Japandrea & Oskotta: 2009

Most of the Tokyo Metro is as everyone knows, very crowded. The Yamanote Loop Line especially, since it pretty much hits all the main spots. Its shoulder to shoulder and back to back on these trains... all day! Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Harajuku are all within a few stops of eachother so we didn't have to play jello on the train for too long. We also ventured to Asakusa which is a popular destination because of its temples and shrines, and it's accessible via subway.

Over all I think I liked Harajuku the best- not just for the shopping but for the layout. The main area was pedestrian-only streets... and if you wandered off the path you would run into something totally unexpected. 4 days really wasn't enough to see all the Tokyo has to offer but we did our best!

Shibuya- pedestrian over-passes.

Meet me at Hachiko!!

The Scramble

This is a low amount of human traffic.

SHAZBOT!

Harajuku

Can you spot me in the crowd?

How about NOW?

Harajuku shopping is awesome.

This was an outdoor area but from here it kinda looks like a mall.

Trying to read some coupons or something....

That eye patch was like ¥5200!!

Some cool art...

Asakusa

Temples galore

Scott's fortune was luckier than mine... :\

Here we are!

Beautiful

*bloop*

Its so great to have this nestled in Tokyo!

A lot of people wonder why I chose to live in Osaka and not Tokyo. Maybe they don't really get what Tokyo is all about- and that Osaka is the 3rd biggest city in Japan. I won't pretend that I had any clue- I only decided to live in Osaka because the housing was more affordable than Tokyo. I have been loving Osaka so far, but I couldn't go to Japan without seeing Tokyo! So Scott and I took 5 days to go visit. We got there via the Shinkansen ("bullet train"). Just to give you an idea- Osaka to Tokyo would be a 7.5 hour drive. The Shinkansen does it 2.5 hours- making about 5 stop between the 2 cities. So its freaking FAST. One way ticket was something like $130... but comparing the speed/distance to trains on the USA East Coast, and the trains in England... Shinkansen is a steal.

Don't lose that!!

Scott loves trains... even more so when he has the window seat.

Feels like an airplane...

LOOKS kinda like an airplane!

We stayed at a cheap hotel in Tokyo called the Sakura in Hatagaya, near Shinjuku. Once we battled Shinjuku Station.... it was easy to get to (for us) and everything was nice. I must say- the Western bed and toilet did not make me miss my apartment.

One photo captures the entire space... minus the bathroom.

They provided PJs too!

One of Scott's goals was to see the Square-Enix store, so we went to Hastudai Station first. We were not prepared for the insane Jesus-like Sephiroth display in the floor of the store... and damn it was awesome. The store itself was not that impressive. It didn't have any merchandise that you couldn't find in other stores. Plus they didn't have a Space Power charm like I'd hoped. Then we hopped over to Shinjuku and wandered into the skyscraper district, then Shinjuku Central Park. In addition to the photos below, we encountered some teenagers in bum costumes making a movie, an old man doing Tai Chi, and we ate at a mexican restaurant (the food was OK).