Tokyo Trip Recaps - Foods

Today marked the first of July but I decided to forego the usual 'monthly to do' and 'monthly favorite. Instead, I'm going to write another recap of my recent trip to Tokyo. Today's recap will be about food, specifically 3 places that  I enjoyed plenty of delicious food while I was there, and if my memory serves me correctly, I think I happened to savour more western food than Japanese ones. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing. Food is food, regardless. And as much as I love Japanese food, I'm not protesting when I was given equally delicious western food. It also happened that I did not snap any Japanese food due to the poor lighting. But I hope your eyes do enjoy the other pictures my lenses managed to capture.

Cafe Coconoha | Asakusa Solamachi | Official Site
This cafe deli offers variety of Japanese style pasta and desserts, focusing on pancakes. Located just beside Tokyo Sky Tree lobby, this place seems ideal for people who wants to enjoy their lunch (or brunch) before getting into the tower. I ordered confiture pancake; 5 slices of mini, fluffy pancake topped with equally fluffy whipped cream with apricot and strawberry jams to eat with. I personally fancy the apricot more thant the strawberry which was too sweet for my liking. Overall, the cafe has nice ambience and delicious, pretty food, I'd love to eat here to try their other offerings if I have chance to.

Dean & DeLuca | Shinjuku Lumine | Official Site
This New York origin cafe & deli was probably the cafe that I visited the most while I was there, especially the one in Shinjuku (I think it's purely because I visited Shinjuku a lot). I remember visiting here a couple of times when I was still a student and fell in love for their pretzel. Honestly, I didn't buy much food there, only their pretzel, but I never skip to buy their ice coffee. Simple ice coffe because I'm falling to that cliched no morning without coffee. Dean & DeLuca in Shinjuku station was small, but I love there because it's located in the station and people just came and go. Like I've mentioned, I'm truly fascinated with the organized chaos of Tokyo.

Dominique Ansel Bakery | Omotesando, Harajuku | Official Site
*above is not the picture of Dominique Ansel. I did not snap any photo there for lack of time and lack of lighting.
Another New York origin eatery. This infamous bakery is apparently sooooo famous in Tokyo, I probably queued there for 20 minutes and waited another 5 before getting my seat, before having to leave again since there're still long lines waiting for empty seat. We're lucky enough that Dominique himself was there (he bumped into me, and I had literal fangirl moment back then). I got myself cronut (passion fruit summer edition) while Amez tried the infamous DKA (DOMINIQUE'S KOUIGN AMANN) and Frozen S'more™. We both had Matcha Latte for drink. Honestly, they're delicious, but I personally am a fan of more subdued yet still there, lingering sweetness, so they fell too sweet for my liking (maybe this is what people called American's sweetness? ) The matcha latte was too rich as well, but after I let it sit for a while and let the ice melts, I came to appreciate the depth of its bitterness. Overall, a splendid place but maybe if I visit next time, I'd like to visit during less crowded hour to thoroughly enjoy their sweet offerings.

Sarabeth's | Shinjuku Lumine | Official Site
Why, oh, why, I ended up at another New York origin restaurant, dear me? Right, because my sweet, precious Japanese friend told me she had been wanting to eat here and who am I to resist, really? Despite the slightly mind-blowing price (I shelled quiet a lot while I ate there), I was very pleased with this restaurant, by far the second most delicious food I ate in my trip! I ordered their signature classic Fat and Fluffy French Toast. Now, this is the kind of sweetness I love; subtle, yet lingering, faint trace of sweet indulgence that's both decadent yet gentle. It came with fresh blue and rasp berries, two slices of banana, and dusted with icing sugar. Since the restaurant is also very popular, they limited our time there (approximately 70 minutes). Despite the short time, I really enjoyed eating there. Might consider second visit if chance permits, but this time, I'll try to come as early as possible (because I queued again, for 40 minutes!)

Kaiten Sushi | Shinjuku
*above is not the picture of sushi, obviously. I did not snap any photo there for lack of time and lack of lighting.
The most delicious food I ate there was, of course, kaitenzushi! We found this small kaitenzushi restaurant at Shinjuku but I forgot the name. I ate about 6 plates with 4 of them being salmon (I really love salmon). The sushi chefs (two grandpas who kept smiling at us because he obviously knew we're foreigners but I was speaking in Japanese, long live, grandpa!) were making sushi in the center, and despite my stay there, I think this was my first authentic kaitenzushi experience. They're superb, fluffy rice, and fresh fishes! If only I could live surrouned by fresh sushi forever (had a I truly love raw fish and sushi moment)! My biggest regret was not capturing its beauty with my lens, but I guess I was too preoccupied with how delicious they are, truly savoring them to even remember my camera.

