Our day began pretty late today. At first I woke up at 8:30 but I just couldn’t get myself to wake up just yet. So I went back to sleep and we woke up later at 12 PM. A bit late, but we got ourselves ready and headed to Yoyogi Park – a new spot that I haven’t been to before. The park was a mere 20min ride away with the Chuo-Sobu metro line.
As soon as we arrived at the final destination – the Yoyogi station – we got ourselves some drinks at a nearby vending machine. I bought a sweet sports drink that is my go to drink when in Japan. A cherry and lemon like flavour that really excites my taste buds! My friend on the other hand bought a bottle of water – something to help her survive the heat of the day. With refreshments in our hands we headed towards the Yoyogi park to visit the nearby Meiji Jingu shrine that is one of the nicer shrines that I have seen so far. It kind of reminded me of the Izumo Taisha shrine in the city of Izumo. The shrine radiated a feel of tranquility and the walk in the park let us relax and talk about our impressions about Japan so far. We both agreed that we were having an excellent time and were looking forward to the following days.
The shrine itself had a beautiful large stone tori gate that lead inside of the shrine. The shrine was surrounded by a medieval looking wooden fence that protects the shrine from any potential danger. The shrine is a holy ground, so of course there was also a place for people to leave their wishes and prayers. In addition to that, there was a place to wash your hands before you leave your prayers. With a lack of proper knowledge about the shrine etiquette, we opted not to wish for anything at the temple. On our way through the park we passed the many lanterns that lit the streets at night and enjoyed the sound of cicadas that evoked a strong memory of my last trip to Japan.
After a relaxing stroll through the park, we decided the visit the center of fashion in Tokyo – Harajuku. Harajuku used to be a place full of cosplayers and the center of kawaii (cute) culture. There is still a lot of kawai here, but for the most part it is a tourist attraction and a place with many clothing, fashion shops and cafes. This was also the intent with which I came here – to buy myself some clothes. My first intention was to perhaps buy a yukata – a kimono like dress, but for the summer – but later I changed my mind and bought myself a really cool looking shirt that is essentially a shirt version of a kimono. It has a wave like pattern on it and I am really looking forward to wearing it tomorrow. We also visited many other clothing shops and we found pretty much anything – from cute dresses, to kimonos, yukatas, shirts, anime merch, and so much more. Lovers of shopping could easily spend an entire day just in Harajuku!
The next and final stop of the day was the famous Shibuya crossing that is one of the busiest crossings in the world. I wasn’t satisfied with the view from below and thus I decided to visit a skyscraper or something similar that would get me a better view of the city and its surroundings from above. I decided we would visit the nearby Shibu Niwa building that offers a great view of Shibuya from its bar with a very nice selection jazz and similar music. The only downside would probably be the price, but in my opinion the views were worth the high price. For anyone visiting, the price of entry was 1000 JPY and the drinks were in the price range of 1000 to 2000 JYP. In euros that would be roughly 6 to 12 EUR. And indeed the views did not disappoint. I ordered a Mojito cocktail and the Mont Blanc cake that seems to be quite popular here in Japan. With a cocktail in my hand we took some stunning photos of the Shibuya crossing and Tokyo – both during the day and at night. I sipped my cocktail very slowly to be able to enjoy the views for as long as possible. I even took a photo of myself, which is quite a rarity if you know me. I decided to take a photo with a serious expression on my face, hoping it would make for a better photo. Trying to smile in photos has never really worked for me haha. And it paid off. I was able to snap a nice picture!
So all in all, this was another great day! I did some shopping and I took some amazing photos. The only thing that I will change tomorrow is that I wake up earlier – this is pretty much a necessity. We will be visiting a museum with a ship that survived a nuclear test and the Tokyo Sealife Park, that is home to hundred of species of fish that made their home in the sea of Japan. And that is all for today, see you tomorrow 🙂
