Day 14: Tokyo / Akihabara

Today, woke up a bit earlier and made my way to Kaminarimon

Due to th ebetter lighting, the guardian statues housed within the gates are much more visible.

Bought some magatama

And finally, went to the holy land of the Otakus, Akihabara

And coming back tomorrow 1.30am. Sianx, don't latch the door.....

Day 14: Tokyo / Mikata, Harajuku, Shibuya, Ebisu, Shinjuku

Today, bought some souvenirs today.

Went to the Ghibli Museum today, and bought the soft toy of a black cat from the anime movie Kiki's Delivery Service.

Got a G-shock watch (MTG-910DJ-2JF) from a BicWatch outlet in Shibuya, one of the major electronics company in Japan.

Day 13: Tokyo / Shinjuku

Today went on a shopping spree at Shinjuku and Harajuku

Went hoodie hunting like crazy. Here's the result

' Because I am a genius'

And for watches!

Now, I am writing the blogging in unstable wifi connection. freaking annoying that the blog refuses to update even when it is supposedly strong and especially when it is 1.30am over here.

Day 12: Tokyo

For the final part of this trip, we went back to Tokyo. Back in Asakusa, in another inn by the same company, Khaosan Tokyo Smile. From here, we will be commuting to the the other parts of Tokyo for our last 5 days of this trip. Time passes so fast.

Though we could not discern the reason, March 16 seems to be some kind of important day, with this quiet city (or at least it was, when we visited it on the 1st day) suddenly bustling with people. There is even trishaw pullers cashing in to this boom.

This is the Kaminarimon, the entrance to one of the biggest attraction in Asakusa, The Sensoji Temple.

Beyond the gate, there is a huge shopping district, or pasar malam, selling many traditional japanese goods, souvenirs, toys and food. It was as crowded as Chinatown just before Chinese New Year

Found a shop selling a huge variety of mask.

Having fun with 1 of the mask. Cool.......but retarded, but still quite cool. Now, how to bring back to Singapore without it breaking into pieces......

And this is the main temple

Together with a 5-storey pagoda which you cannot climb.

 In the evening, we went to Suidobashi, where the Tokyo Dome is located.

Found a shop selling anime goods

And our main objective for going there, a obscure 'music studio' located at the basement of a non-descript building to listen to musicians playing music 'live'

However, as much as the establishment's surface looks seedy, the interior gives off a very nice 'wipe'

And here's the musician playing some music, technically speaking. According to the music expert in our group, it was a very interesting expression of creativity through a unconventional way, something they would call avant garde, something much like Picasso? But to me, all I heard was the musician strumming static, literally. I think I am too musically un-inclined (not sure if there is even such a word)

However, the trip to the musician was worth it, because on the way back to hotel, there was a sea of girls flooding the station. They just came out from the Tokyo Dome after a concert by some boy band called Heisei Jump. And the best part is, all of them were dolled up nicely. Ahhhh....vitamin for the eyes......

Finally, the last part of this trip made my day.

What would you say when you see a friend leaning against the door just when it is about to about as the train approaches the station?
' Step away from the door. '
' Don't lean! Don't lean! '
' (pointing) Oi!Oi! '

Well, we witness a certain Ang Moh experiencing a similar situation with his Japanese (i think) friend. His reaction was,

' I think You Should Seize Contact With The Door '.

We almost LOLed to his word choice, which, to me, totally sounded like it came from some police or Robocop movie. We had to hold our laughter until they alighted and disappeared from our sight.