This is an authorized translation in English of a post in French by @japon: Parc Shinjuku Gyoen et meilleur burger du monde !

Remember that the person that speaks here is NOT me, Vincent Celier (@vcelier), but @japon, a French guy.

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Shinjuku Gyoen Park and the best burger in the world

West of Tokyo is a place teeming with interesting things to see. Places whose name evokes many things for those interested in Japan: Shinjiku, Shibuya ... This morning I get up early. Me who in France often gets up at a late hour (I have the chance to work from home), in Japan I was awake at 6:30 or 7AM.

I am looking for a place to have my morning coffee. Some salary men read their newspaper, have their eyes on their smart phone or read a book. They take advantage of this little moment of calm before their working day. Tokyo becomes more animated minute after minute. I meditate about the clothing of these people. The men are all dressed in dark suits and white shirts, women in gray suits. These are almost uniforms, everyone must fit in the mold. Standardization is general in the professional world. Does Japan leave room for individuality and personal development? I will discover later another facet of this culture, but I will get back to you in another article.

The café is right next to the Ueno-Okachimachi subway entrance, and I see more and more people coming in. But today, I will not take the metro but the train. The Yamanote is a train that goes around Tokyo. A large circular loop that is fast and convenient to access all these places in the periphery of the city center. I leave Ueno to go to Shinjuku, it's almost the opposite. It is 8 o'clock, I left for a half-hour train ride.

Shinjuku is part of the big business districts, both trendy and modern. The major economic hub of the Japanese capital, its station sees more than a million people pass by each day. There are a lot of people, it's rush hour. I gradually leave this modern world to enter another much more Zen. Here I am at Shinjuku Gyoen Park.

It is one of the largest parks in Tokyo. On a area of 58 hectares extend three types of garden: Japanese, French and English.

It starts with wide lawns, in the distance some skyscrapers. The place is almost deserted but I imagine that the Tokyoites come to gather in mass in the summer.

The Japanese garden is the oldest, with large ponds dotted with islets and bridges. This is also the most interesting part. Well-kept shrubs and trees surround the water.

And then I see Kyu Goryotei. This atypical pavilion is also known as the Taiwan Pavilion. With its Chinese origin, its reflection on the water of the pond, this is the place to make beautiful pictures. Some tourists passing by are taking selfies.

I go around the pond to access the interior of the pavilion. We then have a view of the park, the trees, the lanterns. I completely forget that I am in the heart of Shinjuku. This park is a veritable bubble of greenery in which we cut ourselves off from the rest of the world.

I stay a moment to contemplate the park, I feel the fresh wind on my cheeks. From time to time a few drops of rain are falling, the atmosphere becomes melancholic.

I resume the visit, see this Japanese maple. Look at the shape of its branches, what movement! The branches undulate gracefully. This is the type of movement that one seeks when one forms a bonsai. It is only after ten years of work that one can obtain such a result.

I leave the park, and start to feel hungry. I had heard about a burger restaurant: Chatty Chatty. As it is just north of Shinjuku Park, this is the perfect opportunity to eat there.

The restaurant is quite small and long. A first room with the kitchen and in front of a bar with some customers are sitting. In the back, another room with tables. The waitress makes me sit at the bar, I watch the cook prepare the burgers while looking at the map. There is a choice ... I finally take a double cheeseburger!

Have you ever had this problem when you eat a burger? The sauce running between your fingers? Fortunately, the Japanese, always at the forefront of modern technology have found the solution: the burger bag! It is both simple and practical, you put the burger in a bag that keeps everything in place and eventually recovers the sauce that may drip.

I understood all the usefulness of this bag when I saw the monster arrive. It is enormous. I take a bite, the meat is juicy, the sauce has taste. It's really delicious, certainly one of the best burgers I've had the opportunity to eat in my life.

I will notice later that there are many burgers restaurants in Tokyo. Large chains but also many small independents who really make quality. Burgers in the country of sushi, yet a double face of this fascinating country.

-- @japon

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Travel diary in Japan, by @japon
Tokyo, overcrowded city? Really? by @japon
Are the Japanese too disciplined? by @japon
Going to Japan without speaking Japanese? by @japon
Ueno, more than just a big park in Tokyo, by @japon
Asakusa, diving in the heart of Tokyo's historic district, by @japon
Ameyoko, Ueno's colorful market, by @japon
Tsukiji, the largest fish market in the world, by @japon
Climb the steps of Atago Jinja Shrine in Tokyo, by @japon
Hama Rikyu, an exceptional park in the heart of Tokyo, by @japon
Jimbocho, old books and tempura, by @japon