Meji & Akihabara

The Meji shrine lies right in the middle of Tokyo, in the Yoyogi park to be more precise. But Both the park and the trees are so big and fantastic that you kind of forget that you're in the centre of Tokyo. There were still a lot of people going to the temple since new year. Or perhaps the stride of people is normal. It is quite nice and peaceful but also eventful to visit a shrine or temple. There seems to be a lot of things going on, even if it's in a peaceful manner.



We got two of these wooden plates that you write down your wish on and then you hung them under a tree. It is quit impressive with so many people's wishes on the same place. Robin bought some charms to put on his camera and I bought a pink one with hopes of good study ( It was a bit hard to understand the translation). So we'll have to see if there's any result ^^



-



Well since we didn't really enter the Sensoji temple in Asakusa, it is a little bit hard to compare. But it is really nice to have been here during the new year, when everyone supposed to pay their respects to the gods.

After a quick lunch and some shopping in Harajuku we went on the train to Akihabara. There we spent some of our last money on a PSP 3000. Robin bought the black one and Nhina the white one. So now we just hope to get hold of a Swedish charger cable fast when we get back since ours run on a lower voltage. But everything's alright so far ^^



And then we just couldn't resist the chance of taking this charming picture ^^

Takaosanguchi

Mount Takao lies about 50 min from Shinjuku station with the Keio Line and is well worth a visit! Since we overslept and didn't arrive at the Takaosanguchi station until 15:15 we decided to take the cable car lift up to the top. It was probably almost as cool as walking the 2km long way up. The view you got when the cable car rose was interesting indeed.



Once up there, you can choose between several paths. We ended up on the one leading to the temple. It was extremely nice to get a bit away from Tokyo (even if it's still very close) and to smell some forest. There were a lot of other people out today too since this mountain isn't to high or inaccessible a lot of people come to visit. The view was amazing and the mountains in Japan looks so different from the ones at home. At least from the west coast.



There seemed to be several temple buildings and there were people both praying and buying a hot sesame cake with soy sauce. When you enter a temple you're supposed to wash your hands so Nhina tried it even if the water was very cold.



This visit was very nice. It felt almost magical to wander around here and it would be nice to visit Takaosan during the autumn. After all, Tokyo is not the same as the rest of Japan.

Ginza

Today we took the morning off since Nhina felt a little bit bad. But in the afternoon we went to Ginza to take a look on the more luxurious blocks. Outside one of the malls were a pile of arranged snow that the kids enjoyed. As we were waiting by a crossing a nice car swooshed by and of course Robin had to take a shot at it ^^
Another reason why we were in Ginza was that Nhina wanted to go to the Alice Fantasy Dining. Our landlord had helpt us with the reservation and after some directions from the police box we found our way to the restaurant. The restaurant takes up the entire 5th floor in Taiyo Building. It's a theme restaurant were the waitresses are dressed like Alice from the story Alice in Wonderland and the interior has an Alice theme and the music as well. Even the food has association with Alice in Wonderland. Why not try a Caterpillar appetizer ( avocado sushi roll), The Cheshire cat amuse broche or a ace of hearts teriyaki and mayo pizza?



There were some troubles with our order since what we wanted you either had to order for two persons or it contained meat etc. So Nhina got a red, kind of weird, sweet cocktail and a gnocci & gorgonzola dish. Robin ate chicken amuse broche, chicken teriyaki & mayo pizza and fried chicken with pommes stripes. It was a fun experience to both order from the cute menus (playcards cocktail list etc.) and watch Robin eat all that food!




Ginza is a beautiful district to stroll around in at dark. Actually most of central Tokyo is. All the lights, people etc. it's so different from Sweden. We got an extra long walk when we got out on the wrong side of the Shibuya subway station, so once again we were lost. But in Tokyo there is always people that are glad to help you, even if you don't get all that they are saying in japanese. ^^

Shinjuku

Today our intention was to go to Tokyo Metropolitan Building to get a 360 degrees
view of Tokyo from above. Unfortunately it as closed during the new year weekend.
So we kindly had to do something else. Shinjuku is rather big with a lot of stores
and malls so there were more than enough things to do, especially since most of the
sales started today. Robin found a nice long sweather at No.44. We also found four
camera stores that he had to visit. At Mapcamera he bought some filters and a new
eye cap for his camera. I'm sure my dad would have liked this store.



For lunch we ate curry rice, and even though I had chosen the one with only
vegetables it was some meat in the curry. But hey we survived that to ^^
For dinner we ate on the same kaiten sushi place as last time. It is very
interesting and yummy. I wish we had the same standard on sushi in Sweden
as they have here in Japan.

The sunsets in Tokyo are extremely nice if you happen to be at the right place.
When we got to Marui (0101) Nhina got some "I want that really badly"
feelings for the Baby the Stars Shines Bright fukobukoro (happy bag with a lot
of items from the collection on sale to a very nice price). But we actually left
the mall without a fukobukoro.

