Posted on January 6, 2009 - by yohana
Japan Day 3 – Harajuku, Shibuya, Ginza
Our third day in Japan had been reserved for exploring the centre and south-west side of Tokyo. We started the day with a train ride to the massive Tokyo Station and made a detour to the Daimaru food basement. Aah, I could cry tears of joy just from looking at all the beautiful (but pricey) cakes and sweets on display. Most of the smaller cakes/sweets/chocolates are individually wrapped and the presentation is absolutely amazing. The long queue at Baumkuchen caught our attention and we were immediately attracted to the oddly shaped cakes. We decided to buy it at another time because we needed to arrange our transportation to Kyoto at the JR ticket office. After everything was sorted, we walked around Marunouchi area including the Imperial Palace.
Our next stop was the Tokyo International Forum, a massive architectural landmark normally used for exhibitions and concert halls. They also happen to run flea market on that day. It’s quite interesting to see various items on sale even though we found they are rather expensive for second-hand items.
We then walk back to Tokyo station and catch a train to Shinjuku to check out some cosplay. Harajuku station was soo.. busy that we were overwhelmed by the crowds over there. Exiting the station was hard enough since there were so many people but then as we reached the famous Takeshita St, we can’t help but to be astounded by the sheer crowd.
A few metres into Takeshita St, we stopped in front of maccas with fear that we’re going to be trampled by the crowd. Luckily it wasn’t too bad once you’re in with the crowd. T noticed a crepe shop nearby and decided to give it a try. He bought a strawberry crepes and it was REALLY GOOD!!! It was so good that I forgot about my headache and had a full smile on every bite. For me, that was the best strawberry crepes in the world!
We checked out a few shops in the area, drop by at a ¥100 shop and then continue to walk to Shibuya district (yes, we walked all the way).
In the evening we visited Ginza area where all the exclusive (read: expensive) boutiques are located. It’s a very vibrant area and even though we didn’t buy anything there (can anyone guess why?), we took a few snapshots, pay a visit to the Apple Store where T saw the awesome elevator UI on youTube a couple of years back. It stops at every floor and features 100% glass doors (no frame on them!).
