It was raining Sunday morning which bummed me out because Harajuku was one of our site destinations for the day since the streets become a catwalk for street fashion. We thought nothing could hold us back, not even a little rain, but it was raining pretty hard and we were soaked, specifically my shoes. We hung out in the hotel lobby while our room was being cleaned, and after getting a little hungry, I ventured to a convenience store close by and got us some breakfast.
By then the rain had cleared up so after changing my wet shoes, we made our way to the station and mapped out our trip to Harajuku. Somehow we managed to end up far away from the Harajuku stop, but this turned out to be a good thing since the stop we got off at was for the Imperial Palace and Wadakura Fountain Park. Since it was one of the places on our list that we wanted to see, we wandered around and took some photos by the entrance.
We were close to Tokyo Station and decided to take the train to Harajuku from there. The architecture of the station is really cool and almost looks European. Thousands of trains come through here per day because it is the central station of the city. A hotel makes up the top floors and underground has an extensive array of places to go shopping and many restaurants.
Taking the train was the best way to get around Tokyo. The underground subway is convenient, but being able to see your surroundings made the trip much more interesting. We got off at Harajuku Station and while crossing an overpass noticed a “Princess.” She waved at us and I was so glad I got her smiling for my camera.
Our first stop in Harajuku was for lunch at The Gindaco – a chain restaurant specializing in takoyaki. Takoyaki is one of my favorite foods! Takoyaki is a ball of fried or grilled wheat flour with pieces of octopus inside. Nicole and I had different types and she ordered a melon soda with hers which made for an interesting photo.
After our yummy lunch, we did what any normal girls would do and went shopping! First stop was the Omohara Department store since it was hot and we wanted to feel refreshed with the AC.
Among the stores in the department store, we found one called Uni Case and I saw that they sold all the accessories to my iGizmon camera case. (I shouldn’t be too surprised since iGizmon is from Japan.) I ended up buying the leather case carrier, tripod, and shutter. I am so excited and have been meaning to do a post on just my camera case since I’ve received so many compliments for it and now I can include most of the accessories!
After cooling off we headed towards Takeshita Street. This is the street you’ll find all the trendy stores in Harajuku. We did a lot of browsing at different stores and eventually made our way to the Harajuku Daiso. It was huge – 4 floors full of awesome and inexpensive stuff. I did do some shopping there as well as at a cute boutique nearby. The prices were not crazy expensive and I cannot wait to share the clothes that I bought in a separate post.
We spent almost the whole day in Harajuku and remembered we still needed to go to Roppongi for the sole purpose of buying souvenirs from the Hard Rock Cafe located there. Roppongi is known for its night clubs and bars and we saw a lot of people dressed up in that area.
Nicole and I were lucky again and were able to see Tokyo Tower as we walked down the main street towards the Hard Rock Cafe. Since we would be busy the next day moving her stuff to her dorm I decided to take a photo from a distance while I stood in the middle of a crosswalk.
After buying our souvenirs, Nicole and I headed back to the hotel to prepare to check out in the morning and get some rest before making the long trip to her new home.
Hope you’ve enjoyed our adventures in Tokyo and will enjoy the next chapter of the trip for Day 6.
Brandy