こんにちは Konnichiwa !!!
3 cities – 15 days – and almost a year of planning in advance. My first time in Japan was truly a dream come true and full of unforgettable memories. Special shoutout to Alex for compiling the extensive itinerary, and for making sure we made it to most of our bucket list of places <3 I am so excited to be sharing my Japan Diary with you guys. Chapter 1 starts in the capital city, Tokyo.
Early morning view of Brissie -> connecting flight to Cairns. If you guys have ever wondered why there aren’t a lot of Japanese people in Brisbane (I have), it’s because they’re all in Cairns :p
^ Saw this shortly after departing Cairns. (Someone please tell me what it is!)
With 8 hours to pass, I finally got around to watching Thor and picturing myself as Natalie Portman…
We boarded a Skyliner that took us straight from Narita Airport to Tokyo. This was my first time seeing the overwhelmingly long platforms jam-packed with commuters.
First meal of the trip: 一蘭 ICHIRAN RAMEN!! Man, this was the perfect meal for the 2 degree weather. The dramatic climate change from mid 30s to 2 degrees celsius in one day was a little crazy for me. I have to admit, I wasn’t prepared.
Our Airbnb was located around 10 minutes walk from Ikebukuro Station tucked in the nooks and crannies of a neighbourhood block. The accomodation was pret-ty small but it felt cool to live like a local and see the neighbours come and go for work ^_^
Stop 1: Takeshita Street – famous for the fashion boutiques, cafes, streetwear and Harajuku fashion. I mean….LOOK AT THOSE SHOES <3!
Totti Candy Factory where I had the biggest fluff of rainbow fairy floss.
There are crepe stores dotted all over Takeshita street but I couldn’t handle anymore after the fairy floss ;___;
Omotesando Tokyo Plaza building
[Alex was enjoying his chicken nuggets when I took this photo]
This is a $150 honeydew guys.
Found a 5 storey Kiddyland store. I couldn’t contain my excitement because everything was just so KAWAII!!!! UGH. Sanrio, Ghibli, Bandai, Disney. I could spend all day squishing everything >_<
Gindaco Takoyaki! I was surprised to find that unlike the firm takoyaki that I’m used to, freshly made Japanese takoyaki is actually really soft and gooey on the inside.
Walked to Meiji shrine and made the best spontaneous decision to enter the Iris gardens. There was only an hour until it closed but we paid the small entry fee and went exploring. It was so peaceful and a beautiful place to watch sunset by the lake (très romantic am I right? haha). During the Meiji period, Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken would enjoy their time in the teahouse and wandering around the gardens.
Meiji Jingu Sake Barrells
I watched the movie Hachi: A Dog’s Tale last year, and it made me cry so hard. It’s based on the amazing real life story of Hachiko who lived in the 1920s-30s. Read up on it guys~
Dinner in a standing sushi restaurant. I can’t really express in words how good this was so it’s a must try if you’re a sushi lover in Japan.
^ Creme brulee for dessert in the L’Occitane cafe, Shibuya.
Our first day done and dusted. It was probably the most jammed packed day of the trip and we walked non stop (16.3km according to le pedometer). Pt 2 is coming next ^_^