The other food I had was courtesy of convenience store, mostly consist of onigiri, snacks, and cartooned milk coffee. My lovely vietnam friend also got me two cute donuts with giraffe and 'thank you' icing decoration. The donuts were moist, not too sweet, but the icing added the right amount of flavor.

That wrapped up my Tokyo Trip Recaps! Overall, I had a pleasant experience there. As mentioned in previous post, Tokyo is no longer tourist destination for me, more a home, another home that I lived in for short period of time but left me with many sweet and meaningful moments, blessed me with many great, inspiring people. Yet, it doesn't mean I have known Tokyo completely, so there's always some new place for me to venture, some new things for me to discover. If I could (and budget allow), I'd like to make this trip to Tokyo annual thing, but, well, only God knows, isn't it?

What kind of food you'd like to try in Japan? Have you tried any restaurants I mentioned above?

acceptance over understanding

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Tokyo Trip Recap - places

I was lucky enough to had a chance to live in Tokyo for around 10 months back in 2013. This blog was actually started to sort of document my life there. Now, Tokyo is no longer a travel destination for me; it's more like a home, a place to return to where I have people waiting for me. Personally, my trip last week was for that reason as well, to meet my friends and people I had not met since I left Japan back in 2014. Nevertheless, there were places that I was yet to visit in my initial stay and I used this chance to visit them.

1st day; began with me forgetting my whole skincare and body care in the airport toilet. I immediately returned to the airport because I just couldn't let go of my skincare (sobs kiehl's). Luckily, they kept it for me! After that, we're supposed to go to see the Royal Palace Garden but it was raining, and cloudy, and I got sudden call from my office (my main office is in Tokyo) telling me to come there. I had to ditch the plan for 1st day because I ended up with my coworkers and boss for a whole day. I finally returned to the hotel and unpack 30 mins before midnight. Not the first day I had in mind but I got to eat for free courtesy of my boss, so it was not entirely unlucky.

2nd day; we strolled by the hostel area before departing to Asakusa (it was last minute decision). I had been to Kaminarimon about 3 times before but I never truly appreciate its beauty until then (3 times I was there, I was escorting people).  We walked all the way to Tokyo Sky Tree but only got to admire it from outside because the ticket line was so long. After that, we went to Odaiba. My feet and shoulders were seriously killing me so I didn't take a lot of picture, I stored my camera inside my bag after I entered Venus Fort. By the night, we visited Oedo Onsen Monogatari. I heard about the magic of onsen before and finally got to experience that! All my soreness and aches were healed. I'm definitely a hot spring person.

3rd day; we went to Meiji-jinguu at Harajuku to begin the day. It wasn't as crowded as the last time I was there (August 2013) so I got to look around a bit more. The enma there was mostly written by tourists/foreigners (amusingly, many mentioned please no Trump for president). I enjoy reading these enma/wish plates, purely because it reminds me that there are people in this world who still wishes for world peace and greater things for this world. We left Meiji-jinguu for Harajuku Takeshita Doori, as always, it was crowded and overwhelming. We went to Disney Store because I wanted to buy souvenirs for my baby cousins (but left it with Captain America tsmtsum instead. I spent the next day looking for Winter Soldier's with no avail). Finished with Takeshita-doori, we visited La Foret where Amez bought a pretty Laduree lipstick (and I snatched their catalogue, of course). 

Amez wanted to go to Dominique Ansel so we went there. The line was so long, I think we spent about 20 minutes until we got seats. Luckily, Dominique himself was there! (totally unimportant but he bumped into me, and it felt like a famous celebrity bumped into me. He's a pastry chef so he is totally a celebrity for me. Everyone who makes sweets are God-sent). I ordered the infamous cronuts and matcha latte. They were good but way too sweet for my liking, after consuming them, I was pumped to walk from Harajuku to Shibuya just to burn the calories. We spent the rest of the day in Shibuya karaoke-ing and shopping. I met up with some friends I made when I was studying there, it was really nice to meet old friends.

4th day; destination was Shinjuku. I met up with my Japanese friend and her twin sister. We began by eating katein zushi then visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Tower to see Tokyo from above. After that we simply looked for another place to sit and talk. Bidding goodbye to her, I met up with another friend, this time from Vietnam. We almost called the appointment off but thankfully she could make it, which we was really happy for since our last meeting was in February 2014 when I went home from my study.

5th day; was the highlight for so many reason. First, we're going to the Ikebukuro, possibly my favorite place in Tokyo. But before that, we went to Seibu Department Store where I got myself Nars and Burberry products. The next destination was Animate, then Sunshine City where we're going to meet another friends. We simply visited random stores, freaked out because do we need this or not? but ended up not buying any. After meeting our friends, we went to the Otome Road where Amez kind of let herself free. Around 5, we bid goodbye to our friends and I picked up my other friend then we went to Nekorobi Cat Cafe. I'm not a cat person but I was pleasantly surprised when a cat got so clingy on me. Okay, I got to admit cat was cute, but only in that instant.

