Day 115: Shimokitazawa

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Why on Earth haven't I heard of Shimokitazawa before?

True, I'm a bit of a lazy tourist, I still haven't gotten around to getting my lonely planet or rough guide for my trip to Tokyo and everytime I go on wikitravel I get distracted and start reading about Lost conspiracies instead, but seriously, I don't understand why people haven't been raving about this place to me since I stepped off the plane.
Not only is it an amazing place with funky little shops and exotic cafes but the word is soooooo much fun to say.
Shimokitazawa. Shim-oh-kit-ah-zawa. Sheeeeeeeeemokitazawa. Trust me, I can go on like this all day (just ask Sanae who was with me when I discovered the new word, figured out how to say it and then repeated it endlessly using different inflections and accents). It's my new favourite japanese word and like Takodanababa and Ojamashimashta before it I have a feeling it will be peppering my vocabulary quite consistently for the next week (or two).

Hmmm, so what can I tell you about Shimokitazawa? I'll start with the funky little shops. To say I'm not that into shopping is somewhat of an understatement. I'm usually one of the boys, sitting out the front of the Shoe Emporium sipping a bottle of coke and checking the time every few minutes grooving a long to my I Pod. Today however, the I Pod was safely stashed in the bag, and I was right in there with the rest of the ladies, squealing at discounts and seriously assessing my reflection in the mirror. Most of the shops are Furugiya (second hand) but instead of being filled with crap no one would ever wear they are piled high with beautiful, colourful clothes in every pattern and design under the sun. Oh, and being one of my first shopping outings in Japan I got to experiance something completely new - putting a bag over my head when trying on clothes so no make up (not that I was wearing any) gets on the clothes. A smart idea, but so, so strange to take off your shoes, step into the change room, strip down to your knickers and put a bag over your head. Not a good look.
After hitting the shops we settled into a gorgeous Italian wooden chalet type cafe where we ordered a pizza and a couple of beers which was a great way to spend the afternoon, but an upshot of that was I was slightly pissed when I bid Sanae farewell and bustled off to dancing. Oh well, as they say, when in Shimokitazawa, do as the Shimokitazawans do.

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Comments

[Niske]

damn. why didnt i find out about sheemokitazawa before? and im supposed to be the ultimate shopping girl!