Mission Day 4 - ('O')9 version

Beams of sun rays piercing through the sky.

Woke up to Typhoon No. 18.

Totally excited with what’s hiding behind a typhoon, we are close to unveiling it.
(Come on, we have never been exposed to natural disaster, so this adventure seems appealing.)

Shinkansen, subways are stopped. People walk to work. People falling off from bicycles while cycling. Fallen leaves. People slipping.

We came out of a subway station seeing roads filled with leaves. Leaves that are ripped off from the branches with the strong wind.


Adventure

Tsukiji Fish Market

Welcome to Tsukiji!

 Stalls jus outside of the wholesale market. Selling very fresh items and food.

 Across the road we saw a shop-like resting area jus for the pple working there.. cool. Benefit!

Everything is a mess and flying ard.. Cardboard and styrofoam boxes! some are quite heavy.. i got hit once..

  See the big tree swaying? XD

The Jinja (Shinto shrine) at Tsukiji Market.

Where are we? We are at Tsukiji Fish Market. We fight against the wind and conquer our sushi breakfast fresh from the sea!

Sushi morningu setto!

Very good miso soup!! the whole huge prawn head is inside! with the prawn of cos. mmmmm.

The sushi chef tried cracking a joke about the tako sushi that I have just ordered and I stared back wide-eyed. He asked me in Japanese if I understood his joke, I replied apologetically that I can’t with my level of Japanese knowledge. Then he went back to slicing the tako.

One big Otera (Buddhist Temple) we saw on our way to Ginza. Forgot to check the name.. =X

Loving the wind, we decided to walk our way to Ginza. It’s a great adventure as I feel gusts of wind in my face. I guess we are the only silly people around who’s enjoying typhoon to the max.


Ginza

Ginza is a place with tall magnificent buildings. Ginza is made up of building blocks of up-class luxury brands with names like Bvlgari, Prada, Tiffany, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, etc. Ren is so tired from Typhoon No. 18 that he actually fell sound asleep at Itoya (stationary shop in Ginza) in just 10 minutes, snoring. SNORING. But the only good thing is, we are there at 11.30am and there are not a lot of people and his snoring volume is not too audible. 

The streets - It’s pretty quiet in on a afternoon with Typhoon No. 18 in the air so we got ourselves settled down for tea at a café. Le Café Doutor which oversees the road.

View from Le Café Doutor.

Hence we decide to head back home in Asakusa, to plan our next adventure on Typhoon Day while Ren can catch some sleep.

After snoozing for a few minutes, Ren woke up with an idea since we are enjoying clear skies, we should just head down to Tokyo Metropolitan Building to view the sky and more importantly sunset with Mt Fuji as the backdrop.



Shinjuku
Whilst on the way to Metropolitan Building, we bought curry bun & Mr Donuts to fill our stomach. After a walk and an elevator to 48th storey, we are able to spot Mt Fuji. It’s a really magnificent peak. We waited till sun is setting.. and the next moment, the sky is orange-tainted with Mt Fuji sitting in the silence of the evening capturing all our attention. 

360degree view of Tokyo. Magnificent. Look at how clear the sky is after the typhoon.

Far out in the west, Mount Fuji. As the sun was facing us setting.. cant get a nice view until.....

The sunset.

The peak stood out perfectly.

  Portrait.

Harajuku
After pampering our eyes with such great view of Mt Fuji, we walked back to Shinjuku station, Harajuku is already on my mind.

Harajuku station.

Takeshita street across Harajuku station.

Harajuku spots a different style. It’s a hangout for street fashion style. It is where cosplayers, gothic lolitha and visual kei hang out a weekend too. So if any of you want to take photos with them, head there on a Sunday afternoon. You will not be disappointed with the crowd. Remember to ask them for permission before snapping shots of them and they are friendly and will love being part of your photo collection. Just ask.


Sitting in Harajuku is the other extreme of tranquility – Meiji Shrine. 

On a Sunday afternoon, you will see little children dressed in their best kimonos and even a few traditional wedding ceremonies.


Of course, it’s a weekday evening where we found ourselves in Harajuku, so it’s a smaller crowd, which means more space for me to shop. Hah. I tumbled into H&M, a Swedish clothing line for men and women, currently in Asia, it’s found in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and China. My wallet bled a little at H&M, but I am considered normal. There’s a lady next to me who bought more than 10pcs of clothes. 10 PIECES. Envy.


Next to H&M is LaForet Harajuku, a unique shopping centre and museum with shops presenting clothes for people who dresses with a “My Style” attitude. Love it, but it’s a tad too pricey. Unless one day I stay in Tokyo, earn in Yen and spend in Yen.


http://www.laforet.ne.jp/index.html

I am not the only one shopping, Ren has been consistently getting new clothes, he shopped again and we are contented with what we found – a nice hooded checkered shirt.



Meal
Noticed that we didn’t eat a lot. Well, after a satisfying sushi breakfast, what more can we ask for. But we had a nice cuppa at Starbucks in Harajuku. And not forgetting my Bacon Potato pie at Macdonalds again. \(‘O’)/


TV
I will not forget the variety shows that I have watched in Japan. I enjoyed this quite a lot. I was supposed to be packing my stuff, but this group of guys in suit-and-tie in a dance battle vs Da Pump just catches my attention. I agree with the result. for their courage! and efforts!
Da Pump's moves are good.



psst : love it at 2.38 to 2.50. it's a move that i wan to master. 


Ren: sorrie abt the long post! i took alot of photos for this trip... XD




('O')9    タコです!　　　じゃね！