Japan - Tokyo - Harajuku and Shibuya

I woke my first morning in Tokyo with a slight hangover from the two doses of alcohol the night before. It was mostly my stomach rebelling, so I took some times getting ready, warmed up some bottled coffee in the microwave, and had some food. On the phone I reviewed the path I wanted to take to the Meiji shrine. The plan was to walk that day, because I wanted to explore Shibuja, which didn’t seem that far. The next day I planned on going to Hakone, and in the three days after that, going around Tokyo. That way I could get a 72-hour metro pass, which was very economical.

I gathered myself and was on my way to the Meiji shrine. I really enjoyed that I could take the internet with me, because that way I was less likely to get lost. My path took me through the business district of Shibuja. I marvelled at the beautiful skyscrapers. I passed a gorgeous hotel called the Keio Plaza Hotel. There was a group in front of it leaving, and I was kind of envious that they got to stay there. On the opposite side there was the Citizen’s Plaza, which was decorated with signs for the 2020 Olympics.

After that I passed an interesting statue of a beautiful woman. It was in front of the Bunka Gakuen University, and it was the Saint of Wisdom and Charity. The university used to be a women’s private university, and according to the plaque, the same statue stands in front of the German University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt, its sister institution. It was quite a surprise to see such a statue in Japan.

I turned down a small road, and walked down a very residential area. Finally, I reached the Shrine. The Northern part was under reconstruction, so I only went to the main area. I walked through the park. It was nice to be in the shade on such a hot day, but surprisingly I didn’t see any benches. I reached the main part of the Shrine, and some parts were under renovation there as well.

The name of the shrine brings to mind even in those who are not well-versed in history an emperor called Meiji. This shrine was indeed founded to commemorate him. His great achievement was bringing Japan into the modern era after its period of isolation. He was also the emperor who moved from Kyoto, the traditional imperial residence, to Tokyo, then Edo. The Japan we have today would not exist without him. The shrine was founded in the area where he and his wife used to walk a lot in the iris gardens. You can still see them in the garden area, but they didn’t bloom when I was there.

I entered Meiji Jingu through the gates on the Western side, where only a few people lingered. I arrived to the main courtyard. There were a lot more people there, but I can’t say it was crowded. There was a place to put wooden cards around a tree, and that seemed to attract the most people.  There was no inner sanctum to enter, so I took some pictures and videos, and went through the Eastern gate. There was a hall there that seemed to have some sort of a reception, so that was closed off. It was a good thing though, that I went there, as I saw two shrine maidens in their red and white attire and snuck some pictures of them. There was also a charm seller there, the usual fare. I consulted my map and found that I should exit through the Southern gate, as the garden was that way. I went back and felt that I needed to take a cooling brake before I went on. Around the courtyard there were seats in the shade, so I sat down and tried to rest. Near me, there were some Spanish speaking people talking really loudly. Now as this was a sacred space, people were not supposed to do that. However, they didn’t realise their error, and I didn’t correct them. Still, I wondered what would have happened if I went into a Catholic Church and acted that way.

Once rested enough, I went through the huge Southern gate. There were some charm vendors again, but I ignored them and headed to the garden. As I was walking along the wide path, I noticed a strange woman. At least, I think it was a woman, sometimes it can be hard to tell, as she looked very gender neutral. She had a sword on her back next to her backpack and was walking in an odd way. When you get used to everyone behaving a certain way, people like that definitely stand out. I tried to keep a safe distance from her. She gave the impression she could unstrap that sword any minute and start using it. I found the garden entrance and she went in as well. I let her disappear through a path, and then went and bought my ticket. I didn’t need one for the shrine, but I did for the garden. 

Inside the lush vegetation gave a good ground for some very loud wildlife. I got a map with my ticket and following that wanted to visit Kiyomasa’s Well. The map said it was a power spot. I read up on it, and it said that people who put a picture of the well on their phones experienced good luck. So here's a picture. There was also information on the well’s history. It was said to have been dug by a samurai in the 15th century. On the way I passed the spot where they usually have flowers, but my pamphlet informed me that they bloom in June and July. What seemed to be happening was some replanting work. I passed a gazebo that must be very pretty during the blooming season, and went on. I reached the well, which was really a wooden circle with water coming up, and did my video. I didn’t feel any particular power, but the mosquitoes were out in full force, and then my strange modern samurai was also approaching, so I decided to leave.