6th day; the last day, I have to leave for the airport by noon. In the morning, I met another best friend of mine from Japan. We went to eat at this very famous restaurant in Shinjuku Station called Sarabeth. The line was insane, it was longer than Dominique Ansel, I think we waited for around 30 - 40 minutes. But the food was delicious, it was so worth it. I had fun talking with my friend as well, the last time I met her was August last year so we had a lot to catch up.

As mentioned, I did not visited many tourist spot, I think only places in 2nd and 3rd day can be categorized as tourist spot. My main purpose this time was more meeting my friends and (shameless) shopping, so overall, I was really happy with this trip. I just wish I had more time to speak and hang out with my friends, it's been sooo long since I met them.

Have you ever been to Japan? Do you have any particular place you want to see/visit in Tokyo?

acceptance over understanding

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Tokyo Beauty & Non-beauty Haul

Howdy, everyone! My Japan trip was over, it was tiring, it was fun. I met a lof of people that I haven't meet since I finished my study last 2014, and really wish I could stay there a little longer just so I can talk more with them. Anyways, I'm proud to say I managed to stay in budget! I bought all things I wanted, drop some that didn't turn out great, and was left with enough money to buy some more. There were some things I failed to pick up (coughnarscough) because I thought I could still encounter them at the airport (where everything is cheaper), turned out they're not available there. However, I'm generally pleased with my purchases! This post is gonna be long, and probably image heavy as well. I will try to keep it as simple as possible, add price and where I bought them when I remember!

Non-beauty Haul

Stocking and socks fromTutu ana; I came to know about Tutu ana back in 2012 and tried them first on 2013. I never turn back from them ever since. I'm not a fan of their underwear but I truly love their other sleepwear, and their footwear! They have the most affordable and cute, plus comfortable socks and stockings ever. I've long since getting rid of my stockings that aren't Tutu ana, their 60 denier stocking is my absolute favorite! I remember I still don't have that one in black color, and they have this buy 3 for 1000 JPY deal, so I snatched one of them and two socks with ribbons on the back. They're absolutely comfy and gorgeous, I am in love! with a pair of socks. Yes.

Tutu ana can be found at Shibuya, Shinjuku Alta, Harajuku Takeshita Street, and Kichijouji.

Gold bobby pins from Claire; Claire become friggin expensive in my country (I don't even know why), so even if I've been eye-ing this for months in local mall, I never have a heart to buy them. They're only 300 JPY so of course I did not resist. These bobby pins are more for photography purpose than practical purpose, since my hair is too thick for them. I already use them for some pictures, really stunning!

Claire's can be found at Harajuku Takeshita Street, Shinjuku Alta.

Greeting cards from Plaza; Plaza has so many cute and affordable greeting cards to the point I was too overwhelmed. In the end, I picked this one with glittery pink ribbon and pink stripes envelope because they're the most 'classic' compared to the rest.

Plaza can be found at Shinjuku Lumine 2, Ikebukuro Parco.

Captain America Tsumtsum from Disney Store; my Captain America obsession is not over, pal! I bought this hoping that I will encounter Winter Soldier's tsumtsum in the way but to my horror, it's sold out everywhere! I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that they have it in stock somewhere, because poor Captain will be lonely without Bucky :(

Disney Store can be found at Shinjuku, Harajuku Takesita Street, Shibuya, Ikebukuro Sunshine City.

Hair pin from Lattice and Necklace from Forever21; when I was looking for hair pins for my sister, I was attracted to this one. In the end, I got my sister the similar one with this but in pink and white. The necklace was bought because for someone who's totally obsessed with moon, I have no moon accessory with me (I know, the blasphemy!). When it comes to necklace, I choose the one with simple pendant so this crescent moon necklace is really perfect for me.

Lattice can be found at Ikebukuro Sunshine City

Drugstore beauty haul

Shiseido Senka Perfect Liquid; I'm running out of my Perfect Liquid at home so I added this to my wishlist for obvious reason. This is my favorite makeup remover ever, not gel, not water, not oil, just liquid. Unlike oil that feels lukewarm (and sometimes greasy) on the skin, Perfect Liquid gives a cooling sensation and pleasant smell. It does absolute great job at removing my makeup without stripping it from moisture.

Majolica Majorca Lash Aesthetic Mascara; Majolica Majorca's greatness when it comes to eyelashes is already well-known. I'm sure you have heard about it once or twice when people talk about Japanese mascara. Despite wanting to try this for so long, I never buy it simply because I heard they're hard to remove (had bad experience with benefit it's real mascara, so, nope. No, thank you). However, this one is marketed as easy to remove so I bit the bullet and purchased this. HOLY, I was not disappointed! This mascara gives my lashes everything it needs from volume to length. I'm absolutely smitten, especially considering how cheap this mascara is; 1200 JPY.

