After a tiring 1st day in Tokyo I decided to slow the pace down a bit. I slept in til about 9 a.m. and decided to check out Harajuku and Shibuya today. Leaving the Harajuku train station was a bit weird. Apparently on Sundays the local teens dress up in gothic and anime costumes to display to the public how weird or original they are. One group had “Free Hugs” signs so I played my part and gave them all hugs. I took a few more pics with them and moved on to the Meijie-Jingu Shrine. It was situated well behind a serene lush forest setting. A traditional shrine it resembles what is relic of old Japan in modern Tokyo. The first thing that caught my attention were the wide tall wooden entry gates. The entry to the shrine had a water fountain that allowed guests to wash their hands and mouth before entering. I did so and proceeded in. The place wasn’t very big. It resembled small temple. There wasn’t much to see there. I followed what the locals did, prayed and moved along.

Outside the shrine I talked to a group of protesters campaigning against cluster bombs. They wanted to group together and take a picture with people laying on the ground to represent the dead victims. I volunteered and did my part. CMC was the name of the group. Hopefully I’ll see my picture on their site.

I headed south towards Shibuya where along the way I stopped through an outdoor flea market. I was starving at this point and wanted something quick to eat. I found some sort of chow mein noodle dish that looked good. After a quick bite I realized that the vendor was wrong about his definition of “delicious.” I couldn’t get past the mayonnaise on top of the noodles. I at half of it and moved onto something else. I found som Yakitori (BBQ skewered chicken) that was good and was content for a little bit. I continued walking through the market and ended up at some sort of kid convention. I tried to take pictures but was silently denied by the ushers .

After some more walking around I ended up in the upscale Omote-Sando area of Harajuku. This must be the ritziest shopping district in Tokyo. The streets were lined with shops like Armani, Louis Voutton and other Italian designers whom sound cooler than they are. I just casually walked through in my T-shirt and jeans as if I didn’t belong there. I bought a few souvenir shirts at the lower end section of Harajuku and headed back to the hotel for a nap. After a quick nap I headed over to Shibuya to check out the night life. The Lonely Planet suggested on anime store called Mandarake. I wanted to get my sister a stuffed animal so I went in search. As soon as I got to Shibuya I was immediately lost. I found the 4-way crossing that is shown in all the movies but when I tried to find the side street it turned out I was off by about 15 blocks. I was stumbling through dark alleys for roughly 20 mins trying to circumnavigate the train station and any Yakuza in the area. I found the store after about an hour and was impressed by its collection of anime DVDs. Wall to wall were Manga toys and movies. I however didn’t find a suitable stuffed animal.

After walking around for so long I was hungry and tired. I wanted to try some sushi. I found a grocery store at the train station and bought a lunch box of sushi. That was a bad idea. The salmon was smoked and the rice tasted a little sour. Regardless I finished it and headed back to the hotel to end the day. First taste of Sushi not so good. Hopefully it will be better tomorrow.