Tokyo at last!

Okay, with that title, you are probably thinking, "but Lindsay, you were already in Tokyo." Physically, yes, I was in the city. Lost, cloistered in a hotel, but in the city.

Well, on Saturday, I was went to Tokyo for real! First, I must tell you, getting there was something of a trial. I spent the entire night before going over maps and trying to figure out how to get there. Impossible. The maps are all in solid kanji, and there is no map of my particular railway. Finally, I went on my phone internet and found a route via hyperdia.com. This website is my salvation. Funny thing was, when I first tried to access it with my phone, it didn't work. It was only after hours of pouring over useless maps that it suddenly decided to work.

So, I wrote out my directions meticulously both in romanji and kanji, feeling a little nervous about making the trip by myself, but determined to go anyway. However, when I got to the train station, I found that the machine to buy tickets made no sense. Instead of asking for a destination or a route or any other method, it asked how much I should pay. How would I know?! I showed my directions to an attendant and he was able to print me the necessary ticket on his computer, but I still have no idea how to buy a ticket myself...

Overall, the trip was pretty quick. It took about 2 hours total and cost ~2200 yen (about $24). It wasn't the cheapest route but it wasn't the most expensive either, just the most convenient. I didn't take the bullet train (it's not convenience to wear I live) but the express trail. I didn' t realize that the express train had assigned seats (ohhh, THAT'S was 'reserved seating' means) so I was shooed out of my spot before I realized something was up.

I actually only went to Harajuku. I knew I wouldn't have very much time since I was only spending a day there, so I had a couple very specific stores picked out and nothing else. First, I went to Kiddyland.

Kiddyland is a huge toy store, 5 floors, each with their own theme. I lost track of time, so I can't say for sure, but I think I spent 2 hours in this store! It was totally packed! Probably because it is listed in many travel guides as well as because it is simply huge, I think. What I thought was funny was how much space was dedicated to foreign toys/characters. Micky mouse, Carebears, Snoopy, Disney... some had their very own floors! Mostly, I looked only briefly over this stuff. There were only two floors that were almost completely Japanese. I took a few pictures of the cute things they had for sale.


These dolls~ so pretty! The dresses! Wah! Angelic Pretty minature dresses! Everything on those girls are minature of real items that you can buy and wear, down to the detail on the skirts and bonnets! So cute! My love of Angelic Pretty (the brand) made me squee. However, the dolls were not for sale and the picture was free so...

Speaking of Angelic Pretty, that was actually the main reason for my trip to Tokyo this time and my next stop. The store is in a mall called Laforet, which I read was huge. Somehow, even though I knew (on a map) where it was, I still got lost finding it. Funny thing was, getting lost put me on the famous Harajuku St.


I didn't have time or money to spend there this time, so I just took a picture and headed to Laforet. Laforet was a huge mall, 7 stories, I think. From what I saw, all of the clothes there were very nice, very stylish, but also, very expensive. I spent some time in the store I had planned to go to, bought a yukata, and looked around a bit. There was just one little restaurant that I saw, nestled in the corner. It was more of a cafe than a restaurant, with most people ordering these really interesting drinks... they looked like colored ice cubes with milk poured over them. Some sort of tea. I would like to try it next time I go, but this time, I just had a regular lemon tea and pancakes. I was told I wouldn't find pancakes in Japan, but there it is.

(click for bigger picture)

For only really visiting two stores, my day went very quickly! I actually went back to Kiddyland and bought a teddy bear before I left. I can see the eyes rolling, but hey, I'm glad I bought it. It's nice to have a little companionship, even silent, stuffed, and pink, in my lonely apartment.

So, on the whole, my transportation cost about 4460yen (~$46). Not that expensive but not cheap either. I could have stayed in Tokyo overnight, but I had already spent all my money anyway and certainly didn't need more temptation to spend more! Gah, I could go broke there without effort. Still, I hope to visit again soon. I know Chingyi said she might want to go, so we will see!

One thing about this trip... I had really really wanted to wear one of my beautiful skirts from AP. That way I would look nice and not like a total tourist. However, it was (yet again) raining when I left Gunma. It rains and rains and raaaaaaaaaaains. I didn't want to ruin my skirt, so wore something else. It turns out, though, that I wore the wrong thing. It's a pink blouse from Anthropology that I have wore countless times in the US. It's very low cut but I don't worry too much about it. Well, that is NOT the case here! Everyone and their mother (literally) was staring at my breasts without even trying to hide it! It was... a little uncomfortable, I have to say. The worst part was actually on the local train home. It was pretty empty but this guy sitting across from me was majorly creepy. Even the boob-staring people would look away after a minute. This guy did not. He actually laid out on his side on the empty bench and just stared at me the entire 8 minutes I was on the train. Like he was watching a movie. Boy was I glad when he did not get off on my stop.

...

Cheers,

Tokyo Baer.