Day 268 - 25th of May

12:00pm　地下鉄　－　半蔵門線
天気：晴れ
We’re in 押上 (Oshiage), waiting for the train to depart. We got off to a late and bumpy start this morning, but it’s all good; it’s been go, go, go every day, and it’s taking its toll. It’s a sunny and quite warm day, and I’m glad we’re underground now… After getting up at about 10, we got ready slowly and then made our way over to the Sky Tree, which we can actually see from our hostel. After getting some breakfast from an am/pm, I realised I’d left my camera behind. So, we walked all the way back, got it, and then enjoyed our fruit and jelly in the kitchen. Take two and we once again made our way to the Sky Tree, its ridiculous height becoming more and more overwhelming with each step. Since it was still under construction, we couldn’t get that close, the ground around it littered with cranes and materials. As it stands, it’s already 338m, just surpassing the Tokyo Tower (333m) as the tallest structure in Japan. It still has a while to go though; when completed, it’ll be 648m. It’s definitely something I want to come back and see once it’s finished in 2012; I can’t imagine the height it will be when doubled what it is already!!! From there, we walked to a nearby station, and realised that this one wouldn’t take us where we wanted to go. So, we found a map to Oshiage station, and headed there, the Sky Tree ever looming. It was incredible; people would be just stopped in the street, staring, craning their necks and taking pictures of it. Now, we’re bound for Harajuku, to visit 明治神宮 (Meiji Jingu), the shrine of the Meiji Emperor. Since we’ve just bought an all day pass for the Tokyo Metro (subway), we’re free to do as much train travel as we like, and we’re more than ready to get our money’s worth…

5:39pm　シェーキーズ　－　新宿

We’re in Shakey’s Pizza, and it’s a lot different than I expected. Unlike the one in Kyoto, there’s no buffet and the all-you-can-eat only lasts 90 minutes. So, we’re going to try to make the most of it. The quality of the pizzas is certainly much better, but the waiting kinda ruins it; I guess there has to be a trade off somewhere. Anyway, I’ll write more about the rest of the day when I get back to the hostel…

9:07pm　浅草スマイル

We just got back from Akihabara; only there for a short time. It was, I don’t know… I guess I just wasn’t in the mood for shopping; my energies all but left me. Also, since I’m leaving tomorrow, I’m really not that fussed anymore; I guess all I can thing about is home. Still, I really enjoyed all the sightseeing we got to do today, and I’m looking forward to a bit more tomorrow. So, the rest of my day… As soon as we got out onto the street in Harajuku, I recognised my surroundings; the Meiji shrine turned out to be one of the places I went 5 years ago. Not much had changed, and soon we were walking through the grounds, beautiful camphor and maple trees shading our path from the hot sun. We decided to check out the garden, and found ourselves taking a pleasant walk through the scrub; it reminded me of bush walking in Australia so much. The forest gave way to a small lake that was brimming with koi; what a wonderful escape for the Emperor and Empress. After traversing the garden, we made our way over to the main complex, where they are now enshrined; yes, they can become gods too. I took plenty of video, and then we continued on the vast forested park to 代々木 (Yoyogi) station.

We found a museum along the way, but it was closed. After getting to the station, we tried to figure out where the statue of ハチ公 (Hachiko) was. He’s probably the most famous dog in Japan, known for his unwavering loyalty to his master. Go to Wikipedia if you want to read about him; it’s a really beautiful story. Carly used her phone, and found out that the statue was actually in Shibuya; I thought it had been close-by. So, instead of going there right then, we decided to go to 六本木ヒルズ (Roppongi Hills) first. Here we found the impressive 54 storey Mori Tower, which had an observatory on the 52^nd floor, and art museum on the 53^rd; we had to check it out. After a look around the base (it was so futuristic with some really cool statues), we made our way up the observatory, after purchasing our tickets in the lobby; we got a discount since we’re students. The view was really spectacular, and I got some great shots of Tokyo Tower and the bay. It was just such a shame there was a haze in the air though; I had hope we’d catch a glimpse of Mount Fuji. Tokyo Tower was definitely the stand out in the city, but there were also so many other interesting buildings, some with really funny shapes. As part of our ticket, we got to look round a contemporary art exhibition, and boy was it out there. It was just so… weird!!! The theme was, “So what is art”, and I definitely think some of the exhibits really pushed the boundaries. There was one were you slid into a room through a small corridor to find this man in a dark room, moving around objects like buckets of water, and flowers and balls in an absurd fashion; it was actually quite creepy. That would have to be closely followed by the Japanese guy impersonating Hitler; that one was restricted to a screen at least. Some exhibits were really nice though; some beautiful sculptures, paintings, and photography. There was also a room where you could sit surrounded by the ringing of crystal cups; I thought that was quite cool. After all that our brains were aching, and we were ready to go find Hachiko.