Mentholantum Water Lip; for some reason, my dry lips refuse to befriend readily available and easily accessible lip balm like Nivea or TBS. It decides to be picky by choosing Kiehl's or L'Occitane, and as much as I love those two, hello, that's a lot for just a lip balm?? I remember using this cheap as chips lip balm ( wasn't even 200 JPY) back in winter 2013, and it did a great job at keeping my lips moisturized.

Alice Body Mist in Fresh Raspberry; I bought this one in Disney Store half on a whim (half because I wanted to get any Alice things while I was at Disney Store, so this was not entirely unplanned). For someone who's quiet picky with scent, I'm glad this scent with Alice theme didn't turn me off. I used this to keep myself smelling fresh throughout the trip, which was necessary since I was practically out for almost 12 hours everyday while I was there.

Jill Stuart

I visited Jill Stuart counter 3 times. The first time to buy the blush and crystal lucent powder, I dropped the later because I didn't like how it looked like on my skin. The 2nd was to buy my mother's perfume and hand cream. The 3rd was to get the nail polish. As always, Jill Stuart's BA are so friendly, they gave me lots  of samples. I'm not sure I can ever finish them since I still got some samples from last year left.

Jill Stuart can be found at Shinjuku Lumine 2, Shibuya Parco, Ikebukuro Seibu.

Layer Blush in 06 Old Rose; Jill Stuart blush has been in my wishlist since forever, probably even before I started crushing on Jill Stuart itself. The only thing that put me off from buying them was my inability to try them myself. I know they're not the most pigmented blush around , I'm worried they won't show up on my deeper skin tone. The BA kindly let me try this one and even then she needed to pile this up few layers until it show up, but, oh boy, the result is so pretty; a faint blush that gives a very natural flush to my skin. And the packaging, just look at that gorgeous packaging, I really can't fault Jill Stuart when it comes to this department.

Nail Lacquer R in 04 Pink Drop; I have enough glittery Jill Stuart nail polishes to last me a lifetime, so this time, I wanted the one with no glitter/shimmer. After choosing between this one and the other in 05 Love Potion, I decided to go with 04 Pink Drop because this one is more pink than Love Potion (which is redder and I already have a deep red polish). Under certain light, this polish shows up peachy-pink that it flatters my skin nicely.

Burberry Beauty

lo and behold, I finally got my hand in my favorite makeup brand ever. Burberry beauty is my - excuse my language - makeup wet dream. They can come up with crappy products (not that they have) and I will still proclaim my thousand of years love for them. The counter I visited was at Seibu Ikebukuro. While the BA was not as friendly as The Nars' or Jill Stuart (understandable since I'm obviously a foreigner), she was helpful and I had fun trying out different eyeshadows.

Eye Colour Wet & Dry Glow Shadow in 001 Gold Pearl; I was in serious lack of inner corner color in my eyeshadow stash, most of my eyeshadow are deep brown or chocolate which is more appropriate for outer corner, lid, and crease color. The camera didn't do the color justice, in real life, the eyeshadow is vibrant color of gold. I haven't try them on myself since I returned but I can tell I will love this because as far as I tried this on the counter, it's soooo buttery soft.

Eye Colour Wet & Dry Silk Shadow in 102 Pale Barley; the cult classic, the cult favorite. I don't think I need to explain more about this holy grail of one swipe wonder eyeshadow. I cannot describe exactly how it looks on my lids; not too vibrant but my lids just glow in very subtle, beautiful golden-taupe color. It will be perfect for the day when I want to feel classy yet too lazy to make an effort.

Other high-end beauty haul

The Nars counter I visited was at Ikebukuro Seibu, Lush at Shibuya (very, very cramped). Bobbi Brown and Gucci was at Haneda Duty Free Store, and Chanel Polish was purchased at KLIA.

Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint in Cuzco; first, let me tell you my completely wonderful experience at Nars counter in Seibu Ikebukuro. The BA was very friendly (she thought I was foreigner who live and grew up in Japan), she helped me choosing the right shade, apply everything to my face from skincare to finishing powder, engage me in very friendly conversation. I truly regret not getting her name because she was truly a God sent! Under her tender care, I managed to last without touching up from morning to night (well, she applied everything from skincare to primer to finishing powder and concealer). After using this for a day, I have to say I absolutely love the lightweight texture and coverage, it wasn't as sheer as people made it to be, and managed to conceal the problematic areas fine. I'm excited to get more use out of this!

