So here are some of my favorite things:
1. Harajuku
During our first full day in Tokyo, Richard and I headed over to the Shibuya area to see Meiji Jingu, Yoyogi Park, and Takeshita Street in Harajuku. Meiji Jingu and Yoyogi Koen were great nature-y areas in the middle of the busy city. It was actually quite a nice break from all the people rushing to do their own business. However, as it was the middle of winter, the scenery was a little dry and dead.
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| The not so vibrant scenery of Yoyogi Park in winter. |
Takeshita Dori in Harajuku, however, was full of life! Harajuku is world famous for being the center of crazy Japanese fashion, and Takeshita Dori is just a long street for people to walk through lined with clothes/shoes shops down both sides. A lot of the shop owners will bargain with you, which, although a given in China, is not so common in Japan. Richard bought these crazy shoes here for 8000 yen, bargained down from like 140,000 yen or something like that.
We had to go meet a friend for lunch, so I didn't get time to look around longer and shop :( but I definitely recommend checking this place out!
2. Akihabara
If you are familiar with Japanese pop culture, you probably have heard of Akihabara (or Akiba). It is known for being the geek center of Tokyo. Seriously. This place is famous for its electronics and its anime. This is where they have the Gundam cafe and the AKB48 cafe (and maid cafes, which I didn't go to, but I did run into a maid in the bathroom).
If you've heard of Akiba, you've probably also heard that it can get sketchy. This is truth. There are a lot of strange and most likely unholy things going on here, so don't go around walking down too many dark alleys or stores with creepy men. However, DO wander around the malls connected to the subway station and the Yodobashi electronics store! You'll find all sorts of unique and interesting gadgets. The 6th floor of the Yodobashi is just a huuuuuuuuge floor completely dedicated to children's games, and it kept Richard and me occupied for a couple hours at least, before meeting up with another friend for dinner. We bought a lot of our souvenirs here actually.
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| Hello Kitty section of the toy floor of the Yodobashi electronics store. |
3. Speaking of all these meals with friends, one of my favorite things is definitely the FOOD. The first thing Richard and I did was hit up a ramen place.
Don't be fooled, friends who have never had ramen in a restaurant before. This is no Top Ramen. This is the real deal. The way ramen is supposed to be cooked. And it is awesome.
Also hit up an izakaya if you have a chance. This is a more traditional Japanese restaurant, where you take off your shoes and sit on the floor. And often there are private rooms or at least partitions that section you off from the other tables. These places get more expensive, but Iino-sensei, my Japanese TA from my freshmen year, was kind enough to treat us to this izakaya in Akiba.
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| The room we were sitting in. |
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| So delicious! |
Aaaaand on the other end of the dining spectrum, don't forget to hit up a konbini (Japanese for convenience store). 7-11's are so much better in Japan. They have awesome snacks, and really cheap options for lunch, if you are looking to save cash. Just pick up a few nigiri (rice balls) and you're good to go! Richard and I bought various flavors of bread buns and juices from the convenience store near our inn every morning for breakfast. I love the apple juice :P It tastes like real apples! I know that sounds stupid, but really, if you think about it, I have yet to taste an apple juice in America that actually tastes like a real apple.
Also try McDonalds. They have stuff on the menu they don't have in America. Like shaka shaka chicken!
4. Ueno Zoo
I know you might think that zoos can't be that different from country to country.. and for the most part, that's true. BUT I just think zoos are fun. AND it is really interesting to see what kind of animals are popular in different countries. In America, you always see tigers and lions and elephants being featured in all the promotional stuff, but in Japan, you'll see capybaras and red pandas on all the souvenirs. I bet a lot of you don't even know what a capybara or a red panda is!
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| I don't have a picture from Tokyo, but here's a capybara from Osaka! |
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| Red Panda! |
Anyway, the Ueno Zoo just happened to be really awesome the day we went. All the animals were super active. Plus, it was only 600 yen per person (bring your passport to get the tourist discount). Also, even though I love how huge and awesome the San Diego Zoo is, I always get super exhausted by the time I've finished seeing all the animals there. The Ueno Zoo was the perfect size to go around and look at all the animals, but without getting your feet all sore. Be sure to get yourself a red panda souvenir before you leave! I bought Richard a red panda hand puppet.
