I love Japan. I used to be obsessed with a Japanese boyband, Arashi (I still follow them but not at the same level as before) and it made me study Japanese at university and made me want to visit Japan. I've been to Japan previously in 2009 for around 2 weeks. I didn't think it'd be 4 years until I made another trip.
For this Tokyo trip I was on my own the whole time. I'm glad that I had the experience of travelling there and knowing some Japanese so it made travelling on my own just that little bit easier.
I arrived at Narita Airport. I had bought the Suica and Narita Express package, which I don't think they still have. It includes a SUICA card which is their version of a transport card and a round trip ticket to the airport.
My first stop that day, after the hotel and showering and a nap, was Harajuku. I wore boots which was a mistake. Feet were killing me by the end of the day.
Takeshita Street, always full of people.
It is also famous for all its unofficial idol shops.
Also, famous for its crepes, which I didn't eat this time around.
Once you get out of the street, you take a right and you'll find Tokyu Plaza, which was gorgeous. Look at the mirrors.
I kept on walking towards Omotesando. Look how gorgeous those autumn leaves are?
I couldn't figure out where the closest train station was so I ended up walking, in boots that I had not broken in, from Harajuku to Omotesando to Shibuya. My feet were dying.
Shibuya station at night. I found a bench to sit on and rest my feet and to see if there was any Wi-Fi available. There was not.
I walked around Shibuya trying to find a place to eat that didn't have a line and that wasn't packed.
I walked by a much more traditional looking ramen joint but that seemed pretty packed. This one was too but it was bigger. So like you see on TV you order pressing the relevant buttons on the machine. After you put in your money, the machine spits out tickets that you put on the table where you're sitting. You don't have to talk to a person really at all.
I then walked around Shibuya until I was so tired that I went back to the hotel and crashed. Hard.
Day 2!
I was going to attempt to see Tokyo Skytree in Asakusa.
I thought I was getting there pretty early but no, the lines were massive. So I viewed it from the outside but lucky for me at least there were shops inside.
On the way back from Tokyo Skytree I stumbled across an excellent tonkatsu restaurant for lunch.
Best tonkatsu I ever had. Crunchy on the outside and very tender on the inside.
Since I was in the area I obviously had to visit Sensoji, a famous temple in Asakusa. Passed this skyline on the way.
I still don't know what flavour this soft serve is but it was good.
From Asakusa I walked towards Kappabashi, also known as Kitchen Town. It sells a whole bunch of kitchen goods as well as those very realistic meal displays.
I then headed off to Akihabara and just bummed around aimlessly for a while in Yodobashi Camera (I was so tired at this point) then took the train back to Shibuya.
By this point I was thinking, "Oh no, souvenirs." I headed to Tokyu Hands, a store full of various different things from stationery to costumes to kitchenware. The stairs had these calorie labels on them to show you how much you're burning as you take the stairs level by level.
These were very freaky. Who asked for this?
Right at the top of Tokyu Hands was a cafe which is where I had my dinner and finally sat down and used the store's free Wi-Fi to check Twitter and Instagram and use WhatsApp. This is also some fancy looking curry.
As I was leaving it started to rain. I called it a night and headed back to the hotel.
Day 3!
Last day in Tokyo. I headed back to Harajuku to do some last minute shopping.
Then to Kiddy Land at Omotesando. It's a toy store that is potentially creepily named. In 2013, Funasshi, that yellow mascot thing, was super popular and everywhere.
And so was Attack on Titan.
I have no idea what they're lining up for. Probably food. I saw lots of lines for food.
I was taking a photo of the pretty tree-lined street and this guy, I didn't realise til later, was staring right at me. What a side eye.
As I've mentioned before (and I'm sure I have) I was a big fan of a Japanese boyband called Arashi. They're from a company referred to as Johnny's. Johnny's has a space in Shibuya called "Johnnys Family Club", which is just below street level. Practically hidden. I didn't go last time around but I somehow found it, in some sort of random alley on the other side of the Shibuya crossing.
It's free and it basically has signed posters, awards, and messages from the groups in an unexpectedly small, atmosphere-less room.
It was a little disappointing because I expected something flashier from one of the biggest companies in the country.
Back to the Shibuya side that everyone knows.
Then back to Narita. I booked my ticket back to the airport at a certain time and I was so paranoid that I'd miss it that I rushed and arrived much too early for it. But better safe than sorry.
Final meal in Japan. I hadn't had any sushi while in Tokyo. Blasphemy.
Drinks from the convenience store while waiting for flight. Grape chuhai (flavoured alcohol drink made with shochu which is I guess best described as a spirit) and strawberry milk.
Beer on the plane. Best.
As you can see I mostly went to places I've been before, for the most part, in this trip to Tokyo. Next time I'm going to venture out more because Tokyo is massive and I'm obviously missing out.
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And that's it! I'm a terrible procrastinator and blogger. Don't be like me. Be like better bloggers XD