Lush Lip Scrub in Bubblegum; I keep hearing great thing about Lush' lipscrub so for me it was logical to snag one of this while I could. I had thought it was 1000 JPY without tax so I was pleasantly surprised to know it's the price with tax. The smell was too sweet for me but doesn't mean I don't like it, it smells more like fanta than bubblegum, tho? I'm yet to try this one because I need to take proper pic of this before I use it (blogger problem).

Bobbi brown Natural Brow Shaper & Hair Touch Up in 7 Brunette; let me make a confession; I never tend to my brow until recently (Tannya jabbed me at this on my last post lmao). I just wasn't sure about my brow since I always had bangs but since I changed my hair style, I realized why people are making fuss about brows. They are absolutely vital to your look (I was years late to realize this). I wasn't sure what to get for my brow, left with spare time at the airport (pretty much down because Nars wasn't available at Haneda Duty Free), then wandered to Bobbi Brown Counter. The counter was empty so I had the luxury of trying so many products without being bothered. I ended up with this brow mascara(?) which was easy to use for beginner like me yet still leaves my brow polished.

Gucci Guilty Pour Homme EDT; God, I know I told myself that I won't buy anymore perfume this year but after tying this last February at local Sephora (each time whenever I visit that certain Sephora), and this was sold 7400 JPY in Japan, almost half the price in my country,I cannot  possible resist. Despite the amount of people who said this smells generic, I naturally cannot resist any perfume with Amalfi Lemon as its top note.

Chanel La Vernis Nail Color in 665 Vibrato; this one is probably the only impulsive purchase. I had about 13.000 JPY left to spare when I was at KLIA on my final transit and had the urge to buy something! For some reason, no makeup interest me, not even Bobbi Brown and Laneige andMAC conter. I kept being drawn to Chanel and Dior counter, mainly their polishes rack. At first I was about to purchase either one of Dior's Masai, Wonderland, or Mirage. But after trying them one, they just weren't right. I left Dior counter to Chanel's and saw this vivid blue polish, then remembered for the overwhelming amount of blue clothes I owned, I only have one blue nail polish, and that one is with glitter, and  is really hard to remove. Long story short, I ended up with Vibrato since this can go with deeper blue or even bright burgundy that made up my wardrobe.

Those are the things I bought in Japan, I hope I'm not missing anything beauty related (tho I know I miss things I bought in Muji, some snacks, and that one clothes I bought at Earth Music and Ecology). Have you been to Japan? What do you want to buy there?

psst, I recommend their mascaras!

acceptance over understanding

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Shibuya, not my MOST favorite place, yet「2」

Super late post, God, I'm so sorry. I finally get my hand on my tablet and creativity kicked in, I cannot deny my original passion after all (I dedicated almost a whole week making this video). This time, it's Shibuya's turn! Despite its endless crowd (which you should be careful about, cases of getting separated from your travel companion is not rare, it's fairly easy to get lost in the crowd), Shibuya is a nice place to hang out or just chill, sitting in some cafe shop and watching the ever so dynamic crowds looking for some inspiration! Btw, I'm sorry for lots of dirty snow, these pictures were taken on 9th February, just a day after the worst snow storm in Tokyo after 20 years.

Reaching Shibuya is quite easy since it's connected to many lines, especially subways but so far, I've only used these four methods;

• JR Station Shinjuku Yamanote Lines Platform 14 (bounds for Shibuya, Shinagawa)
  Shinjuku - Yoyogi - Harajuku
  150 JPY
  7 minutes
• Keio Inokashira Lines (bounds for Shibuya, from Kichijouji)
  Kichijouji (1st station) - Shibuya (last station)
  17 minutes on express train
• On foot from Harajuku
  30 minutes
• Shonan-Shinjuku Line (bounds for Shinjuku, from Ikebukuro)
  Ikebukuro - Shibuya
  160 JPY
  12 minutes on rapid train

Now you know hot to get there (remember; the basic is to get to Shinjuku's station), hop on those trains and prepare yourself to be swallowed by the sea of people, and  of course for some shopping. Exiting the station could be confusing, especially if you're coming on JR from Shinjuku (lol) BUT just try to find nearest escalator with 'Tokyu Food Show' and go down, there'll be a small flower shop down there and don't go down because you're now in the first floor of Tokyu Department Store, more specifically; the beauty and makeup corner! They have high end brands makeups here; Jill Stuart, Paul & Joe, MAC, Shu Uemura, Nars, Dior, you name it. They accept credit cards as well, so if you're here for some non-drugstore makeup products, you could use some time here. I don't know whether the ever so helpful sales assistant could speak English or not (always speaks Japanese there, for some reason, they never approach me with English even though I clearly look nothing Japanese), but I think they have basic knowledge of it since Shibuya is usually frequented by foreigners).