So those were some of my favorite things! Other things worth mentioning:
1. Tokyo Tower
This is pretty much just like every other observation tower in every other big city, but if you're going for the touristy landmark places, might as well stop by!
2. Staying in a ryokan
A ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn. Ours operated kind of like a hostel, with shared bathrooms and towels we could rent, but we had to bring basically all our own stuff. Our room had tatami mat floors and we slept in individual Japanese futon instead of a western bed. A futon in Japan is not like a fold out couch, which is what futons seem to be in America. A futon in Japan is basically like a thick mat and blanket set on the floor that you sleep on at night and then roll up during the day. Thank goodness our room had a heater, but still, bamboo is not a great insulator. Basically, it is way less comfortable than a nice hotel, but it feels very homey and cozy. If you want a cultural experience, I definitely recommend it.
3. Trains/Subway
IT'S KINDA CONFUSING. Richard and I actually never got lost, but still.. the subway is convenient and easy to get places, but the hard part is just figuring out which route to take. Our advice: Buy a suica card (the local version of like a metro card) and figure out how you are getting to places before you leave. Japan has many different railroad companies, each with their own set of lines, which means to get from one place to another, you will have several options, and the railways don't always connect all nicely. You may transfer several times and walk in and out of stations, so just make sure you know where you're going.
4. The Scramble
The Scramble is a famous landmark in Tokyo... there are tons of photographs of it and it's been plenty of movies. It's basically one huge crazy crosswalk. If you're going to Shibuya station to go shop, eat, or walk around, you'll see the Scramble. We had coffee at the Starbucks overlooking the Scramble, which was pretty cool.
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| See the Starbucks? |
5. Tokyo Disney Sea
Tokyo Disney Sea... where to even begin with this one. First of all, the detail put into the aesthetics of this theme park is just mind blowing. Starting from the tram ride, with Mickey shaped windows and handlebars, all the way to the Mermaid Lagoon, this place is just beautiful. Their Mediterranean section was really romantic and pretty, and even though I've never been to the Mediterranean, it vaguely reminded me of being at Olive Garden, so they must've gotten something right, right? They also had an Arabian Coast section, complete with a two story carousel. I rode the camel.
Remember in Kingdom Hearts, how you got to go to all the different Disney worlds and walk around and explore and stuff? That's what it felt like.
They also had really awesome snacks! So many different flavored popcorns! Richard and I tried the cranberry and the strawberry.
Richard and I saw a couple shows too, and they were crazy awesome. Like floating things on the water, Mickey disappearing from one float and reappearing on another in a flash of fireworks, every Disney character every coming out and dancing in the crowd, lots of singing, etc etc.
HOWEVER, TOKYO DISNEY SEA HAD THE LONGEST LINES I HAVE EVER BEEN IN IN MY LIFE, with the exception of maybe comic-con, but even then, the comic-con lines might have even gone faster than these ones. This theme park is NOT really focused on the rides, even though they do have some cool ones - Journey to the Center of the Earth, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull or whatever it's called. If you don't have a fast pass or you don't single rider it, I'm gonna say it's not worth it. So basically, this is a great place for older kids/adults to enjoy the shows and the atmosphere and ONE ride if you have the patience to wait that long, but not really a family place.
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| Our faces on Tower of Terror after waiting for 2+ hours. |
One last thing to mention... and that is Duffy. Duffy is a Disney character - Mickey Mouse's teddy bear (Duffy also has a girlfriend - Shellie May). All the Japanese girls I saw at Tokyo Disney Sea were just OBSESSED with Duffy or Shellie May. I am not kidding. I honestly think some of them were a little crazy. They had Duffy necklaces and stuffed animals, carrying them around like babies. They bought little outfits to dress their stuffed animals in.. it was just insane. At the end of the day, as Richard and I were walking through the gift shops, it was so crowded with girls buying Duffy gear that I felt like I was back in China. It was that bad. Of course, Richard and I bought matching Duffy and Shellie May keychains before we left.
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| I don't know why we didn't take a picture of our Duffy and Shellie May, but here is a picture from Google images. |
So that was my Tokyo experience! What do you think?
-Kristen
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