Tokyo, Japan! - Shibuya and Harajuku

In front of Shibuya crossing


A Godzilla poster in Japan, could you get more cliche?


A very popular 10 member J-pop boy band!

When the crosswalks turned green, crowds of people from all directions flooded the intersection. We've never seen so many people in such a small area.

Sweet shorts, dude








Consumerism overload


Southwestern Babes!





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Harajuku, an area known for it's eccentrically dressed youth culture, was a sure stop on our exploration of the city. While it was an awesome area filled with cool stores and restaurants, sadly, we think that the miserable heat considerably toned down the crazy Japanese fashions you imagine when you think about Tokyo. Very few people seemed as wildly dressed as we expected.


This woman's makeup made her face frightening. You can't tell from this picture, but it was basically sad clown makeup done in natural tones. Not a good look.





*(Andrew must have taken hundreds of pictures of fire escapes, balconies and outdoor staircases on apartment and office buildings so be prepared, they are scattered throughout the Tokyo posts)

So damn hot outside!

Lookin good

We would have gone in here, but the crowd of giggling school girls at the entrance turned us away.

No old men are allowed to cross the street

A cheap, trendy clothing store named Marlboro...


Searching the allies for a lunch spot


Sleazeball!


Cowboy hat: always an appropriate accessory


super-trendy mom-butt

We planed on having lunch at a delicious sounding Asian-fusion place we read about in the Lonely Planet, but the heat only allows for so much searching. It was somewhere on one of the many allies that we walked (and sweated) through, but we couldn't find it. Since we couldn't find it, we reverted to our usual restaurant selection technique: find the most crowded. That turned out well, like usual.

Andrew's pork and creme fraiche sandwhich

Judy's saucy meat, vegetable and rice dish

The food was great, but the real selling point on the restaurant was the amazing spice that was on the table. It's an awesome blend of black pepper, toasted sesame seeds, and spicy chilies with a hint of citrus. MSG is most likely in the mix as well! We both ended up drowning our meals in it.

*We bought a bottle in a grocery store before leaving Japan and it's delicious on everything from fried eggs to salad.

Paradise...

World's scariest fan

The Japanese school girls were going wild in the Hello Kitty section. We busted that myth, it's true! We regret not taking more photos inside Kiddyland, but it was sensory overload in there and the pictures don't even begin to describe what it's like. It's something you have to see for yourself.

Japanese caution tape


A couple of awkward self-timers...


Channeling Rocky outside the 1964 Olympic stadium



And, more self-timers...


Not quite sure where we are, as usual





Still more stairs and balconies!






Cute old man reading the paper at a bus stop