Took an early morning walk today around Shibuya.  I wanted to see the world’s busiest crosswalk in action during the day time.

Shibuya Crossing

Final Bargain!

I Don’t Know…

Shibuya Crossing and JR Train

Shibuya Morning Rider

We met with Jared and decided on the day’s plans; a trip to the Tokyo-edo museum and then to Akihabara, Tokyo’s most famous video game and electronics district. After some lunch at a department store (there are always restaurants located on the top floors) we headed to the museum.  It took a bit of walking around to find it.

Train Over Shops

Advertising Overload is Everywhere

FUJIYA Ginza

Junky Style – It’s Exciting

The focus of the Tokyo-edo museum is the transition from the shogunate feudal system to the Meiji Restoration which welcomed western influence and technology.  It was during this time that swords were banned from being worn in Japan.  It is quite an impressive museum, so large that entire buildings and whole sections of architecture are located inside.  There are also many impressive scale models.

Impressive Museum Entrance

Scale Model

Theater

Interior of Japanese-Western Style Home

We headed via the excellent train system over to Akihabara (getting around Tokyo is effortless once you figure out the train system.)  By this time we had walked for hours in the museum and the surrounding area, so we stopped for lunch at Vie de France.  I actually love eating pastries and simple bakery-style snacks in Japan.  They do too, apparently, as there are places like this everywhere.

Teresa’s Beautiful Train Station Pose

Akihabara is definitely overwhelming.  It’s positively overloaded with electronics stores, video game stores, arcades, gambling and all sorts of establishments.  Japan is all about specialization and detail, and Akihabara seems to have something for everyone’s taste… and I mean everyone.  Cat cafes, for instance, offer a place to hang out, sip tea and spend time with lovely paid-by-the-hour company… and by that I mean an actual cat such as a tabby or a maine coon who you can play with and fondly pet as you enjoy some tea or comic books.  It’s a burden to have pets in Tokyo where residences are so small, so these cafes have sprung up in recent times.

Other establishments offer the same idea but with human company; girls dressed as maids.  These girls spend time with the lonely guys who visit the maid cafes in Akihabara while they joke, read comics or just relax.  Not that Tokyo doesn’t have its share of prostitution, but believe it or not nothing sexual goes on at these “maid cafes.”  Apparently guys just go in there after work or whatever, spend time (the girls bring them drinks and/or snacks) and leave.  These cafes must be very popular, the girls are everywhere promoting them.  Hey, just another day in Tokyo.

Akihabara Awaits

Lost in the Crowds

Maids Passing By

The Famous “Hey” Akiharaba – Fighting Games Center

GAME Taito Station

Akihabara Station

POCKETS Plus+ ONE

Late Day Sun

Late in the Day

Akihabara Life

We want to spend a lot more time in Akihabara, but finally reality sets in.  We’ve been walking all day and the museum alone was a marathon to navigate all the way through.  It was time to head back to Shibuya.  We got back to the hotel, clean up and ask the concierge for a good “kaiten” (conveyor belt) sushi restaurant.  She claims there is a famous one very near to the hotel, and so we set out.  Teresa and Sarah don’t really eat sushi, so we aren’t sure what will happen.  When we get there, it is so busy that the stakes are raised, the hostess asks us to please eat 7 dishes each.  It turns out to be great.  Jared and I eat quite a bit more than 7 dishes.

Kaiten sushi in Japan is awesome.  It’s very good quality, fresh and amazingly inexpensive- about $1.30 per plate (with 2 pieces on each.)  I don’t have photos from this sushi night, but we did return and I got some.  I will have to post them later on…  We walk around a bit more and visit another arcade or two before heading back for the night.

Shibuya Night

Lights

Shibuya Youth Hangin’ Out

That’s it for now… tomorrow we will explore even more of Tokyo.

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