Tokyo Winter 2008 Day 4

12 January, 2008 by Thefutureisanalogue

Day 4, chilly weather as usual, we moved all our stuff to our new hostel. This time it was a traditional hostel.

No more holes in the wall, just traditional, very sturdy double decker beds. Looking back, i think European hostels really can’t be compared to the ones in Japan.

The hostel.

Our Room.

Even toilet bowls are so high-tech, there are functions that include spraying water up your rear. Don't ask me how that feels, i didn't try it out..

The mind boggling number of different empty bottles and 1 yen coins left behind.

Dropped a postcard here.

Ice-cream vending machine in the train station.

Ta-daah!

An everyday sight already.

Shinjuku station. Obscenely huge, sprawling complex.

Finally, after mindlessly walking in circles, we arrived at the Square Enix building. Yan needed to buy stuff for our friends. I was the innocent party who braved the cold winds.

Walked back to Shinjuku station where we saw a street band performing outside.

Here's looking at you baby.

The group's name is LargeLucy. No idea why, when the lead singer is so slim.

They really seemed to enjoy performing for the crowd.

She had a really kiddish voice.

And all the funky dance moves.

Super energetic group!

The girl at the back is the drummer. Her instrument is a hollow wooden box, and a stomp box, controlled by her leg. The guy in red is the bassist, while the purple dude is the lead guitarist. “Lucy” is the dancer, singer and general entertainer.

Well it was really fun to watch them perform, especially Lucy’s funny dance moves. You can’t help but smile while watching.

Went back to Harajuku again, this time it was a Sunday, and cosplayers are strutting their stuff.

I wonder how long it takes to create that hair.

Preparing costumes.

Posing for the cameras.

Buskers. The standard of buskers in Tokyo are generally quite high.

Harajuku's Takeshita Street, lots of fashion boutiques and cafes.

Lunchtime! Queued up for a while to enter Kyushuu Jangara Ramen shop.

There are cutesy UFO graphics everywhere.

Yan's.

Mine. For a moment, i was in heaven. LOOK AT THE YUMMY FATS!

And then we went to Nakano broadway to look for 2nd handed CDs and misc stuff. See the entrance in the middle? I have no idea why i didn't take any pictures inside.

Found ourselves back to Shibuya's Mark city to try out Midori sushi for dinner.

See the light at the end of the tunnel? That's the sushi restaurant. By the way, those people are queuing up.

1 hour later... it had better be good.

Everyone greeted us loudly, even the chefs. Service culture in Japan is excellent.

Otoro, fatty tuna belly slices. The 2 on the left are normal fatty slices, the 2 on the right? Extra fatty slices!

Super fresh fish.

LOOK AT THE GLEAMING FATS!

It just melts in your mouth.

We each ordered the largest set. Raw prawns and crab was still ok for me. But nothing can prepare me for the shock of eating raw ikan bilis. That big piece is semi cooked eel. Tasted so nua-ish.