Avalon

One Week in Tokyo Part2

Friday, August 29, 2008

Procrastination can be really scary. It's been almost a month since my return from Japan. I do miss parts of the place and the free-spirited nature of travelling. So here I will continue on my prolonged narration and delineation of my version of one week in Tokyo.

"(We are)Japan, therefore we can. For a new Olympic!" And so Tokyo prepares hopefully for its turn at the Olympics. China definitely did an exemplary showcase this year, so apart from London which is going to organise the next one in 2012, may the next country that wins the bid do a respectable job too, in celebration of the Athenian spirit. May the best country win. But back then, I hadn't caught the Olympic fever so I didn't think much of this.

Tokyo Metropolitan Building. Yes their government office building side wing is a tourist attraction.

We went up to the South Observation Tower which was on the 45th floor.

Panaromic view of Tokyo city. That big patch of green is where the Meiji Jingu Shrine is located.

The buildings around the metropolitan building look very impressive.

Japanese curry rice at one of the shops in Shinjuku. The aroma was too luring. The good thing about Jap curry is it's not too spicy. Didn't do much shopping in Shinjuku though.

Shibuya, where the young (and working class) gather. Shopping paradise for the ladies.

The Dark Knight.. I had not watched it then. Blockbusters tend to be shown slightly later in Japan, the only exception I recall was Spiderman 3, when the world premier was aired in Tokyo.

I love the commercial boards. Softbank (their phone service operator) had an advertisement featuring Cameron Diaz and I missed it so much. (No not Diaz but the wide variety of phones that come in all sorts of colours)

Scrambled crossing in Shibuya where pedestrians cross in all directions during traffic lights, as displayed here. Spot the difference in the two pictures?

Akihabara 秋葉原 The haven for electronic, computer, anime, and otaku goods, including new and used items. Recently made notorious for the stabbing incident that happened on June 8. We didn't encounter any, and there were actually policemen patrolling the place.

Tokyo Anime Centre, an archive for anime related stuff.

Exhibition of the life size models of the characters from Neon Genesis Evangelion, a classic 1993 anime.

Autographs of seiyuus 声優 or voice actors/actresses.

One of my favourite voice actress.

Another life-sized doll placed on showcase. They sell the weirdest stuff here. Of course some I can't take photos of... because it is forbidden by the shops. Definitely an eye opener. No wonder foreigners are flooding the place too. (I am one myself) But I sometimes wonder where people get all the money for such purchases. This doll here costs thousands of Singapore dollars.

This is NOT cosplay. I repeat. They are merely dressed in maid outfits to distribute flyers or literally call for business 招徕生意. (no not prostituting, well at least not in broad daylight I think) In any case, people dressed in costumes are a common sight in Akihabara.

Special Oden cans that offer a variety of canned food, from ramen to bread.

At Ueno 上野 Ameyoko street アメ横.

Not only China has weird translations for instructions.. This is taken from a clothes shop.

Leaving our trail by doodling in one of those guest books at K-hostel Tokyo.

We left the visit to Asakusa, namely the Sensō-ji, Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon.

Because it's summer, the open market outside the temple had this shelter that is automatically activated.

香客络绎不绝

好大的草鞋。

人形焼, shaped differently. I got one that resembles the lanturn of Sen soji and the other of a bird.

Hard at work..

Set meal.

A typical Japanese restaurant. On the second last day of our trip, we were treated to a summer fireworks celebrations at Toyko Sumida River, at Asakusa, which was very near our hostel.

This is the same Bandai office building, only that the roads are lined with people waiting for the fireworks display.

Picture of family bliss.

Another picture of bliss.

这里看烟火俨然全民运动，这是新加坡所没有的。气氛也的确很棒，老早就有情侣、一家老小报到，有的扶老携幼，有的手牵着手，很和谐的一幅情景。

Nice reflections.

“ 是否还记得，一起看烟火，我在你眼里，看到闪烁...” 脑中重复播着光良的《烟火》。那时才知道原来烟火的歌词是满惆怅的。

Here's how spectacular the fireworks display was. The whole thing lasted for 1 and a half hours continuously. We watched for about 1 hour before realising that we had enough of fireworks for the day.

Very colourful right?

Looks like ahem.. music notes.

Peppering the skies with white lights. I was thinking if you were really with a loved one here it would really be such a romantic experience. 不用故意制造的浪漫，自然得很平凡。不过反正我们也不是四个男生在看，周边是挤满各国人士。七月二十六日参加了这场烟火飨宴的朋友，要好好记住这场华丽的汇演。何时再能看到最美的烟火呢？我想随缘吧，毕竟，我们也是事先不晓得有这场烟火会的。

This is indeed a good way to end our trip. But before I close the books on this trip to Japan,

At this restaurant that sells unagi sets at Narita.

Unagi Bento set, that officially caused me to be left with a mere 100 yen after this dinner at Narita on the last day. It cost about 1500 yen.

How the chefs kill the eel. Didn't kill our appetite though.

ただいま。みんな、お元気で。この経験を忘れないで。全ての物を忘れないでください。

Envoy of the Stars @ 7:41 PM
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