From Roppongi, we went to Shibuya, emerging from the subway to find ourselves at the infamous scramble crossing, where 100s of people cross at every green light; it’s probably the busiest in the world. We soon located Hachiko, and after taking a picture with him, we made our way to Shinjuku for Shakey’s Pizza. That actually turned out to be quite satisfying, and I think we got our money’s worth. I got to sample five different pizzas, including two dessert pizzas, lots of potato wedges, and a bit of pasta. And like I said, the quality was amazing; it was so fresh, straight out of the oven. We stayed until almost 7, and then took the train to Akihabara, and apart from Book Off, we didn’t go into any other stores. Well, I’d better get to packing now; leaving tomorrow night. Asakusa Smile will keep our bags for us, which is really great; means we can be free to do whatever tomorrow. I think we’ll go to Sensouji once more, just to pick up a few souvenirs, come back, check out, leave our luggage and then take it from there. Carly’s looking for accommodation since her flight’s not until Thursday. She’s thinking about staying at a manga café, which I think is a really a really cool idea. Anyway, I’d better go. Today was good, but I’m so tired. Kinda just want to be on the plane now...

Day 267 - 24th of May

9:11am　地下鉄　－　銀座線

天気：雨天

We’re on the Ginza subway line, from Asakusa to Shibuya. From there, we will change to another line, get to Shinjuku, and make another transfer for 三鷹 (Mitaka), where we will find the Ghibli Museum. It’s a bit of a late start, but I think we’ll make it on time…

9:29am　山手線

Now we’re on the Yamanote line for Shinjuku. Wow, the trains here in Tokyo seem so much longer than those of the Keihan line. I’m thinking, “Isn’t that train coming up too fast?” but no; two extra carriages really make a difference. Also, the city train system is so complex; there are so many different routes you can chose to get to your destination. The trick is, is to find the most efficient, and economical way; I think we’re doing an okay job of that.

9:41am　快速

Finally on the rapid express to Mitaka. The tickets we have are for the 10 o’clock admission, and I don’t know how strict they are with the time. At this point I’m freaking out a bit; what if we don’t make it in time?

1:59pm　快速

We’ve just got back on the train, and we’re making our way back to Shinjuku to see if we can find the Square Enix building. The Ghibli Museum was amazing… After getting off at Mitaka Station, we walked briskly through the rain towards the museum, which was about 15 minutes away in a basically straight line past the waterworks. Every 200 metres there would be a sign saying how much further the museum was, and this only spurred me on; it was a little frustrating too. It was already 10 past by the time we made it, but I had nothing to worry about; they let us in no problem. As soon as we got inside, all the stress lifted, to be replaced with giddy excitement. I really did feel like a little kid again, entering a magical house of spiral staircases, corridors and cubby holes. It was such a wonderful experience, and I’m sure it’s one of the most kid friendly museums in the world; so many things to see, do, and touch. They even had a huge Cat Bus to play on and in; too bad it was for primary school kids or younger. We leisurely explored the entire building, learning about the history of animation, the animation process in an interactive and hands on manner. There were so many beautiful stained glass windows, and even the bathrooms were impressive; there were a lot of them too. On the roof there was a garden, and a statue of the robot from Laputa (I dare say life size), looking right at home. In fact, the whole building was covered in greenery, and it was surrounded by trees; a secluded world all of its own. The highlight of the museum would have had to have been the short film. We got to see こねこバス (Konekobasu – Kitten Bus), which was an adorable 14 minute story about Mei’s adventures with the kitten bus; it made me so happy. The language was really easy to understand too.

