Japayuki - Part 3
Day 5 Kyoto - Tokyo
Woke up early to catch the 9:29am bullet train to Tokyo.
Bought a bento box (packed lunch box) of salmon to eat on the train. The ride was comfortable and fast. It only took around 2.5 hours to get to Tokyo. We were supposed to have a glimpse of Mt Fuji from the train but since it was cloudy and rainy that day it didn't happen.
Once in Tokyo Station, we took the Tokyo Metro to our hotel, Ginza Capital Hotel. We checked in, left our bags and took the train to Shinjuku. We were supposed to go to Shinjuku Gyoen, a park in Shinjuku but my mom and sister got lazy. I took the time to buy Utada Hikaru's newest album in Tower Records. We took another train to Omotesando since a friend of my sister asked her to buy her jeans from a boutique there. We also tracked down the Prada store in that area since it was an interesting piece of architecture. We then took another train to Ginza and had dinner there.
Day 6 Tokyo
Explored the tourist trap... I mean, oldest temple in Tokyo which is Asakusa Temple.
The street that led to the temple was absolutely crammed with shops selling all sorts of souvenirs and delicasies.
This temple had fortune telling so I tried my luck with it.
We explored the side streets surrounding the temple and had lunch in a tempura restaurant.
We then headed to Akihabara, famous for electronics and anime shops. I absolutely went gaga over the number of anime shops here. It was simply overwhelming. Heaven for anime affictionados like me. My sister bought a new Canon IXY camera from one of the shops here. Had dinner in Yoshinoya, home of the best beef bowl in the world.
Day 7 Tokyo
Woke up early to go to Tsukiji Fish Market near our hotel. It is the largest fish market in the world, famous for its tuna auctions. If it comes from the sea, you're bound to see it here.
Since I didn't want to smell like fish the whole day, my sis and her friend went deeper into the market while my mom and I loitered in some shops, one of them selling various beautiful ceramic bowls and cups.
Splurged on a breakfast of sushi in one of the sushi bars in the market. You can't get it any fresher than this.
My sis met up with Cris, a highschool friend who was in Tokyo studying for her doctorate. We then took the train to Shibuya.
First stop, the statue of Hachiko in one of Shibuya Station's exit. Click here for the story of this dog.
Beside Hachiko is the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world.
We explored the streets and the shops in the area. We also managed to track down Mandarake, a huge 2nd hand anime shop.
Later on that afternoon, we parted ways with Cris and we took a train to Roppongi, often dubbed as a city within a city.
A huge spider-like sculpture in Roppongi Hills. My sis says that there's another one like it in France.
We then heard mass in a church near Roppongi Hills.
On the way back, I just HAD to take a picture of Tokyo Tower which was off in a distance.
I have a fascination with Tokyo Tower, probably stemming from all the animes I've watched over the years which usually featured this landmark of Tokyo.
We had dinner of Pepper Lunch then I bought cakes from Almond Cafe, a famous cake shop in Roppongi.
Day 8 Tokyo - Narita
Sunday morning is when Tokyo's youth dress up and walk the fashion ramp that is Harajuku,
But it looks like a little bit of rain chased them all away. We only saw a handful of adventurous kids wearing gothic lolita, james dean, anime-inspired clothes and colorful mishmash of clothing.
We then went back to Akihabara where I hit the anime jackpot! I went back to these buildings which I knew had 2nd hand anime shops (they were already closed the first time we were there) and I managed to snag complete sets of anime figurines. Happy happy joy joy!
We then went back to our hotel to get our bags and take the looong train ride to Narita.
Day 9 Narita - Manila
We said bye bye to beautiful Japan and hello Manila.
I absolutely loved everything in Japan. The sights, the cherry blossoms, the food, the culture, etc. Worth every peso I paid for the trip. :)