Ivy Rose Travels: Japan & Vietnam, Part 4, Tokyo

I can't believe I'm already writing about the last piece of the Japanese leg of our trip. We packed a lot into each stop on our trip and Tokyo was definitely no different. Let's jump right in.

Day 1: Arrival & Sightseeing Part 1
The night before we left for Tokyo I stayed up way too late (working on things for this blog and my youtube channel) and I was extremely tired and cranky when we set off for the train station. Luckily we were taking a train into Tokyo (I really LOVE trains and as many flights as I've taken in my life, I actually prefer them to planes). The Odakyu "Romancecar" got us to Tokyo in less than 2 hours, which wasn't enough time for me to get the nap I desperately needed but did leave us with plenty of time to get our bearings in Tokyo without losing the whole day to travel.

Outside of our hotel

We arrived on the tail end of morning rush hour and Shinjuku station was buzzing with people trying to make it to school and work.  I was still a bit drowsy and cranky at this point so it probably felt a lot more chaotic than it actually was--imagine Penn Station or 42nd Street stops at rush hour and it was pretty much no different. After a quick stop at the information desk we hopped on a train and headed to our hotel. (Note: I found Tokyo's  metro system to be extremely easy to navigate--much easier than NYC's. All of the stops are numbered and the ticket machines are simple to use, often calculating the exact fair for your trip so you rarely end up overpaying or coming up short. Also the trains are SUPER clean and comfy). We stayed at another ryokan hotel, the Homeikan Daimachi, similar to the one in Kyoto. However, this one had bathroom facilities outisde of the rooms, which were shared by all of the guests. There was a "family/private" facility that could be locked and used by a single family or person as well as larger public bathrooms for men and women. Both featured a traditional Japanese bath/onsen similar to that seen in Hakone, which was great for our travel-worn bodies. Additionally, breakfast was served in the rooms each morning at a time selected at check-in.

As usual we dropped off our bags and hit the streets.
Stop 1: Shibuya Crossing
Anyone who has ever watched a movie or television show filmed in Tokyo will be familiar with this area of Tokyo. It gave me a bit of a Times Square feel, although MUCH more crowded (if you can imagine that) and way more visually stimulating. The most mind-blowing thing about this particular spot is the sheer number of people that constantly flow across the street at the crossing's four corners. We joined the crowd a number of times during our exploration of the area, but eventually made our way onto the second or third floor of a nearby building to watch from above. I assume the crowds in Times Square look almost as impressive, however the fact that no one even attempts to cross once the light has changed, regardless of traffic flow, and that the mass of people is almost the same size every time, makes it seem almost like a beautifully choreographed dance (see YouTube video below for a clip). For some reason I found myself completely mesmerized by this, and watched at least 3 crossings before my parents were able to tear me away to move on to our next stop.

Cool art on our way to the Harajuku area

Stops 2 & 3: Harajuku Area (Omotesando & Takeshita Street)
Although it was raining we decided to walk to our next stop and take in a bit more of the city. We were well equipped with large umbrellas and jackets and the rain left the air a bit cooler so it made for a nice walk, and we saw some interesting shops/stores along the way.

Seen on Takeshita Street

Side street off of Takeshita St.

As mentioned in previous posts about this trip, my mother visited Japan as a chaperone on a trip and she took us to many of the same areas. Omotesando and Takeshita Street were at the top of her list for Tokyo, and I'm glad we prioritized them. The areas were definitely designed to cater to a younger/more hip crowd with Omotesando featuring many high-end stores and cool coffee shops and restaurants. The area was packed with tourists, but many Japanese teenagers were also out in this area, particularly when we got to Takeshita Street, which caught my attention for its interesting clothing shops and amazing graffiti/wall art. Unfortunately by the time we made it down to this area many of the shops were already closing, but we did get some great photos and I got to check off my only mandatory activity: eat at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant!

My stack of plates at the sushi spot

Day 2: Technology (and shopping) Day
Stop 4: Miraikan (a.k.a. The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation)

Dad in front of the Miraikan

ASIMO

During her research for this trip, my mother happened to stumble on a bunch of videos and articles about the advances in technology taking place at the Miraikan, particularly those involving the development of androids and humanoids (robots). She was particularly interested in seeing the ASIMO demonstration as he(?) is known as "the world's most advanced humanoid robot". It took us a  bit longer than anticipated to get to the museum, and due to technical difficulties we had to stick around until after the 4 PM demo (we arrived around 1:30, but it was DEFINITELY worth it. 


Stop 5: Ginza District
This part of Tokyo is another area known for it's high-end stores, entertainment and restaurants. We thought this would be a nice area to find some souvenirs as we hadn't really purchased anything up until this point and the area has a lot of history, keeping many of its traditional street signs and building markers around. Luckily we did find a few stores and I must say I did quite a bit of damage in the souvenir/gift department. My mother also kept stressing that we must stop into a Japanese department store and visit go down to the lower (underground) levels. Apparently beneath each department store, particularly in this area, is at least one floor filled with high-end gourmet food and beverage counters/shops. It's quite unexpected that these shops are down there and definitely something worth seeing. Some even have a wine tasting counter where you can have a few sips of wine before continuing on your journey...although keep in mind this is "the good stuff" so it's going to be a bit costly.

Stop 6: Akihabara (a.k.a. The Electric Town/City)
This was another area that my mom continuously heard about as she prepared for this trip. Akihabara is home to many, many, MANY electronic shops and is known as the center for diehard anime and manga fans. Admittedly, I was a bit worn down by the time we reached this part of town and my feet literally went numb due to the culmination of walking and climbing done throughout the week (and also the poor choice in shoes on this particular day) and I reached a bit of a brick wall in terms of sightseeing. However, I did enjoy the general atmosphere of the area and if you have even the slightest interest in electronics, anime and/or manga this area is a MUST SEE.

We pretty much shut down after this and groggily headed back to our hotel to search for food so we could eat, shower and pack. Luckily our flight wasn't too early the next day and we were extremely excited to get to Vietnam and meet up with my brother.

Our stop in Japan was a whirlwind and while I know we just scratched the surface of what this amazing country's culture I loved every second. As I've stated before this is a place where you want to stay away from guided tours and pre-packaged activities as much as possible. Every city is so easy to get around and the people are so kind and willing to help that you can always find someone to assist should you have a question. Of course I've made a video of the last stop, which you can watch below:

I hope you enjoyed this quick glimpse into the first half of our trip. If you have any information you'd like to add/correct about or any questions/concerns about any of the locations/activities I've discussed throughout these past few posts please don't hesitate to leave a comment here or on the corresponding YouTube channel. Also take a minute to become a follower of the blog and/or subscribe to the channel so you can stay updated on the upcoming posts covering the Vietnam leg of the trip (these won't be posted until I get back to the states as I am currently wrapping up the last two days of travel as I type). If there is anyone that you think might find this blog interesting please pass it on. Once my travels are done it will take on a bit of a different flavor, but will still very much document my journey through every day life. Thanks for joining me so far and as always....

Enjoy the journey...