After that, we did a bit more exploring, and then of course, went to the gift shop, “Mamma Aiuto”. I didn’t go too overboard, I don’t think. We got really lucky, getting to the counter just as a huge line had dispersed. They even gave us an extra bag, just in case one got wet; so considerate. By this point, we were very hungry, so after we backtracked for our umbrellas, we went looking for something to eat. We found a Lawsons just across the road, and decided that that was more than satisfactory. After we finished making our purchases, we had the challenge of trying to find somewhere dry to sit and eat. The next 20 minutes consisted of us wondering around the nearby park, trying to find seats that were actually undercover; it was a little ridiculous. Eventually, we came to a Benzaiten temple, and ate at its base. It was a beautiful building, painted in a vibrant red. After eating, we spent some more time enjoying the park and the lake in the rain, and then made our way to 吉祥寺 (Kichijouji) Station. We’ve almost arrived at Shinjuku now. After the Square Enix building (if we can find it), we might also visit the Pokémon Centre…

2:41pm　銀座線

Realising it was taking too long, I went over to the map and realised that this line didn’t actually pass through Shinjuku; whoops. So, now we’re making our way back the other direction…

4:54pm　地下鉄　－　都営大江戸線

Now we’re on the Toei Oedo subway line, heading to 大門 (Daimon), to see if we can find the Pokémon Centre. Finding the Square Enix building was a success, although a little anticlimactic… Once we got to Shinjuku, we found an information kiosk, and soon had a map showing us to the “Square Enix Building”; it was a bit of a walk. This turned out to be the actual headquarters of Square Enix; just the 12^th floor of the massive building. The two women at the reception desk looked very confused, and I don’t blame them. I was a bit confused too, until they explained to us that this was the headquarters, and directed us to the goods shop; this was the place Rachael had actually been referring to. The way she described it, it had sounded really big. In fact, it was a single, small floor of goods; in the end I didn’t even buy anything. There really wasn’t anything that jumped out at me, and it was all quite expensive; I did get to take a picture of the semi-naked Sephiroth statue in the floor before the clerk came back though. So while it didn’t exactly live up to my expectations, I can now say that I’ve been to the headquarters of Sqaure Enix in Tokyo!!! I’m hoping it’ll be a little less hassle to find the Pokémon Centre, and that we have a good amount of time to browse…

6:40pm　ラメン屋　－　大門

We’re in a ramen shop near Tokyo Tower, which is almost entirely shrouded in fog; only the base is visible. Walking around Shinjuku this afternoon, it was also very foggy, the sky pressing down on the skyscrapers. I can’t wait to see it when it’s lit up… Anyway, we did the Pokémon Centre with relative ease; it was just up the road from Daimon station. It was definitely the largest of the three I’ve been two; makes sense since its Tokyo. I didn’t buy that much; just a few more things for my brother. I wonder if I’ll ever get around to visiting the other Pokémon Centres in Japan; there are at least two more that I know of. Well, it’s been a super day; Ghibli, Square Enix, and Pokémon. And to top it all off Tokyo Tower is on the menu next. I have to eat the rest of Carly’s ramen now; she says she’ll spew if she has another bite. I’m not complaining; more for me!!!

9:00pm　浅草線

We’re on the train back to the hostel now from Daimon. The tower was amazing… We didn’t bother going up to the top, but we took plenty of photos from the base; the orange glow looked so cool in the fog. We made our approach through 増上寺 (Zoujouji) Temple, the tower a beautiful incandescent backdrop; a fusion of ancient and modern. We made our way around the main building, and through a cemetery, before reaching the tower. It was massive, and the first 4 floors were dedicated to shops; there was a Makkas of course. On the bottom floor, there was actually a Michael Jackson exhibition, the annoying voice over disturbing the otherwise quiet lobby; there was hardly anyone inside. After buying a few souvenirs, we exited and had a crepe each for dessert; my first and last in Japan. After waiting out a sudden down pour, we made our way back to the station… I think that’s it for the night; when I get back, I’m going to collapse!