Day 283, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
Nothing makes you feel more like you are in Tokyo than witnessing the “scramble” at the busiest intersection in Tokyo, Shibuya Crossing. If that many people can accumulate at the intersection’s edges every two minutes, what on earth would it look like with three minutes intervals. I suppose Shibuya “scramble” would become “the flood.” But that happened at the end of the day.
The day was so warm outside, we originally thought we’d go to the zoo. But we ended up skyping with Kier, who had just returned home from the hospital. We also needed to apply online for tourist Visas to India. Never have we seen such detailed applications, even for our actual passports. They wanted spouse employment information, info on our parents, religion, past addresses, and every country we have ever visited. While we are happy to give all of this information, we have never seen such a thorough gathering of personal information on any required form. We did bawk at the list of every country you’ve been to, but the box could only fit about ten, and countries like United Arab Emirates take up a lot of space.
By the time we headed out the door it was 3pm, too late for the zoo. Instead we took the girls to Shibuya for the evening. First we went to the crazy packed shopping area, Takeshita Street, the one where all the teens seem to do their shopping. The streets were packed with girls in their uniforms, coming straight from school. Two guys were wearing wolf masks and had signs around their necks saying, “free hugs” in English. Since we are familiar with the Little Red Riding Hood story, we passed on the free creeper hugs. Really, a bunny head may be more effective.
One of the most popular treats on the street, in addition to the huge globes of cotton candy, are the dessert stuffed crepes. The French need to come and take a look at this. Inside a crepe you can get a whole piece of cheesecake and two scoops of ice cream. They are crazy huge and everyone is eating them. As you walk by the crepe stands, you can smell the overpowering sweetness in the air.
If you’ve interested in doggie fashion, this is the place to see some over the top canine couture. We saw doggies in trendy hoodies and sneakers, doggies in tailored denim vests, and hip urban wear.
Arcades are like entering a different world, and with games we just simply don’t have back home, like this one where depending on how and where you drum, it makes the girls dance.
There were many unique shopping experiences, everywhere you look. This green one was unique.
The neon signs are everywhere, it feels like a life-sized video game. I’m amused by the many cartoon animals common in the advertising here.
We had dinner in this seafood restaurant which Paul had scouted out a few days earlier. Everyone found something they liked, and it had a cozy atmosphere. Our table was in that window area, right under the heater–it was divine!
After that we walked to Shibuya crossing. The whole scene is mesmerizing. The mass of humanity fills the streets when the green man says go. Then it only takes two minutes for the people to accumulate for it to happen again.
It was getting late, so we got on a JR train at Shibuya station, and went home.