Final Japan Post

We flew out of Tokyo around 5:30 PM on September 13, but before leaving we fit in one more activity. Because it was a Sunday we decided to visit Harajuku, which has a reputation for being a fashion district with lots of cosplay action. Sunday is supposedly the best day to go for the cosplay. So here's the proof that we were at the station...



We were around Harajuku from about 10:30 AM to about 12:30 PM. We walked all around the station and all we saw was this guy...



We even checked the bridge where they all supposedly hang out. Maybe there was some cosplay convention in the area or something? Or we were too early? We decided to walk around and give it some time. The area was pretty cool...



I was tempted to buy these...



But instead it became a poodle shopping day because we found two cute dog wear stores...



One had an entire section of Winnie the Pooh...



We got Berlin a panda costume and 2 sweatshirts. Remus got a Spiderman outfit and a t-shirt. Because the cosplayers were not appearing we ventured into the area where the Meiji Shrine is located...



Where we found the most awesome sink ever...



And seeing this made up for the lack of cosplay...



After the shrine, we checked again for cosplayers, but no luck. We had to head to the airport to make our flight, but before taking off we made sure to check out Japanese massage chairs...



So this is the final installment in my Japan posts. Charles and I had an awesome time and definitely want to go back. Hope you enjoyed!

Cat Cafe = last night in Japan

After taking the bullet train from Kyoto, we spent our final night in Tokyo. We were torn between spending time in Asakusa and Ikebukuro, but chose the latter because it had more manga stores. That's where we found this sign...



Before we get to the sign here are some general pics from the city that night...



I was geeked to see a pink crepe truck even if it was inferior to L's...



And I thought this was a cool pic...



So the sign ended up being an advertisement for a cat cafe. We had not heard of these things, but they are exactly what they sound like: a cafe with a bunch of cats...



It was 200 yen for 10 minutes with the fur balls. There were kitties all over the place...



Even in boxes...



There was a crazy coffee machine...



Which this kitty liked a lot...



Although the owners of the cafe did not speak English they were really nice. They sat down with us, showed us baby pictures of all the cats, and tried to answer our questions about the cats' names and histories. Although I would have preferred a poodle cafe, I think this is a great business concept.

See more cat pictures here.

Japan Day 6

During our second day in Kyoto, we visited Nijo Castle and the International Manga Museum. The castle looked a lot like the temples...



But it had a moat so it was definitely a castle...



It started raining and we made our way to the International Manga Museum which was basically a library of manga in a super cool building with exhibits and other stuff...



I am glad we visited on a Saturday because the cosplayers were in full force. They don't allow pictures near the books so cosplayers usually gather on the yard for photos. Since it was raining on the day we visited, they were all inside doing clandestine photoshoots in stairwells and other corners of the museum. A lot of them had some hardcore photography equipment and their costumes were all awesome...







There was also a cool exhibit of figures from a particular artist...



After the museum, we had a super tasty lunch at the hotel steakhouse. It was one of those where the chef cooks in front of you...



We had two different kinds of beef and they were both delicious...



More cosplay photos and the rest of my Kyoto pics are here.

Japan Day 5

Even though our trip was only one week long we decided to stay in Kyoto for one night and it ended up being a good deal. We got round trip tickets on the bullet train and one night the the Hotel Okura for about $500. Considering that train tickets alone are about $240, this is great. Here is what the inside of the train looked like...



Although we could not make it to the Tezuka Manga Museum, I got my dose of Black Jack and Dororo love at Tezuka World near the station. The first thing I saw when we arrived was this...



I had my picture taken with the doctor himself...



After checking into the hotel we had lunch in one of those restaurants where you take your shoes off and you have your own little box...



This was my food which was so good that I ate half of it before remembering to take a picture...



After lunch we visited the Tofukuji Temple. I actually liked the grounds better than the buildings although the whole thing was very peaceful...





The guy who took this picture was an older Japanese man who was so excited when we told him we were from Seattle because of Ichiro Suzuki...



At night we headed out to Gion for some dinner and attempts to gawk at geisha.



I didn't manage to get a geisha pic because they walk fast! However we did see a super fancy poodle (also too fast to get a pic) and these women in traditional dress were gorgeous...



And we finished the night out with a tasty multi-course dinner...



Yummmmmm....

Japan Day 4

On Day 4, we took a day trip to Hakone. We set out around 10 AM and took a train from Tokyo (Shinjuku station) to Hakone. We purchased the Hakone free pass which gives you a return trip to Hakone and free access to all the public transport there. They have rail, buses, cable cars, rope lines, etc. so it is a good deal. Here's the train we took...



We paid extra for seats on the "Romance Car" which is basically a bit nicer than the regular train and has seats paired in twos. Here is a crazy pic of Charles that shows the inside of the train...



Once we arrived in Hakone, we stopped at a restaurant near the station for some excellent soba...



After lunch we utilized our passes to take a train to Gora, a cable car, and a rope line...



Apparently sometimes you can see Mt. Fuji from the rope line, but we didn't. The scenery was gorgeous however...



At around 5 PM, we visited a nearby onsen which had good reviews. Here is the entrance...



Obviously I could not take pictures in the hot springs, but trust me when I say they were awesome. The men and women were separated and in the women's area there were about 6 different pools and a sauna. One thing I loved about the sauna was that it had a window and you could see into the woods. After about an hour there by myself, I met a Colombian woman who was traveling with her husband. She and I were the only two English speakers there so we hung out together and chatted. It was nice to have a chat buddy since most of the women there seemed to be doing the "bathing with their girlfriends" thing. After the hot springs bit, we had tea at the bar...



And then we returned to the train station where I proceeded to photograph Japanese vending machines and the odd drinks inside them...



If you want to see more, my entire set of Hakone photos are here.

Japan Day 3 = Phoenix Wright

Day 3 in Japan was mostly centered around seeing the musical version of the Phoenix Wright video game, but we did do other things. The show was at 2 PM so beforehand we walked around Akasaka, the area where our hotel was located. It was a really cute neighborhood with lots of little restaurants and shops. I loved this painted sewer sign...



And this pic which shows a store called "Bear Hug" and a fancy poodle going for a stroll...



I should do an entire food post because I took a picture of almost everything I ate in Japan. Food is just so cute there! Here was my lunch that day...



After lunch we headed to the theater. The subway station had this awesome light display on the stairs...



A huge crowd of people were gathered around the stage taking pictures of the banner...



I couldn't take any pictures during the show, but I must say that watching women dressed as men playing Japanese lawyers trying a case in California is highly entertaining...even if you don't understand what is going on.

After the show, we went to Shibuya, which lived up to all my expectations from The World Ends With You...



We followed the footprints...



But it still took us a while to find Hachiko...



I even got a pic with a fake commercialized version of the most loyal dog in the world...



For dinner we had sushi at one of those conveyor belt places which was full of hipsters...



We also visited the Tokyu Hands department store where we considered buying a language translation device for the poodles...



Finally we stopped by one branch of Mandarake...



Seriously Shibuya was one of my favorite places. I didn't feel quite cool enough to be there, but it was still amazing. I love areas full of energy, business, and activity.