigged out! We each ordered an appetizer (I had to have Aussie Cheese Fries, he had to have the Blooming Onion) and then split an entree. It was great to feel full again as well as get some juicy meat! I'm not going to even say what the meal set us back... but it was well worth it.

Because of the guilt we took the very long way home and walked around Tokyo for an hour or so burning off calories. Mmmmm. Meat.