For Keio Inokashira user, after you make exit, walk straight, cross the bridge for Tokyu or go down the escalator on the left side. Going up will lead you to Shibuya Park City.

If you're done with some beauty adventure, make your exit from Tokyu (I think it's the door near NARS counter) and there'll be smoking corner Hachiko (I KNOW, I'M SO BUMMED ABOUT THIS :< I can barely stay there for 30 seconds because of all the smokes) on your left near some locker coins and an old train car on your right used for many advertisement purpose. The picture above is more or less the scene you'll see (I'm using different exit, not the Tokyu one, it's on the right side of Tokyu).

Aren't your chest drumming? You're about to make a walk cross that infamous Shibuya Crossing. For some reason, I was kind of nervous the first time and the weird sensation was still there after multiple visits. From where you're standing (Tokyu exit), there're two zebra cross. This one leads to; Shibuya 109 Men, Ginza Corner (sweets, cakes). The path on the left side will take you to; Tower Record at the far end for musics, CDs & DVDs, department stores, McDonald, and some other store I do not remember (Lumine Men included). The other side will lead to Shibuya 109 and central Shibuya path(s).

This picture was taken before I cross the path viewed above, on my right side. After crossing, turning right takes you to cafes & restaurant under the bridge, Lindt Cafe (must visit for chocolate lover), and a little walk after Lindt Cafe will lead you to another crossings (you could see at the center-left side of the picture, there's another crossing). Remember when I said you can walk from here to Harajuku? In this crossing, you may cross or just stick there without crossing but turn left for Harajuku and just walk straight(BTSSB is on this street).

I was starving at the time so I made a detour to that blue cafe for a...brunch? The taste was okay but it's a little weird to eat Spanish Omelette with Seaweed Pickles. Or it's how Spaniards eat them?? I don't know. The cafe have a really good atmosphere, I definitely recommend it!

I'm done so I'm back to (what I consider as) our starting point. This picture was taken right in front of Ginza Corner (if you're facing Tsutaya at front, this will be on your left). It was where you're supposed to be standing before you cross the path. Sometimes, you could even spot a shooting scene or just some casual photographers taking pictures with their props. No big deal, everyone's completely used to this.

From where you're standing, Tsutaya will be right in front of you. Seibu department store is right on its right (no pun intended). If you're looking for new released CDs or DVDs, you could make a visit to its first floor and purchase some. The upper floors are for rentals. The Starbucks in here is very famous and it's almost always crowded. I noticed many tourists make a visit there, I myself have never been there but according to my place, the view from the second floor is superb.

If you look at the bottom-center part of picture, there's a small gate on Tsutaya's left side (with blue banner). This is considered as Shibuya's central district path. Tt have many small stores and shops including; It's Demo, Zara, Forever21, and many many stores which names I could not remember. Tutuanna is also accessible from here, along with Animate, LOFT, etc. Many restaurants are located in this path as well. My advice is to take your time exploring here before you indulge yourself in shopping, just to know what's in there, it could be confusing but it's actually not hard to navigate. Whenever I go to Shibuya, I always ended up eating at Genki Sushi which was located at one of the alley branching of from this path.

Excited yet? Now, if you're already in front of Tsutaya, or you have returned from exploring the central district, look to your right (assuming Tokyu is across in front of you), it's where Shibuya 109 is. Just walk there, all sass and giddy, and make trip to Matsumoto Kiyoshi lining up the street, or cross the path for Big Camera. There'll be another crossing in front of Nike Store, if you do not cross, follow the path and walk straight for H&M on your right and walk a little more for Family Restaurant Gusto across at the end of the street. If you cross, you will be in...

there. There, the entrance of Shibuya 109. This was taken in front of Nike Store before I cross the street. Unfortunately, there's a no photo policy there so as much as I wanted to, I snap no pictures of how it looks inside. That's it. I know almost all of you are here for this place, solely. And I won't blame you, really. You can spend the whole day here if you want, or, if you're a one brand person like me, you'll spend less time in Liz Lisa. Now, I've never talked to any Shop Staff in English but from what I saw and what I heard, they can speak English, not the best, but don't worry if you don't understand Japanese, they'll do their best to help you! Especially for stores like Liz Lisa or any other store often visited by foreigners, I think the staff already know there'll be non-Japanese speakers coming so they're already, at least, prepared with basic English. So, make no more wait nor haste, enter, with all your sass and cash, or cards, and satisfy your desire here!

Now, if you had explored the central district, I think you had ended up somewhere around here. Now, I assume you have both your hands full with all the shoppings you've done so why not take your time chilling in a coffee shop. There're plenty of coffee shops in here but my favorite and my recommended place is St. Marc Cafe, right across Animate building, actually. For some reason, it's not as occupied as Starbucks and I always got seat whenever I came here, no wait whatsoever (sometimes you have to wait for empty seat in Starbucks). They have variations of pastries and parfaits, my personal favorite is their chocolate croissant.

