Shibuya & Harajuku

A bit late update, but better late than never right?

Tokyo didn't really live up to my expectations. I don't really know why, but I imagined it to be more "flashy and showy" than it was. I think Tokyo is quite similar to Kyoto, only less tourists and more people. Despite this, I really had a good time there!

On our first day in Tokyo, we went straight to Shibuya after relaxing a bit in our new hostel. Shibuya is one of the modern, shopping places in Tokyo, with a lot of stores and malls. We were headed to Shibuya 109, which is a huge shopping mall for girls. 9 stores of clothing stores.

 On our way to shibuya 109. By the famous "street crossing" in Tokyo.

A really blurry picture, but this is a fashion style many people have in Tokyo.

Oh.. yeah, and the one to the left is a boy.

There are sooo many pretty clothes there, but 70% of the clothes are like size XXS here! Looks like the clothes you will find in children stores. And the clothes that do looks like the right size, you often aren't allowed to try on. Why? I'm not sure. Other places we've tried clothes they just put a paper bag on our head to prevent makeup getting on the clothes, but most places in Tokyo, they wouldn't let you try on the clothes no matter how many bags you'd be willing to cover yourself in. I did buy a sweater, necklace and a phonestrap though.

  

A picture of the entrance on our way out.

 

This is the sweater and necklace I bought in Shibuya, the wallet I bought in Harajuku, which is the place we went to the next day. My hello kitty sweater has catears and a ribbon on the hood.... only in Japan <3

  

This is a shopping street in Harajuku, with soo many stores I could only wish we had in Norway! (I don't have pictures from the stores, because you're not allowed to take pictures of them in Japan).

 

Weird accessories..

 

..and crepe stores at every corner! A crepe is a pancake filled with good stuff <3 I didn't get to try it though.. but I will for sure next time I see one of these stores. The price is about 25NOK.. cheap!

Unfortanely, I didn't get to take more photos because the batteries died. I have a bunch of videos though, But I havn't quite figured how to upload them yet.

So, now I'm back in Norway as most of you already know. And for those who didn't know, you do now.
     I didn't really see a future for me living in Japan the next half year, for various reasons. It wasn't quite as I expected, and things very more expensive than I though. Also, I didn't get to have visitors living with me, even though we we're told we could from the beginning. That resulted in both Joachim, and Marte - my bestfriend - had to cancel their flights..
     I really do like Japan, and I'm planning to go back already around december/january. But now when I'm back in Norway, I realise that I've made the right choise in returning. I also want to say that I'm very happy with finishing a year with japanese studies, living in Japan proved to myself that I've learned so much in just these two semesters! And my plan from the beginning was to learn japanese because it is something I've wanted for such a long time. I didn't begin studying japanese just to get a bachelor etc. but for my own sake. And that dream is fufilled :-) I will continue studying on my own though, and I will also continue updating this blog.. so stay tuned...

Tokyo tomorrow

Today was our last day in Kyoto. Tomorrow morning we are taking the shinkansen to Tokyo. I've seen so much pretty places here, and I really feel we have gotten much out of our time here. Even though Kyoto has been great, I'm really looking forward to se a new place! I don't have much days left here in Japan, so I'm going to enjoy these last day to the fullest.
     Today we woke up quite late. around 11.30.. It was nice to sleep in a bit. After eating sandwiches for breakfast, we went to Kyoto station (It is a shopping mall there with restaurants and such...), to eat dessert! We have been drooling over fake window desserts the past days, so today we decided to try it out.

 

Icecream with cake on top of it!

It was good, but filled with weird coffee gelly O_o It was waay to sweet, so we only ate about half of it. 

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I bought these shoes yesterday at Kyoto station! Love them <3 Only 350NOK.

I'm glad I'm spending the last days here in Tokyo. I think there is alot to see and do there. It's gonna be nice to return to Norway though :-)

More from Kyoto

Yesterday we spent the day with Kenta, a Japanese boyfriend of Wictoria. He had a car, so we had the opportunity to go to alot of places. First, we went to the Inari temple, or one of the inari shrines here in Japan. Which is such a pretty place! Inari is the fox god which represents rice in Japan or something.

