Tokyo was an incredible trip i never expected to take in my lifetime. When Andrew talked about bidding for Tokyo i jumped at the chance to go exploring with him. He had been there a couple times before so he was really wanting to share this beautiful city with me.
i wasn't sure what to expect. i have been blessed with traveling a lot of places, most of them after the age of 30, but nothing quite like this. i don't speak Japanese and there isn't a lot of English spoken here but amazingly enough it was fairly easy to get around using a bit of common sense.
We left the Asakusa district, hopped on the subway for the Shibuya area of Tokyo. We knew that Shibuya crossing was the "Times Square" of Tokyo but i admit i wasn't expecting that many people.
All the traffic lights turn red, all the walk signs light up, and this organized chaos seems to happen as people cross in all directions. i read it can be up to 2,500 people at one time crossing this intersection. To be in it is overwhelming in a cool kind of way. Sensory overload that brought a smile to my face. Check out a video of this famous crossing HERE.
Right around this area is a ton of shopping and one of the world's busiest Starbucks as it overlooks a spectacular view of Shibuya crossing. Some of them are 6 - 7 stories tall or tucked in the subway station that has 2 million people passing through it daily. It was a Saturday night so the area was swarming with teens & families. It was fun to be in the middle of it all. Andrew & i ended up wandering around the side streets soaking up the atmosphere.
We still had more time the next day before flying out that evening. Andrew & i sat in a cafe with him studying a bit and me filling out some postcards, just enjoying the slow morning soaking up the atmosphere all around us.
We then walked around the Ginza area checking out this famous street. This colorful store had different colors on each floor with the mannequins all turning on a platforms at the same time. Such a cool site to see.
Tokyuhands was recommended to me by a friend so we made our way to this awesome department store. i found the stationary floor and was overwhelmed by all the awesome daily planners and embellishments. Filofax Heaven. Needless to say i scooped up a few colorful fun items i cannot wait to put to use on my Cocoadaisy planner pages.
We couldn't come to Japan and not have Sushi. We stopped into a place recommended to us by Craig for some fresh sushi. The sushi train comes around and you pick up what you want. At the end the meal, they count the plates and add up the cost. The sushi chef is also there for any requests. It was some of the best sushi i have ever had and we were very happy to have our trip come to a close with these tasty morsels. I look forward to going to back to Japan and exploring a bit more.