I headed towards the teahouse and the lake. The teahouse was closed, but the lake was very pretty with the blooming waterlilies. I had another small rest, hoping that by water it would be cooler, but it wasn’t. I walked all the way to the end of the lake, where another gazebo stood. I was supposed to be able to walk on from there and take another exit, but the path was closed, so I went back to the entrance. I was ready to leave, when I passed barrels on both sides of the path. On one side they had wine casks that had been blessed. They were from France there to symbolise the good relationship between the two countries. On the other side they had sake barrels. 

The path ended in the service area. There was some building going on, probably to improve things. The area had a big souvenir shop and a cafeteria. The toilets were nice and I cooled myself with the water. My eyes met with that of a Spanish woman, and we smiled at each other. From there there was a path to Harajuku Station, but the area around there had a lot of construction as well. 

My next goal was to visit the Johnny's shop that was near there. Johnny’s Entertainment Group is the group behind many of Japan’s biggest boy bands. Almost all of them are massively popular, and often have following not only in Japan, but in other countries as well. However, the group itself seems to mainly focus on its Japanese fans, and doesn’t seem to branch out much outside, especially not outside Japan. The furthest most groups ever get is Taiwan. The group I was interested in was their biggest hit, and one of the oldest with 19 years behind them, Arashi. Their greatest appeal to me has always been that their songs make me happy, even though I don’t understand their lyrics. Plus their concerts seem like great fun on video.

I crossed the street and there were a lot of girls standing around the small green area there. I went down the little street and found a guard at the shop. There was also a sign with terrible English. The situation was that basically you had to wait where I saw the girls for entrance, and the whole process was going to take about 3 hours. This to me was insanity. I thought of what to do, as being a huge Arashi fan, I definitely wanted to go in, but I was also getting very hungry and was not in the mood to stand around for hours. I got online and investigated the surrounding area. I found that Harajuku was the centre for otaku culture, especially a street not far from where I was. They also had some crazy food, so I decided to check it out. 

The street was very interesting. There were many people, and the shops either sold crazy coloured food or clothing. I went around some shoe stores, as I was looking for a more comfortable pair of sandals. I did find some cute ones, but not comfortable enough. I ended up not trying the food as most appeared to be sweet, and I was in the mood for savoury. I also saw a group of young people, presumably a band passing out flyers, but they also seemed to have a lot of fans as well. I shot a picture of them. 

I reached the end of the road, and turned right to make a circle. As I was walking, the woman from the restroom earlier passed me, and we both smiled at each other. It was funny to come across the same woman twice. 

I went back to the street where the girls were waiting, and wondered what to do for lunch. There were several places on that street as well, but they were more like cafés. I had a look at my phone for ideas, and that's when I saw an Ichiran Ramen place in Shibuya. That was where I was heading next, so I decided to go for that. A bowl of ramen would be perfect.

The walk from Harajuku Station was not a pleasant one. To save money, I had scheduled that day to be on foot, but my determination did waver as it was incredibly hot. I got some fresh cold water from a convini, and soldiered on. Before the restaurant, there was the huge Tower Records store. I went in, and browsed the stacks in the pop section. I was way behind in the latest bands, I realised. I used to be on JpopAsia all the time, but not anymore. I left without buying anything.

