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Tuesday 28 August 2012

JAPAN, Summer 2011 [part 2/8] - TOKYO (Traditional focus)

So.... I'm one year late in posting the rest of my Japan travel photos

And this is only the second part... =.= (still in Tokyo!)
I seriously cannot wait to upload the latter parts when I'm in the countryside, it really felt like I was travelling there and discovering new things, rather than wandering idly like I was in Tokyo. But here's the rest of my Tokyo pictures! It's quite strange because I remember going to loads of places, but only took these many pictures in Tokyo... I guess if I had a picture for every moment I had there, I probably won't have enough bandwidth haha (I have over 3000 pictures + videos..)

Continued from Part 1/8 - Modern Tokyo

I'll start with some of pictures from my Modern Tokyo file which I forgot to upload in the 1st part~

Takeshita Dori


Shibuya

Found some beloved TVXQ in the music store next to the Starbucks overlooking the Shibuya crossing

Tokyo Television Broadcasting Station in Shinbashi


I think this was Ohno's (Arashi) program.. there were SO MANY PEOPLE on the day!

Arashi's new show.. there was a room where people were queuing up to go inside.. I thought Arashi was going to be in there doing fansigns or something... but no such luck unfortunately, it only had lit up posters of them for people to take pictures with

 

Asakusa's Kannon Temple (Sensoji)


Incredible shop with all varieties of Maneki neko!


I regret not tasting these, but I was suffering in the sauna heat and needed to find kakigoori stands..










I had no idea how to use these, fortunately there was an elderly couple next to me and I asked them the steps. There was a hexagonal container with many sticks, each labeled with a number in kanji. You shake the container and retrieve one, match the number up with the one on the drawers and the sheet inside reads your fortune/predicts your future for that year. Mine said intermediate luck, which with hindsight I found was quite true. I had my lucky times and not so good times this year :)

If you aren't happy with your fortune, you can roll up your sheet and tie it on these stands, the idea is so that the bad luck can dissipate and the gods will help you.. or something









I decided to take a cruise on the Sumida river


The Asahi Beer Hall~ the building is designed to look like a jug of beer

The Asahi Flame, or the 'golden turd'. Someone told me it's also known as the 'golden sperm' lol



I passed this pretty billboard, and now the more I look at this picture, the more I think I've seen it on TV or in a music video or something..

Window cleaners~ this building was massive

Tokyo Tower

I got off at the Hamarikyu Gardens because I wanted to see the Canary Wharf of Tokyo

The garden was surprisingly tranquil, even though from all directions you could see grey skyscrapers towering above. You can't hear the traffic from inside at all.

Nakajima no ochaya. It's a little island in the middle of Shioiri Pond. It serves matcha tea and Japanese sweets in the tea ceremony style. I only tried Japanese tea ceremony once when I was studying Japanese in London and went to a short one day course. But I'd forgotten everything already so thank goodness there was an instruction sheet telling me what to do because I felt so rude and sweaty inside haha 


Iced matcha tea. It was amazing because my body cooled down instantly after I drank this and I stopped perspiring so much. It was amazing considering how scorching hot it was inside the gardens!




Really pretty field of flowers on the way out

And a couple preparing to take their wedding photos


Meiji jingu, this Shinto shrine was so close to the vibrant Harajuku it seemed really out of place. But once again when you were inside you couldn't hear the buzz of the traffic outside. Not many tourists went inside, visitors of this area were more drawn towards the better known Harajuku.





 
I'll end this post with some purikura I took with Yurina :) 




 I'll be back tomorrow with my travels in Kamakura! So determined to get these all uploaded =v=

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