(★ω★。) Tokyo ・ March 2012 ・ PT3

On day 4, which was the 11th we decided to take a trip to Shibuya! We were fully aware of how packed Shibuya was going to be, considering it was a year after the Tsunami and Earthquake - and because naturally Shibuya is one very busy place. Street lights and buses were flagged with banners reading 'Action for Nippon' and 'THANK YOU' but I didn't get a photo of the buses. We headed straight to Shibuya 109 of course to do some major shopping.

 

I headed to COCOLULU because I had read somewhere about a Spring School Lucky Pack, however it is either online sales only, or not in stock anymore. But it was really cool in store, regardless. I followed Juu and Imke around some of the super girly shops such as Liz Lisa, but we made smaller pitstops in other stores too like COCOLULU, JSG and MARPLE-Q - I only purchased one thing from MARPLE-Q which is an amazing long shirt with really cute engrish on. After purchasing it, Juu also purchased the same shirt too! (We had a live for the 12th and we wanted to twin!) I think COCOLULU has been over taken by MARPLE-Q, clothing wise.

After walking around Shibuya 109 for what seemed like forever, our feet were aching so we went to Starbucks, despite the weather I ended up with a mango frappuccino.We sat for awhile just people watching which was rather amusing and relaxing too, we saw an original 'ganguro' - basically an old old crusty man. Then plenty of foreigners with bad fashion taste! Come on guys, you're in Shibuya! After Starbucks, it was my turn to take the lead, and we headed off towards Harajuku as it was only a small walk away from Starbucks. Plus on the way there I really wanted to go inside CHEER, but we ended up walking right by it because my voice was so little in asking. Oops.. On the way to Harajuku I spotted some rather interesting graffiti stickers. Powerful message, right?

 

Finally reaching Harajuku and how crazy the place is, we ventured into one or two couple shops, I know Like an Edison was a mini detour to pick up some fliers and to see the latest release. (I was waiting for the 14th since so many releases were happening!) Then we headed to Harajuku's Closet Child - shamefully, I only purchased one thing, a cheki of Tokyo Shitei - Runchu. It was a really old one of him too. I felt bad, because Juu's Friend is not really into Visual Kei, so she waited outside listening to god (amazing) awful rap music.

While in Harajuku I finally spotted the 10st store, which I have previously spoken about before in my blog here! It was amazing, just a really small store with a really nice shop owner who was so helpful. Juu was on a mission to find A, but it had literally sold out everywhere. While looking through the beads, OZ, Kiryuu, ROYZ and LANDZ, I spotted something so similar - but slightly out of place, a bead with a lizard. Haha, my reaction must have been so amazing, since it was the 10st x コドモドラゴン so I pretty much pounced on it demanding the price without a second thought! After awhile, Juu purchased her own while I was still in awe I had found their bracelet. (There is a story which follows after this, which will be in the next entry!) So now I own two 10st bracelets, and people would probably smack me for the price of these, but they're so pretty and my photo REALLY doesn't do justice, but I had to show it!

Afterwards we went for food in Harajuku, I cannot remember the name of the place either, my memory is really bad! But it was yummy, I had pasta - I no longer am a fan of pasta, I ate it so much again in Japan. Uggh, I think it got to the point I wanted to cry every time I saw pasta or pizza on the menu.

So, that was it for the 11th March 2012. I will leave you with an interesting photo of a vending machine in Japan and the graffiti tags people use over there. Here in the UK we have really boring 'I LOVE XXX' or just your very creative curse words.

(*´ω｀*) Places: #3 Shibuya

Shibuya

渋谷

Of course, we all knew Shibuya was expected to crop up sooner or later! Shibuya is quite possibly known for it's Fashion - alongside with Harajuku - and lets not forget Shibuya night life! So.. what do people first think of when they hear the name 'Shibuya'? ♪  With my 'miniature survey', the most obvious and common answer was the 109 building, closely followed by 109 Men's and Forever 21, which formerly was HMV.  ★ The top picks were all Fashion related, therefore giving Shibuya a Fashionable reputation. Next picks were the former HMV building, Tower Records and Like an Edison, which is located on the ground floor of Laforet. Shibuya is a hotspot for the younger minded people.

During my travels to Tokyo, I usually find myself in Shibuya before walking my way to Harajuku, it's a pleasant walk and I'd rather see things than sit on a train. As always Shibuya is a large city and it is easy to get lost in, so always be aware of buildings around you in case you ever need to backtrack. ☆ Center Gai / センター街 is a narrow street, either side there you will find many more fashion shops, music stores and yet again - arcades. Shibuya is always up to date with the up coming trends, and streets are littered with beautiful young aspiring fashionistas. Popular things to do while in Shibuya - other than shop, would be purikura. 'eggnam' is a popular purikura centre, and as the name suggests it is popular with many egg models. ヽ(゜▽、゜）ノ

Shibuya Night Life varies widely between the age groups, but you will never be too bored, you can do everything from Karaoke, ヾ(≧ー≦)ゞ clubbing and generally chilling out at a bar, Shibuya is also home to many live houses, or concert halls. ☆ Surprisingly some are difficult to locate for first time explorers, even with a map it can be considered a task alone. C.C.Lemon is one of Shibuya's largest live house which can seat over 2,000 people. A popular live house commonly known to people who do not live in Japan is known as 'Shibuya O-West/East' (there are other in this 'O-Group).

I felt that this post wouldn't be complete without mentioning a certain famous Shibuya name that is, Hachiko / ハチ公 for now I will not go into his great history so I will forward you to his wikipedia page instead. However, if you are ever in Shibuya and arrange to meet up with a Friend there, Hachiko is a popular meeting point. (っ´∀｀)っ Though it is often crowded with like minded folks and tourists, but Hachiko is a well known name and meeting point so it is to be expected! Overall, Shibuya is a very lively place to be. If you love the hustle and bustle of a busy city, you are bound to love Shibuya.