I walked right passed Ichiran Ramen, as I expected something on street level, and it was on basement level. Google Maps directed me back, and I found myself in another queue. The most annoying thing about Japan is that basically there are lines everywhere. Sure, you expect it at ticket counters and the convini cashier, but not at restaurants and other shops. It wasn't even really an option to go somewhere else, as queues were everywhere. So I just waited and I arrived to a machine, where I could select my food and pay. I had to get at least two items. I could have selected a menu option with 5 or 3 extras into my ramen, but I can’t eat mushrooms, and nori is not very healthy for my thyroid problem, so I just selected the basic ramen, and a bottle of their branded tea. I could always use more to drink. I paid cash, of course. Once I was done, I proceeded to another waiting area, where it was for a table. I also got a questionnaire with a pencil in two languages about the kind of ramen I wanted. Strong or not, spicy hot, garlic, meat, etc. They had the recommended middle ground circled and I went with it. 

On the wall there was a simple indicator as to which tables were available, and a single one was quickly green lighted. I passed through a curtain and inside I found kind of small booths for one person. Not unlike my cubicle during my stint as a help desk agent. However, the back towards the kitchen was open, and they asked for my tickets from there. The machine gave me two tickets and I also handed in the filled in form. A person took it. I couldn't see their face, just the middle and the hands. I read that this is so that you only focus on the food. In my booth there were also small cups and a tap for water. Strangely, no napkin. I could hang my bag on a pin behind me. 

Of course, people who didn't come alone were chatting, there was a woman feeding a baby a few cubicles down, but me in my own little cubicle was all alone. I waited for a bit, but after a few pictures I got out my Amazon app and was reading. I love that app, as I can carry many books, travel guides, even a guide that I pieced together from Wikipedia and other sites. All that on my phone.

My ramen and my tea arrived. The person passed them through the opening, said something in Japanese, and then brought down the Bamboo blinds, leaving me to my food. I first drank some of the cold tea, as the ramen was steaming hot. The taste reminded me of the herbal teas of Herbalife from the 90s. A bit sour, but not unpleasantly so. I got a huge spoon for my ramen and chopsticks. I blew on it furiously, and I couldn't wait to slurp my way through the first Japanese ramen of my life. I remembered the one I made at home years ago from cooking chicken stock and adding flavouring from a packet. I got the pasta from the packet as well. This ramen was a bit like that it used a meat stock as well, not fish. Obviously red meat though. There was plenty of pasta in it, some pork meat, and that delicious flavourful broth. The bowl contained just enough food to fill my belly. I did slurp. Once I saw a drama, where the woman didn't dare slurp. She was a timid woman, often unsure of herself, but on the other hand clever and hard working. Really smart people often underestimate themselves, as they are aware that they don't know everything. So when she managed to finally slurp her ramen, it showed her strength growing. I can't remember which drama it was, I watch far too many, but thus I slurped. It felt good. 

Once my bowl was empty, and my stomach was ready to burst, I quickly left, keenly aware that there was always a line for the tables. My next destination was Shibuya Crossing and the Hachiko statue. I actually know a person who has an Akita, and she told me she wished she could visit the statue as well. I have read up a lot on the story, and it touched my heart. The love and acknowledgement that surrounded Hachiko was so Japanese. So as I reached the Crossing, my first thought was to find the statue. I did so easily, as there were many people milling about. Taking a picture of it, however, was not so easy. Most people had help, so it took me a while to finally be able to stand next to it, and using my selfie stick, take the picture. 

I also decided to use my selfie stick to do a live Facebook broadcast of me crossing the Shibuya. However, what I didn't know was that with the selfie stick plugged in, it didn't record the sound. I managed to find the setting to correct that, but that was after the broadcast. In spite of that, doing the crossing was an elevating thing to do. I've seen it so many times in pictures and on TV, it was difficult to comprehend that I was walking there. I wanted to jump with joy, shout and scream that I was living the dream. 

Truth be told, until I passed through immigration in Kansai Airport, I didn't dare believe that I was actually going to be in Japan. I've had a lot of struggles in my life. Probably a lot of people had more, but that doesn't negate mine. To have such a huge dream come true was hard for me to grasp. Walking through Shibuya crossing, however, solidified in my mind that I was somewhere I wanted to be, but would not dare to hope to ever be.

