Monday 15 October 2007

Japan in Widescreen Pt.3


Today, I decided to venture out further than my area of Shibuya. Although Shibuya has everything to offer a visitor, departmental stores, food, shopping, sights, and people, 2 stops away on the JR rail network took me north to Shinjuku, one of the most vibrant spots in Tokyo day or night. Lost In Translation, the movie was filmed primarily in both these areas.

I passed by Hachiko Square again, so I took a snap (for you Luz) of the Akita.

The ride to Shinjuku costs 150 yen (about £0.70) and takes a few minutes. It is purportedly the world's busiest railway station, combining 4 separate stations serving several main lines in, out and around Tokyo, plus the Narita Airport express train. Above the main station are shopping malls, foodcourts and offices. Its a monster to most of us but the Japanese thrive on railway stations, everything centres around stations, they rely on this (very) efficient and relatively cheap form of transportation to get to work.


For you Hello Kitty fans out there, here's a photo of a Hello Kitty stall in the station, selling Hello Kitty cakes and merchandise!


I walked and walked and walked all over Shinjuku today, visiting Isetan and the Takeshimaya stores and I gathered the Japanese love designer goods. Its really quite astounding to see so many well dressed locals. The only other city I can compare to Tokyo where the locals really dress well is Paris. I feel that the French and the Japanese are really quite simple, in their love for food, fashion and style.

I am slowly getting the hang of using the train now in my second day. Figuring out the route still takes a bit of time as there are so many stations and lines. A lot of people fall asleep on the subway, perhaps its the long hours they put in or they live a long distance away.


I am so glad that my hotel has free broadband connection so that I can update this blog daily. I hope to visit some museums tomorrow as most are closed today, a Monday.

2 comments:

Tracy Tan said...

hi steven :) another japan trip? i would love to visit japan one day :) have fun!

svllee said...

Hello Kitty..I mean Tracy, this is my first trip to Tokyo and its an amazing experience for me. Maybe Shanghai next!