 

On our way up to the Inari temple/shrine.

Bought some souveniers aswell..

  

Really pretty buildings at the Inari shrine.

 

 

  

The fox god

 

Kenta made us do a japanese ritual, by tossing a coin inside a temple, and ringing these bells. We were then supposed to close our eyes and pray for something I think.. but I skipped that part >_>''

We bough one of these fox heads. We were supposed to draw faces on them, and then write our name and wish on the back of it.

We then hung them here among lots of other fox heads.

 

Guess which is mine......         ......the one in the middle!

Another fox statue

Into the portals of the unknown.......

  

Pretty right?

Later on we went to another place with temples, don't know the name of the place though.

 

This temple is sooo big! the pictures doesn't really show...

Later that evening, we went together to take Purikura (pictures from a photomachine), eat ramen, and go to karaoke!

Narutos favorite! Tasted good. This is the smallest size, but it was really big! And only about 30 NOK!!

At the karaoke. Bad picture, but this was the japanese friends of Wictoria we went out with. It was really fun. about 200NOK, and you can sing for as long as you'd like in your own room, and drink as much alcohol/tea/juice etc... as you want :-)

Today we only went a small trip to Gion, which is a place with lots of gift shops, and some temples. We were so tired from last night, so this small trip suited us perfectly.

 

I found some cool statues in Gion.

Another huuge temple.

 

Later on we went shopping :-) 

  

We then went to eat some japanese cake! This looks sooo much like the ones you see in anime. So perfectly shaped. 

 

Right now I'm eating mango pudding, and relaxing in the hostell bedroom. We have done so much these past days, and all the new impressions havn't really sunken in yet. Therefore, I'm quite tired. I wonder when I'll realise that I'm in Japan? 

A long day

Today, we woke up around 08:00, to get ready for a new day in Kyoto. We walked to Kyoto station, and found a train which took us to "arashiyama", which is a really nice place where you can enjoy beautiful japanese landscape, houses, a LOT of souvenir stores, and even feed monkeys!

 

Really nice view from our train to Arashiyama, the wood looks like "bryophyte"...eh.. mose? It is sooo much more prettier when you see it with your own eyes.

 

The town which lies at the bottom of arashiyama (the mountain where we fed monkeys). So calm and pretty..just like you would see in a anime.

 

Pictures on our way to arashiyama...

  

  

  

I can't believe people work like this in about 35 degrees! They run around with people in their wagons. 

 

I saw this bird in a lake by arashiyama.. I can't remember its name, but this bird is used alot in Japanese art.

 

The entrance to Arashiyama, pretty right? Reminds me of Samurai Champloo and such..  sorry, can't help it XD

 

After we entered the gate..

 

Here you can wash your hands.

 

Even though the monkey feeding place wasn't to far above ground, it was soo tiredsome getting up there! Walking up a "steep" road in 35 degrees with the sun burning on our shoulders... Finally, we got up there!

 

Posing for us... (I think he wants food)

 

Me  feeding a monkey! They were really spoiled :<

 

But cute..in a weird way..

 

 There was a pond with carpes there aswell, so huge! 

 

After feeding the monkeys, we went down again..

 

After that, we went to a bamboo forest close by.. we only were there for about 10 minutes though, because of the heat!

  Pretty!

  

We then went to look for some souvenires....

 

I just wanted to show this picture. Japanese people often make copies of food, and represent it like a menu! Probably because it is easier for foreigners to choose? I'm not sure. But they look so real...oh yeah, by the way.. japanese icecream is really stacked this pretty.

 

I took some pictures of japanese gardens and such on my way to the train station :o

 

  

Now it's soon time for bed here in Japan. We have also been out eating at a restaurant today, aswell as shopping, and hanging out in the commonroom/bar here at the hostel.