Once on the other side, I set out to explore Shibuya. There were a lot of shops and restaurants everywhere. A guy was singing on the street, trying to make it. There were big trucks cruising on the road, side covered by a band's poster, blaring out the music from the latest album. Hachiko themed local bus drove by. There was a coffee shop with a line, people posting selfies with the cups. It was almost like at Universal, but much more of a mixture. I just wandered around, taking it all in. My goal was the Tokyu Hands store. It was kind of a huge department store focusing a lot on handicraft, but in general it had everything at a good price. I wanted to see if I could get some souvenirs. However, when I got to the store, it was closed! I was very disappointed, but I went on. 

I was wondering what to do. In my schedule I have put Ebisu Garden Place as the last thing in the day. It was a place known for Doumyougi waiting for Tsukushi there in Hana Yori Dango. It was my favourite drama of all time. The main male character was played by Matsumoto Jun, a member of Arashi, so it was also what got me into the band. There are lots of remakes, but I've never seen any other version, and don't intend to. To me, that was perfect. However, Ebisu Garden Place was quite a way away. I wouldn't just have to get there, but also walk all the way back to my apartment. For the time being, I decided to stay in Shibuya. 

What I did instead was to check out a mall called Shibuya 109. Inside it was 9 floors, but each floor rather small. Definitely not the sprawling avenues of shops I was used to in a mall. Instead, the small shops were almost on top of each other. You only knew where one started and the other began by their individual styles. They were all quite different, though most seemed to go for the cutesy female vibe, and that was just the clientele that was everywhere. Lots of girls in all sorts of very Japanese styles were milling about. From the conservative long skirt and blouse combination to the black boots and miniskirts ones. It reminded me of the anime Paradise Kiss, which was about young fashion designers and how a young girl finds herself while she becomes a model. It's one of my favourite growing up stories, and I loved the music. 

While I found the fashion on display on the people and in the stores fascinating, I didn't even try to look around. With my body, I knew I was already extra large in regular Japanese stores, so I doubted there would be anything that would even remotely fit me. I was even having a hard time in European stores. Truth be told, I'm fat. I did try a shoe store, but apparently even my feet were too fat. 

Once I had my fill in looking, I went outside. I was very much in need of a coffee. I wanted to go to a Starbucks. I have been to one in several countries, so I wanted to check one out in Japan. There was one just by the Shibuya crossing, but I thought it would be very crowded, and on my map I saw one in Shibuya Station. I walked there, and on a list of eateries, there was the Starbucks. I started to look for it, but the layout of the station was quite confusing. As I wandered around, I passed a shop with lots of bags. Now I have been looking for a bag for quite some time. It was not supposed to be big, nor small. It was for travelling, so I wanted pockets. Water resistance was also preferred, and that I can throw it over my shoulder. It also had to be cute and light in weight. One would think the list would not be so difficult to achieve, but I had looked through and dismissed hundreds of bag. The main problem with them? Ugliness. Seriously, there are bag designers out there with ridiculous tastes. However, in this particular shop the bags seemed to have a functional simplicity while also displaying colours. I walked passed it, thinking they would be too expensive for me.

I expected the Starbucks to be somewhere around there, but it wasn't. I sat down on a bench, trying to figure out on my phone where it would be, and to have a little rest. As I sat, I thought about the shop. If there was a bag that would fit what I was looking for, I would be willing to pay a bit more for it. So I returned to it, and found actually a whole lot of bags that I liked. I settled for a blue one made of a water resistant material. It was light, and had a great feature for travel. The zipper for the main pocket was towards me, not the outside. That way it would be harder to get into. The shop assistant tried to find me a bag that was untouched, but the one on display was the last piece, so I took it. It was waiting for me. It wasn't even terribly expensive. The brand is Anello, and as I researched it, it's a popular Japanese brand. I was so happy with my purchase, I sat back on the bench and changed bags. It was slightly smaller, but looked great. 

