5 Ways To Enjoy Yebisu Garden Place This Winter Season (With Halal Restaurant Info)!

Winter season is finally here and everyone is getting ready to celebrate the festive season with their loved ones. If you are in Tokyo and looking for a place to hang out during the season you might as well consider visiting Ebisu. This town gained its popularity as a romantic dating spot and I'm pretty sure you're going to love the vibe!

If you search the word Ebisu, I'm pretty sure 'beer' will pop out on your search result but worry not as there are other attractions that us as Muslims can enjoy! Ebisu itself is a very unique town as it is one of the "posh" towns you can find in Tokyo where all the rich and famous hangs out, and the most unique attraction they have is Yebisu Garden Place. Yebisu Garden Place is surrounded by commercial and office buildings and you will be surrounded by a bunch of skyscrapers around you AND they have numerous events that cater every season, all year long! So here's top 5 activities that you can do this winter at Yebisu!

1. Re-enact Hana Yori Dango Scene

Do we have a J-drama fan in the house? Yebisu Garden Place is actually a well-known location place for shooting J-drama, and one of the most famous dramas that used Yebsiu Garden Place as a shooting location is  Hana Yori Dango. To those who don't know, Hana Yori Dango is a Japanese version of Boys Over Flowers and I can ensure you will love this version once you start watching it! When this drama was aired in 2005 it became an overnight hit, especially since one of Arashi members, Matsumoto Jun is the lead actor on the drama *fangirl shriek* If you've watched the series, you might remember on the third episode, Tsukasa Doumyouji asked Tsukushi Makino for a first date at Yebisu Garden Place. He waited for her for so long even though it was raining and that's when their love drama began! If you're a fan of the drama, being here would be like a dream come true as you get to reenact the scene with your loved ones, or just imagining your idol has been here is just too good! But if you aren't a fan, worry not as you can just sit back, drink a cup of coffee and enjoy the view!

Waiting for her Masumoto Jun to join her on the first date via author’s personal collection

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2. Watch Puppet Show at Orange Parfait

At the same area as the Hana Yori Dango shooting location, there are wooden cabins that are only available during winter. In one of the cabins (with a peek-able window) is a very unique store, called the Orange Parfait. Orange Parfait is an organisation that specialises in making puppets, and they run a project called The Heartstrings of Marionette Project, a project that help earthquake disaster victims from Kanto to Fukushima and Kumamoto. They are on a puppet show tour and their motive is to bring a smile to the children! Good news is, they opened a stall in Yebisu Garden during this winter season, to spread the news about the project. A very good deed instead! If you're around the area, make sure to stop by if you're in the area as it is only available for a limited time!

Some of the Puppet Collection by Orange Parfait via author’s personal collection

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3. Enjoy Tokyo View From The Above from Yebisu Garden Place Tower

There is a plenty of observation decks for you to get the view of the whole Tokyo City including Yebisu. The Yebisu Tower consists of 40th floor which equals to 160 meters so the view from the top of Yebisu Garden Place Tower will definitely make you go aww! Once you arrived at the tower, head up to the 38th floor and you will get a view up to Odaiba bay area! If you're lucky, you get to see Mount Fuji during the day from the observation deck. And the best part? You can visit the observation deck for free!

Credit to Sora News 24

Credit to Sora News 24

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4. Slurp a Bowl of Hot and Spicy Ramen at Honolu Ramen, Ebisu

After getting awed from the view, I'm pretty sure you will get hungry and start looking for food. Well then, it's time to head to Honolu Ramen, a Halal ramen shop near Yebisu Garden Place. It is located near the JR Ebisu Station East Exit! It's so near that you can hear the train sound every time it passes by. Honolu Ramen serves authentic Halal chicken ramen that will definitely make you come for a second time! There are variety of menu to choose from but their customer favourite would be Spicy Ramen, Karaage and also Spicy Chicken Ramen! Make sure to slurp away a bowl of ramen and don't forget to claim your free karaage (fried chicken) . All you need to do is just download Halal Navi app (link below) and leave a review in our app during your visit. It's that simple!

Spicy Ramen at Honolu Ramen via author’s personal collection

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5. Experience Winter Illumination at Yebisu Garden Place

Sun may come down quickly, but during the night Tokyo city is brightest of all! For the 18th time, this year Yebisu Garden Place illumination theme is "Baccarat Eternal Lights". Therefore,  you will see more huge crystal chandelier, decorated trees and lights near the area.

Credit to Yebisu Garden Place

The space is decorated with the largest chandeliers in the world, approximately contained 8,472 of crystal parts and 250 lights. When you walk through the Entrance Pavilion, Clock Plaza, Promenade, Center Plaza and Glass Square you will lost count of how many lights they put on. Psstt! I heard it was almost 100,00 lights. Make sure to experience the winter illumination at Ebisu Garden Place that started from 3rd November 2017 until 8th January 2018.

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There are always things to discover in Tokyo no matter what season will be! Especially during winter, all we need to do is to put away that coldness and get the warmness from walking around the Ebisu area.  If strolling around aren't enough, filled your stomach again at Halal restaurants nearby you by downloading Halal Navi apps!