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Today and yesterday were days for SHOPPING!
I went exploring though west Tokyo. First stop - Shinjuku. Shinjuku's kind of boring and it was really really cold. It's more of an office area than anything else. I wandered through the park for a bit. There were a lot of homeless people and a tarpolan shanty town with businessmen eating their lunch right next to them without batting an eyelid.
The park also had a gorgeous shrine in it that I seemed to find the back way into. It was beautiful but I kind of felt like I was intruding again. It didn't seem to be set up to attract tourists and there were a couple of people there praying so I didn't take any photos, I just walked through.
Next stop - Harajuku
I think I'm in love with Harajuku. It's brilliant and colourful and crazy and fun and there are so many shoes. SHOES! I didn't buy any though. I'm horibbly aware of the $20 per excess kilo charge on my flight home. But if I ever get a chance to come back to Japan then I'll pack and empty suitcase and fill it at Harajuku.
Such a colourful place with opshops and cheap shops and crazy shops playing music I recognise and wearing insane things and trying so hard to sell stuff. Most of the shop assistants in Japan walk around shouting 'Irashimasen' as they roam about but in Harajuku they stand at the front of the shops holding big signs that they almost hide behind and holler about what they sell.
The photo for this blog entry is the street directly across from the train station. Directly east of Harajuku station is the crazy shopping. Directly west is Yoyogi park with the huge tori that lead down to the Meiji Shrine. It's a strange contrast but it's kinda cool. Harajuku station is kind of small too. It has that air too it like Oxford Park station back home - except that it's incredibly busy instead of almost empty.
And lastly - Shibuya
Shibuya is exactly what you think of when someone says 'Tokyo'. I did the scramble at Shibuya crossing. I checked out all the lit up stores and walked through the loud overwhelming streets.
I was there yesterday only for a short while because it was cold and it was near the end of a horribly fridgid day and I was ready to go have a quiet sit after so much shopping (and so little buying). But I went back again today. Only today I walked out of a different exit at the train station and, in true Amy Style, I got very very lost. It took me over an hour before I could figure out where I was and make my way back to an area I could recognise. My eyes are windburnt again. In fact my whole face has been getting increasingly ruddy over the past week. I'm moisturising like a mad thing but it's not helping as much as it should.
And tomorrow is my last free day in Japan. It's supposed to rain really heavily but I'm not going to let that stop me.
And then Saturday - where I have to check out by 10am and then lump around my huge suitcase for the day until I can check in for my flight at 6.30pm only to fly one hour to Osaka and wait around 'til 11.20pm before I can really head home. Silly Jetstar and their 'We're cheap so we can change your flights around and you can't complain'. *whingewhingewhinge* I'm going to be very tired by the time I get home on Sunday.
Wahh~ My trip's gone so fast. I want more holiday~~
- comments
Martina Amyyyyyy~ I haven't had the time to comment on your previous entries D: Looks like you had plenty of fun though! I totally agree with you on Harajuku! I should have brought a bigger suitcase with me when I came to Japan. Next time it will definitely be empty. And we should totally go together next time and be shopping buddies, haha XDD Shibuya is pretty awesome. I like 109 although I didn't have much time to shop there.. There is a lot of shopping that I have to do when I go to Japan again :P Have a safe flight home and hopefully I'll get to see you and you can tell me all about your trip irl!!