Animate and Mandarake is right across St. Marc Cafe. You go down that suspicious looking tunnel on the left side for Mandarake and enter the building, take the escalator to 3rd floor for Animate. It's not as big as ones in Ikebukuro but Mandarake here have much more figures than Ikebukuro branch. Animate is not so different.

I ended my short trip that day in St. Marc Cafe, by...guess what? Studying. I had final the very next day so I could not spend too much time here. Also, I was not in a good mood at the day because of the horrible snow a day earlier (mood changes depending on weather). I was recovering from cold as well so I was not in a really good shape (I remember my throat was very sore).

Looking back, Shibuya is probably my most visited place while I was staying there. It's been a month and two days since I left Japan and sometimes I miss the feeling of freedom whenever I make a lone trip there, spending my day just walking aimlessly visiting random stores, and always, always ended up in Shibuya 109 or Animate. I'd really like to call Shibuya my most favorite place in Tokyo but Ikebukuro have what Shibuya does not have so I have to hand the trophy over to Ikebukuro. Nevertheless, a visit to Shibuya is a most, and I recommend booking one whole day, especially if you're here for a shopping spree.

The next place I will cover is Shinjuku. I don't know when and I cannot really promise you when, I have much more things (and distractions) now that I'm finally home. On the other hand, I cannot believe Liz Lisa is ready to release their Summer Collection. I'm really excited! See you later, folks!

Tekshitadoori, Harajuku, a guide to my favorite places in Tokyo 「１」

Before I return to my country, I think I'd like to visit my favorite places in Tokyo, take pictures, and make a somewhat 'guide'-ish post about them. There'll be four places; Ikebukuro, Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Harajuku. All of them are accessible by Yamanote Lines which is why I'd like to set Shinjuku Station as starting point. As the title said, this post will be covering Harajuku, this won't cover all Harajuku but more into Takeshita Doori and extending a little bit to La Foret.

There're two ways that I recommend to reach Harajuku:

• JR Station Shinjuku Yamanote Lines Platform 14 (bounds for Shibuya, Shinagawa)
  Shinjuku - Yoyogi - Harajuku
  130 JPY
  4 minutes
• On foot from Shibuya
  30 minutes

Whether you believe it or not, my favorite way is the second way; on foot from Shibuya. While some of my friend whine about it, I find the distant to be normal and not that painstakingly long (maybe it's because I'm used to walking here, I have to walk 20 minutes to the nearest Keio Station after all). The plus point is that there're many interesting shops along the way like JINs (glasses stores), Burberry Blue Label, Jill Stuart, Baby The Star Shines Bright, and some other shops, that sadly, is out of my budget lol. Beside, it's just a straight walk and does not require you to make confusing turns. But if you're from Shinjuku, then just take the train bounds for Shibuya/Shinagawa and hop down after Yoyogi.

Once you hopped down the train, there'll be two exits; Main Exit which welcomed you with GAP and an accessory store, and Takeshitadoori Exit which will greet you with views like these;

The entrance to Takeshitadoori. The two women on top are symbolic because it's basically what you'll do in Takeshitadoori; shop. Personally, I found clothes and items sold in Takeshitadoori to be cheaper than anywhere else you can find in Tokyo, of course the price differs according to the brands but I found the average of them to be cheaper than, say, Kichijouji or Shibuya. There are some items that you can only find here so this place is a must visit if you come to Tokyo to shop.

Because I came here on weekdays, the street was not as crowded. Yes, I said; this is not crowded. In weekends, it's like throwing yourself into the sea of humans and let the flow carry you. Honestly, I hate to visit Harajuku in weekends because of this sole reason. They have McDonalds and two cafes across, so if you're hungry and want to fill your belly first, you might make an early stop here at the entrance and eat. There's a stair leading to a basement room filled with purikura machines next by a crepe stand, the place was kind of hidden but if you want to take purikura, then just go down.

Walk a little bit more will lead you to this Harada Clothing Store. They have many good items and they're cheap! for Japanese clothing standard by the way. Also, this store have clothes for bot male and female. On its left side (unseen in the picture) is a stocking and socks store kutsuya and on the right is a shoe store (you have to go down the stairs) I visited this place once and they're kind of pricey but once they're on sale, they're no kidding. Next to the shoes store is a store called Lovx(?), they sold many vintage looking clothes and they have the cutest bags ever. Across Harada Store is Paris Kid, an all 315 JPY accessory store. They have so many beautiful accessories from headbands to piercings and they're all 315 JPY! Very cheap so it's a must go for me.

kWalk again from where we were and across Lovx is Wonder Rocket store. Wonder Rocket used to be my favorite store until their release started to go sour for me aka. they're disappointing. Still, I love the atmosphere of their store more than Liz Lisa's store. They have the best store layout with whimsical and forest theme, vintage interiors, white woods, the dreamy atmosphere, this is probably the only store that makes me visit just to adore the interiors than the clothes lol.