I went outside, around, back in again, and suddenly, I found the café. It was in the proper food court area, which had many eateries all around. The Starbucks was on a sort of half floor. It was pretty full, but I went straight to the counter. Luckily, they spoke English, and I could ask for my favourite caramel coffee with soy milk and I also got a cookie. An interesting thing that I’ve never seen in any Starbucks, but I really loved was that with the soy milk request I got a card that said I asked for it. The guy behind the counter said that I was supposed to give it to the barista, and it was to make sure that they made my coffee with soy milk as requested. I was really happy with that set-up, and thought that it should be something that they did at every Starbucks, or even at every café. The reason for this was that when I was in Turkey, I had a coffee at a Starbucks there. However, some hours after I had all the symptoms of having drank milk. As a lactose intolerant, that’s not nice. It was made worse by the fact that on that day I was flying home. I don’t know if they just ignored my request, didn’t understand it, or just made the coffee in a contaminated container. However, this is why if I had a deadly allergy, I would never eat anything I didn’t make. However, in Japan, they eliminated the chance of any misunderstandings with the simple solution of the card. My coffee was actually ready very quickly, so I had to stall a bit to get a picture of my soy milk card.

I found a seat as someone just left. The Starbucks reminded me of the one I first tried in Munich. At the time there were no Starbucks in Hungary, it was 2009. The first one actually opened the year after, in Budapest. The one in Munich was full of students hitting their books, and having a conversation. This Tokyo Starbucks was similar with a lot of people on laptops, working or studying. I watched them, and also had a conversation with my mum on Facebook Messenger. We once again marvelled at how great technology is, as we could have a nice conversation while we were halfway around the world from each other. My mum often remembers at times like this that when she moved to the US in the 80s, she couldn’t get a letter to her mum for 2 months, and it took 6 months until she could call her on the phone. She even had to go through an operator, as there were no direct international calls at the time. People who never experienced such a separation probably can’t fully appreciate what technology has made possible for us.

When I have consumed everything, I said goodbye to mum, and went on my way. Only later did I realise that I was probably supposed to put my mug and things somewhere, but in most places there was someone to take them away. Oh well, it was too late. However, as I wandered through the station, I realised that there was an overpass not far from the Starbucks, that had a perfect view of the Shibuya Crossing. I made a quick video of the people passing. I thought of what to do next. The sun was going down, and it was getting late. I decided to postpone the Ebisu Garden Place to a day when I would have a metro pass. Instead, I found that there was another Uniqlo shop nearby, so I decided to get more of their built-in bra tops, because they would be very comfortable for my travels. They were also made of a cooling material, and I thought in the relentless summers that would be a great thing to have. Afterwards, it was time to head towards the apartment, as it would take a while. There was also a Tokyu Hands in Shinjuku, so I made that my target. The walk would be about half an hour. On the way I passed the Johnny’s shop again, which was still completely full. I was quite annoyed by this, as I thought there would be a better way to organise the whole thing than just have people stand in line for hours. I walked on to the Takashimaya Store in Shinjuku, which housed the Tokyu Hands. By the time I got there I was pretty exhausted. I walked through a mostly residential area, with lots of small houses. Everything was very neat, and luckily as the sun set completely, it was somewhat cooler.

The Tokyu Hands was on an upper floor, so I went through the first floor to find the elevator. It was full of luxury brands, and reminded me of some of the department store dramas that I watched. Smartly dressed pretty young women sold high-end products like beautiful bags and watches, two things that I tried to ignore, as I can be quite easily taken by them. When I found the Tokyu Hands upstairs, that too, was closed. I had no idea what was going on with these stores, but apparently it was not my day to visit one. I went outside and found a bench. I was exhausted and my back hurt very badly. I was also very annoyed, because the day had not gone as I planned. It hadn’t been a bad day, but I was in so much pain with my back, and so hot and exhausted, it was all a bit much. I took a deep breath, rested on the bench, and decided to get some dango at the place from yesterday, and a beer at a convini. Beer is actually very good for all sorts of muscle pains, and if you like it, I highly recommend it for any traveller. That was what I did with the rest of my evening, and went to sleep quickly, as in the following day I was going to Hakone, and that was going to be a busy day as well. However, I was looking forward to checking out an onsen there, and thought that the hot springs would be great for my back and also the rest of my body.