Asakusa

Today we went to Asakusa to visit the Sensoji shrine. Because of a little confusion between Asakusa station and Asakasa station on the map we took a little detour to Shinjuku station. But we got to the right place eventually and we even got to ride the subway. Though the trains are much more interesting.



At first we had a little trouble finding the right way since we had no idea in what direction the Sensoji temple was located. But by simple following the mass of people through the dwindling streets of souvenirs, kimonos and traditional candy shops we found ourselves in a mass of people and food stalls. Around the temple were at least a hundred pair of stalls selling takoyaki (octopus balls), okonomiyaki (japanese pancakes), seafood, stews, noodles and a lot of other stuff. Robin bought two darumas, a big parasoll and for lunch we ate okonomiyaki.



It was practicly impossible to enter the Sensoji temple because there were herds of people queuing to get in to the temple. There were a lot of polices to ensure the security. The line was approximately 700 meters long with a lot of people and more kept coming during the whole day. It was quite an experience and we were also glad that we hadn't gone to the Meji shrine in Yoyogi which is even bigger. On our way back Robin took a shot that looks like it's taken right from Neon Genesis Evangelion. You can even imagine an EVA popping up between the buildings ^^

Harajuku

Today we went to Harajuku. Poor Robin had to walk in and out of a lot of stores
(an accountable number of underwearstores), but he ended up on a bench, one
of the few that actually exists in Tokyo.
After Takeshita Dori Street we went to the shoppingcentre Laforet because Nhina
wanted to buy a bag from Alice and the Pirates, a wallet from Swimmer etc.
The bags ended up so big and many that Robin had to act as a carrier. But even
Robin found a pair of shoes he wanted. A black pair of Chukka Shibuya Limited Vans
which we both like very much.



Robin found a bench, took some pictures and devoted himself to his favorite
employment, people spotting, while Nhina queued for the Angel Heart Crêpes.
We ended up with two Christmas Special Crêpes with cream, strawberries,
chocolate sauce and cheesecake. The sugar overload barrometer was on red but
it was still enjoyable.



-




At 4pm we met up with Robins friend Malin who lives in Ikebukuro. She is in
Tokyo to study japanese. Together with two of her friends we went to Cyber
in Ikebukuro were 8 bands were playing that evening. As a quick meal we ate
at McDonalds. Which were exactly the same here as in Sweden, accept that
they have ebi burger (shrimp). The bands were good, with a lot of variation.
Robin became very fond of the cute band MiU. Going to a japanese gig was a
big different than we are used to. But it was much more enjoyable, after you
get over the shock. All the people are very quiet and do not be surprised it they
sit down while the band plays. Something else that was also very enjoyable was
the Melon soda ^^

Akihabara

After taking the stairs up and down a couple of times on Shinjuku station we acidentally
ended up on the same platform as we started out on, just on the other side. But we got
there and that's all that matter's ^^
Akihabara hits you like a big colourful sign right in the face. I first noiced while still on
the train a huge commercial sign for Final Fantasy XIII and then it just kept on.
There are atleast 5 floors in every building full with electronics, manga, anime, games,
plastic figures and all that nerdy stuff for you to roll in.



Today we went to Akihabara to experience some of the nerdy part of Tokyo ^^



Robin found a FFXIII "elexir" that was very alike Sprite. Even though he intended to find
a naugthy plastic figureen he ended up with a Yuffie from Final Fantasy Advent Children.



Nhina found herself a big and soft Totoro. And we really have to get to the Studio Ghibli
museum in Mitaka. We just have to figure out how to buy the tickets via the Loppi machines
(all in japanese).



In an 8 floor building filled with manga we strolled around the isles and just took in
the atmosphere in such a special place like that. Science Fiction Bokhandeln in Gbg & Sthlm,
fades in comparison to the ones in Japan.
In another store Nhina came to illustrator's heaven haha. The assortments of pens was a big
different than in Sweden with a much cheaper price. So she bought 6 pens and intends to
buy more! ^^



-



Robin's camera was constantly out of the bag and he spent a lot of time at this particular crossing.
Then we both took a look in the arcade halls were people spent thousands of yen just to get that
special prize (because everyone wants a pillow shaped like a girl...).
Later in the evening we tried out the restaurant that's just next to our front door. And we had
a little surprise when Robins food came in.

The Arrival

After a 17h flight trip, approximately 2h's delay and some running at the
Heathrow airport we have finally arrived in Japan!

Due to lack of sleep and sore feet we decided that our first day in Tokyo should
be a easy one. We took a stroll around the neighbourhood to take in the
atmosphere and look for lunch. Lunch arrived at 16 and the first meal was
curry rice and noodle soup for Robin and a udon soup with onions for Nhina.





The people here are very nice and polite. It is just to bad that none of us can
quite understand all that they're saying. Despite that they still seem very
eager to talk to me. Robin thinks I should get one of those t-shirts that says
"I don't speak japanese" in japanese. But despite the language barrier the
kind lady at the noodleshop helped us order via the rather tricky cupon vending
machine (tricky if everything's in kanji and you don't have a clue what you're
actually ordering)