Daily rambles, stumbles and travels

Thursday 26 February 2009

Tokyo photos continued...

NOT in chronological order!

Sunshine 60 Street.
Last night hanging out on the Sunshine City strip in Ikebukuro, a combination of arcades and karaoke with a little dash of tasty treats, I SO did not want to leave this place. The atmosphere, the people, the FOOD, I was in love.
A restaurant in Ueno.
A very, very tasty restaurant in Ueno, which was run by a family it seemed. Such a tradtional setting - very clean, pleasent and daaaamn tasty.
The main square/cross road in Ikebukuro.
I remember thinking while taking this "I'll miss you".
Bamboo at the Imperial Gardens.
I don't think I have ever seen bamboo this tall before! One of the many beautiful sights within the gardens.
Imperial Gardens.
I am in Total. Peace.
The Imperial Palace.
Surrounded by police and an awesome moat, this place was untouchable. I did ask a very nice policeman standing outside if we could go inside, which he then directed us to the gardens ^_^
Giant Sky Wheel, Palette Town.
A fantastic way to welcome the evening, watching the sun set over the city from above. Best point about the gondolas we were sitting in, was not only the view, but the air conditioning!
Venus Fort, Palette Town.
A very commercial area, but very beautifully decorated.
Kyu-Shiba-rikyu Gardens, Hamamatsucho.
An amazing tranquil sight directly centre within the city. The perfect break.
Shimbashi at night.
A very upper class part of Tokyo, crammed full of large glowing buildings and high street fashion. My friend and I used it for it's main purpose, which was of course 'Big Echo' Karaoke :D I really wish they had them over here in England, I'd spend many happy hours in those booths singing Limp Bizkit and Michael Jackson, just like I did whilst over there! XD
View from my hotel in Ikebukuro.
After a day of downpour, the skies cleared for the evening and revealed not only a burning sunset, but the mountains on the boarders of Tokyo. My friend and I sat and watched this until the sun passed over the hills whilst eating Krispy Kreme donuts ^_^
A set of lanterns coming to life as we walked home to our hotel.
Old style restaurant in Ueno.
A family run joint sitting very cosily underneath the Ueno subway, some daaaamn tasty food sold here - but that shall be explained in another entry :P
Takadanababa.
Just outside of the subway, you're greeted by this amazing detailed wall mural of any animé character you can think of and more!
Katsura Studios, Harajuku.
In the midst of my Meiko make-up session. I wasn't sure what to expect when I went for the Meiko dress-up, besides the fact I love to Cosplay and knew I'd enjoy it. A truely AMAZING experience and gave me an idea as to how hard it is to become an actual Geisha. The outfit itself was formed of many layers and became very tight around my chest after the many wrappings D: Once the dress-up was over, I was informed that Dita Von Teese had worn the same gown I had just a few months before!
'Ani.mate' store, Ikebukuro.
The first moment I stepped in this store and was greeted by 'Gurren Lagann' and 'Lucky Star' merchandise, my eyes gleamed with some kind of animé styled joy. Eight floors of manga, DVDs, CDs and cuddly things, was certainly too much for me to handle in one sitting. I'm not sure how much I bought, I couldn't help myself and went a little crazy with buying everything and anything I could get my paws on.
Oedo Onsen Monogatori in Odaiba.
This was a very unusual experience, even all the animes in the world could not have had me prepared for this. Once you have safely secured your shoes in a locker, you have the choice between several different robes (I picked a dark red one, of course ;) ), which you change into in the locker rooms. My friend and I had already had problems of trying to tye the robes from the inside, we were assisted by two very polite Japanese women who showed us how to do so. Thanks ladies! We were then free to reign over the many foot spa areas and massage parlours (Massage areas were extra charge), it was then we decided to head to the main onsen. When my friend and I entered, we were given two sized towels one small, one large. It was then we turned around to notice we were surrounded by many naked women, which were walking into the spa area, nude. My friend and I turned to each other and had the feeling we had more than what we had bargained for with this expedition. I curiously asked the towel ladies if we could wear towels into the spa area and they explained in hand gestures that we simply hold the smaller towel infront of your lady areas. I shuffled back to my friend and explained what I had just been informed. We stood still for a few moments and then decided to brave it and go with it! So, we got nude XD You'd be surprised how comfortable you can be with nudity when everyone around you is in the same dress! Awkward at first, but then hella relaxing.

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