Tokyo Day 9
So today was technically my last day here in Tokyo, because tomorrow will just be me lugging around my suitcase to the airport. I am not looking forward to that, by the way.
I went back to Akihabara for a third time and did some last minute shopping, then walked around Asakusa for a bit to get some food. Didn’t really take any pictures today either, it was more of just a chill “goodbye Tokyo” day.
I ended up rationing my money pretty well too, i have about $50 left to get to the airport and eat for tomorrow :)
No pics today :(
Tokyo Day 8
Hakone
Today i traveled about 2 hours outside the city of Tokyo to a town called Hakone. It’s in the surrounding mountains of Mt.Fuji and it’s famous for its Onsen.
Onsen are natural hot springs formed by the volcanic activity under the island of Japan. The Japanese people love taking baths and going to Onsen, so what better way to experience the more relaxing side of Japan then to visit one. I took the train for about an hour and a half to the beginnings of Hakone, then i transferred to a 40 minute bus ride up the mountain to Sengoku where i read about a really good Onsen. When i got there, i realized just how much i wish i had phone service in Japan, because i could not find this “Hotel Sengoku” and neither could the locals. So after a non english speaking conversation with the bus stop attendant guy, he gave me a Japanese only map and circled a place after i said the word “Onsen”. I walked about 8 minutes up the road, exactly how long he said it would be, and by comparing the Japanese alphabet characters on the map to the signs, i found my Onsen. When i got there, a nice girl who worked there showed me what i’m supposed to do…take off my shoes, put my clothes on the shelves, shower and then enjoy the baths. It was super weird at first because i was not alone, and they give you a towel about 1 ft x 1 ft. Within 3 minutes i was the only one there so felt comfortable enough to partake in this Onsen experience. Giant pools of natural hot springs water and scenery to die for. After my skin felt like it was going to melt off, i decided to end my time there and get some food. Right as i was getting out of the springs, 4 old Japanese woman came to enjoy the hotter than Jacuzzi water, as well. I think this was the most uncomfortable i have ever been, haha, so i quickly got dressed and tried to look away as much as possible.
The Onsen was a very memorable experience, in a good way. I think the public nudity and wreak of sulfur for hours after, would take some getting use to though.
After my 2 hour ride back to Tokyo i stopped in Rappongi to get some food and came back to my hotel by 10pm. All in all, one of the best days i’ve had.
Pics up soon!
The Shibuya Crossing. Sorry my video taking skills suck
Tokyo Day 7
Akihabara, Shinjuku, Kabukicho
Today i went back to Akihabara because i felt i didn’t explore it as much as i’d liked to the first time. Now that i know my way around Tokyo and the subways better, i got to see alot of things i missed the first time in the “Electric City”. After i shopped a little and found this super cool store selling old gaming systems and Japanese games i’d never heard of, i headed to the Daiso 100 yen shop. It’s like a 99 cent store but sooo much better. They have everything you could think of in a 4 story building. So needless to say, i got alot of gift shopping done today :)
After that i ate at a place called Nathan’s. It sounds American but it was far from it. No english menues and alot of things on the menu that i’ve never seen before. I chose a pasta looking dish with shrimp and white sauce based on its picture, as well as a salad with shrimp, scallops and octopus in it. I chose well because the food was delicious.
I got back on the subway and headed to Shibuya station so see the famous “Shibuya crosswalk”. Neat to see, and fun to walk…but that was only cool for a minute of two. So i headed for the next station, Shinjuku. Oh, and by the way…Shibuya station is one of the busiest subway stations in the world. They say about 2.4 million people pass through there a day. I can see that..it was so packed and it didn’t help i was there during the rush hour. But anyway, back to Shinjuku. I decided to take the Kabukicho exit to see the “red light district” as they call it. Lot’s of neon lights, adult stores, love motels, and pachinko machines (a very popular gambling game run by the Japanese Yakuza). Then realizing how tired i was from the day, i headed back to the station to end my day with a purchase of my favorite fruit…Lychee.
Pics will be up soon!
Hahaha Japanese people are amazing.
Tokyo Day 6
Yoyogi Park and Harajuku…again.
Today is Sunday here in Japan…so that means all the young people put on their best Cosplay outfits and head to Yoyogi Park to be stared at and taken pictures of like animals at a Zoo. This was one of the days i was most excited about, me being a nerd and loving Anime and whatnot. But again, just my luck, it rained today. When i got to Yoyogi Park i was fortunate enough to see the famous Rockabilly dancers conjugating under a bridge . I waited…and waited…no dancing. Then they all formed a line on both sides of the sidewalk and greeted some short, older boring looking man as if he was the King of Japan. I have no idea who this man was but they made a huge deal he was there with them. He sat in a chair-like a thrown and one by one the Japanese Rockabilly guys introduced themselves and then gave the man a present. Weird.
After watching that i moved to the other side of the bridge to see some younger people in Cosplay outfits doing a cheesy choreographed dance. I moved on to the famous “Harajuku Bridge” where on normal Sundays it would be packed with Cosplayers and weird ass people in costumes. There was about 10 of them there, and they werent anything special…but still kind of cool.
So i decided to go back to Harajuku st, to go into this socks store (japanese people LOVE socks and leggings) bought a few things and then saw an awesome pair of boots i had to buy for only 2000 yen ($20). I’m still so shocked and excited that shoes out here are so damn cheap…and they are all real leather and good quality…its crazy.
After shopping i stopped to get a strawberry cheesecake crepe…sooo good. There’s crepe shops on like every corner in Harajuku and Shibuya…its weird, but good because they’re delicious.
Anyways, not too exciting of a day, but still fun :)
Pics will be up soon!
