Lost In Translation Update : Shibuya and Harajuku

If there are two places I want to visit again in Japan they would be Shibuya and Harajuku. They are the "Young" areas of Tokyo with the majority of people walking the streets aged between 12 and 28 by my guess. The vibe is just brilliant.

Everything feels "new" in Shibuya, new buildings, new stores, pop music blaring out. It is classy while still having the zaniness of Japan. Harajuku is pure Japanese zaniness but awesomely fun. Kids dress up, there are heaps of Happy Goths and street performers who are there to perform, not busk.

The people in this district are so nice, and everyone seems to be having a great time. Just pure fun, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face all day.

I spent most of the afternoon just people watching, but I got my times wrong and didn't make it into the park where all the cosplay kids go. I might try to head back there again this week as it is only a few stops away on the train, but I think they mostly come out on Sundays.

I also managed to find some "department" stores yesterday, negating one of the items on my "Tibits" entry.

Today I am going to head to Central Tokyo to try and check out the Imperial Palace and Ueno Museum. Tommorrow I am going to try and mission it to Mt Fugi, but it isn't looking promising due to being out of season.

I read one of the books I bought from the Anime Institute and it better than I though. It is the complete story boards from Fooly Cooly and, while it is all in Japanese, it is great to see the process that goes into making the show.

Just a note on my Itinerary: Thursday I will be checking out of this hotel, jumping a bullet train to Kyoto and checking in there, so most of Thursday will be travel.