Work was so busy over the holidays in early May that I never managed to get anywhere far, so I picked a day and decided to go somewhere nearby. I had heard that a premium outlet mall opened at the end of April not far from Narita Airport, so I went there while I was at it. There is a bus from the airport, but getting there is not exactly convenient. A car would have been easier, but this time I took the bus. Shisui is such a rural area that there was really nothing around.
Pierre Marcolini
Apparently this was their first outlet store, but it was a bit underwhelming. None of the standard items sold at the regular boutiques were there, only chocolates made specially for the outlet. The chocolate itself tastes good, but I somehow felt cheated.
Roughly what it looks like
Sano, Gotemba, all the outlets in this chain look pretty much the same. Even though Shisui is brand new, none of the shops were particularly good. If you are going to go, Gotemba is the better choice.
Ice cream, because it was hot
We lined up for lunch.. and it looked like about an hour’s wait. So my companion slipped out and came back with ice cream, which was delicious as always. Then again, Pierre Marcolini was a thirty-minute wait too, so I guess it was just the opening-days crowd.
Things I bought as omiyage..
I bought them as gifts and then just ate them all..
California Pizza Kitchen, a.k.a. CPK
After dithering over where to go, we went in here. I did not want to go to the same old places again, so I picked somewhere that looked a bit unusual – it seemed to have only recently arrived in Japan – and the value for money was decent. A search shows they have loads of branches in Korea.
Caesar salad..
American style..
Pasta
It was so-so.
Hawaiian pizza
Tasted good. The dough was nice and the toppings were tasty.. The only problem with this place is the long line, but for the price it was a good choice.
After eating well I had a look at the clothes, and while I did score a few summer outfits, it was not good enough to make me want to come back on purpose. The biggest problem is that there is nothing around, so even if you come from far away all you can do is stop at the outlet and leave. Sano at least had good ramen.. I probably will not be visiting again much. Still, now that summer is here I am wearing the clothes I bought that day all the time, so I think the trip was worth it.
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