Heading South Again

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Day 3 in Tokyo and it was already my final day. It was much too short, but I'm definitely going to go back one day. On the itinerary that day: Harajuku and Odaiba.
We had to check-out at the hostel before 11AM and we were running a bit late, so much even that they came knocking at out door to ask if we were busy packing up. In the end we managed to check out not long after 11AM and then we made our way to Harajuku.

Before heading to Harajuku, my friend and me made a stop at Ueno station (which was on the way) to put our luggage in a coin locker. It was kinda a random destination, and I can't really remember why we chose it anymore ... At Harajuku we walked over Harajuku Bridge, but not much was happening there unfortunately. We decided to have lunch at Yoyogi Park. It was a very nice day with clear skies, and there were a lot of people having fun with friends at the park, which was really pleasant.

After walking around the park for a while we decided to visit Meiji Shrine. It's one of the most important shrines in Tokyo, as it houses the spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife. The path to the shrine was lined with information boards relating the history of Emperor Meiji and of course the Meiji Restoration. I think Japanese history is really interesting, but I don't know all that much about it yet, so I really enjoyed reading these boards.

When we were approaching the shrine we were suddenly stopped by some guards. Apparently there was a marriage going on, and we had to let them pass first. Everyone was taking pictures, but I kinda suspect that the bride didn't mind that one bit (the groom looked a bit more embarrassed). I guess when you choose Meiji Shrine as the place to get married, you shouldn't be surprised about the tourist photographing you ... Maybe that's exactly what the bride wanted, ha ha.

After doing some cultural sightseeing, we headed over to the other side of the street to Takeshita Dorii, Harajuku's famous shopping street. It really was just as crowded as I had seen on pictures ... I also saw some nice street fashion, though it was difficult to get good pictures. I saw a shop of BodyLine and decided to go inside. I've never visited any shops like AP Paris or Baby Paris before, so this was my first time in a real Lolita shop. It was impressive! And BodyLine seems to always play covers of Disney songs in their shops (in the Osaka shop as well). I wanted to buy a nice blouse I saw, but I couldn't fit it because it was sales period, and I didn't want to end up coming home with a blouse that was too small on me, so I didn't buy anything. I didn't really have any money to buy fancy clothes, so after the people watching Lentle and I decided to head back to the train station.

Our next stop was Odaiba, a man-made island a little out of the center of Tokyo. Public transport to get there was a bit more expensive, but it was so worth it because it wasn't a subway but an above-ground train - and it offered the most amazing views over Tokyo, especially when we crossed the bridge that links Odaiba to the mainland. We got off a stop too far for the Daikanransha, but we didn't mind too much since we were kinda early anyway. We wanted to wait until sunset before riding the ferris wheel. So we first looked around Odaiba for a bit. They had a smaller copy of the Statue of Liberty overlooking Tokyo's skyline. The skyline over the water was quite pretty, so we hung around there as the sun slowly started to set and got some nice views. After that we slowly started to make our way towards the Daikanransha.

Before riding the ferris wheel we decided to have lunch, thought the only thing we could find was another fast food place (it didn't really help that we first walked up to the Daikanransha, which is located on top of a shopping center, before deciding that we wanted food). This place was called First Kitchen, and I chose a burger by randomly pointing at the menu. They didn't have an English menu, and the prices were super confusing (like every dish had 4 different prices next to it and I didn't know what the difference was, but then in the end the final price I paid was much less than any of the prices mentioned on the menu ...). My random pointing served me well though, 'cause I got a very tasty burger with shrimps (original!).

And then it was time for the Daikanransha. I love views from high places, and especially night views(I'm a sucker for pretty lights) so I absolutely loved every minute of the 16-minute ride. I totally don't regret spending money on the Daikanransha. Apparently though, riding a ferris wheel is a couples activity, because before riding it Lentle and I got put in front of a background and a photo was taken that we could buy afterwards - though in the end we didn't like it enough to get it.

After that - it was around 8PM by that time - we decided to head back to Shinjuku station where we had to catch our bus back to Kobe. We first had to stop by Ueno to get our luggage, but we still arrived at Shinjuku plenty on time. Our bus only left at 11:50PM. The bus ride wasn't so comfortable, and Willer Express - though they were more expensive than Chuo Kotsu - definitely didn't earn Lentle's and my love.

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Photos

Harajuku
Japanese marriage at Meiji Shrine

Harajuku
The center of Japanese street fashion: Takeshita Street

Odaiba
Sunset over Tokyo's skyline

Odaiba
It's a GUNDAM!!

Odaiba
View from the ferris wheel