Walk again and I think we had MOMO store and a very nice store which name I don't remember before arriving in front of Tutuanna. I also recommend those two stores by the way. As for Tutuanna, please take my advice seriously; buy a pair of undergarment in Japan or you will regret it. I'm being serious. Tutuanna is my favorite place to buy socks, stockings, and sleepwear. They have these 3 items for 1050 JPY going around all year and it's a nice deal. Make sure that the item you purchase is included in this campaign. Underwear is not included tho.

There's a big underwear store after Tutuanna and walking a little bit more will lead you to these two crepe parlor. Personally, I do not get the crepe hype in Harajuku because they taste blah to me. But if you're a sucker for Harajuku Crepes, then you may join the line. They have menus and numbers on display and mention the number when the cashier asked you, not the name of item. They understand English too so you don't have to worry about it. I found they understand it better if you spoke in English than in sloppy Japanese lol. On the second floor of Marion Crepes is bodyline, the store for all lolita lover. They're cheaper than brands like, say, BTSSB or AP. They also have bigger size of shoes, I almost cried in joy when I found i fit into their shoes with no difficulty.

There's another crepes store called this Burlesque Crepes. Basically, there're three crepes store in a very close proximity and the choice is up to you. There's a convenience store right across this crepes store (a family mart, I think) and a accessory store which always have a wallet and pouch sale in front of the store.

Liz Lisa, I think the picture is self-explanatory. The second floor is JugETTA store and the coat rack on the right side is JugETTA's coats. I forgot to mention that all stores in Takeshitadoori is cramped. Walking inside the store is not an easy thing and for famous brand like Liz Lisa, walking inside is a little bit of hassle. The way is narrow and you have to either wait patiently until someone move away or just make your own way by pushing and pulling. I don't recommend the later anyways, just pray that there won't be many people when you come.

This candy store is a part of newly built store complex. The smell of candy is overflowing and it was too strong for me so I had to leave the store and wait outside for my friends who was buying candy inside. They're sold for 420 JPY per 100 g  and you shove many different kinds of candies into your plastic bag. The staff always have their recommended items for sampling (of course for free).

After the candy store, there are not many store that I particularly like and fond of so I just took random pictures. Walking from Candy Store will lead you to the biggest MOMO Store(5 stories high with Wonder Rocket in the basement) , Sango, No Fall (cheap shoes ahoy! Must visit for cheap shoes), Pink something store (it's a store targeting elementary and junior high students but they have nice items in there), Freegia, and a new store at the end of Takeshitadoori that sells many vintage looking items, the downside is they're kind of pricey. There's a loterria by the end of the street, a kebab parlor on its right and on its left side, there's a stairs downstairs leading to an all you can eat.

After exiting Takeshitadoori, you can either cross the street to Harajuku Street which has many good stores and while Takeshitadoori targets younger people, this street obviously have adult market to cater. The atmosphere is very different from Takeshitadoori and reminds me of Shimokitazawa a bit.

If you want to go to La Foret, H&M, or Forever 21, or just chilling in Starbucks, then do not cross the street and turn right, there's a Starbucks right on your side. Walk straight and you'll see H&M and Forever 21 side by side. If you don't feel like dropping here then waaaalk again and you'll see this on your right side;

Cafe Crepe of La Foret, and this on your left side;

Congratulation, you're now in front of La Foret! Wait no more and make your way inside the building. My friend always recommend La Foret for me and I had sky high hope but upon entering, I'm disappointed because they only store that make me stay for more than a minutes was the Laduree Beauty Store. I think the store inside suits the taste of lolita folks more than me (style indecisive folk lol). So if you're into lolita, then I think this place is a must visit for you!

If you cross the street to where Lotteria and Jonathan is, you will see the views above. The right path of where I was standing when I took this picture lead to Omotesando, it's pretty much like Ginza with all high end brands stores everywhere. You can make turn to the right if you wanted to visit Omotesando or turn 180 degrees and walk straight to Shibuya. Yes, walk all the way to Shibuya, just walk straight, follow the path and you'll eventually arrive at Shibuya. OR you can cross the street to your left side and follow the path until you arrive at Meiji Jinguu.

As for myself, that day, I return back to Takeshitadoori and go home because I still had class on Friday (I make a visit on Thursday). This conclude my Takeshitadoori-Harajuku post, next I'll be covering Shibuya. If you had any question, feel free to leave your question below!