Tokyo! (part 2) New Year

New Years Eve (as I'm sure you're aware), fell on a Sunday. Sundays in Tokyo are renowned as the best way to check out some of the citys more 'alternative' scenes. Number one in the list is Harajuko where in close proimity you can encounter both the 'cosplay girls' and the 'dancing Elvis's (more about those later).


Rachel had some work to do but said she would come with me to Harajuko later in the afternoon, and having heard no word from Anna and Bree, I grabbed myself some food and my Lonely Planet for a late breakfast in Rachel's kitchen. Had a chat with Rachel's housemates, Canadian demi-hippies Oliver and Lesley. Lesley gave me a reccomendation to go to Shimo Katazawa telling me it had some interesting little shops and cafes and was a nice place to hang out. So, I took her advice and jumped the train 2 stops to check it out. I absolutely loved it, small, compact and chilled but with great atmosphere. Most of the shops and cafes were independants - little boutiques, second handstores, skatewear etc. I picked up a cool little cat purse and chilled with a coffee before heading back to pick up Rach for some freak spotting...


I unwittingly emerged from the train station by a minor exit and as a result spent some time wandering round some residential areas. I came across some great architecture and even a few shrines like this tucked away before circling back round to the town centre.

By the time we made it to Harajuko it was almost sunset. A little disappointingly, the cosplay corner was almost deserted, maybe around 5 girls - not quite the spectacle I was hoping for. Most of these girls live in the dormitory towns surrounding Tokyo. At the weekend they jump on the train, with wheelie cases packed with make up and accessories, and don their weekend identities where they primp, pose and preen for tourists and professional photographers alike, before jumping back on the train to their small town and school on Monday morning.


We did however get to see the dancing Elvis' n the park across the road. However they too seemed to be winding down for the evening and only a few spectators remained. We carried on through the park as the few groups remaining were packing up their Sunday afternoons for another week. I bet it would be a great spot for people watching in the spring/summer.
Back out on the street we went on a hunt for a mulled wine cafe. It proved unsuccessful but we passed through some cool little back alleys in the process.

We decided to go back to the apartment to get ready for the night ahead, despite still having no set plans. Got ready with some vodka in then went through to Oliver and Lesley's room for a drink with their friends. In the end we took in the bells in an English bar of all places before heading onto Womb - one of Tokyo's largest nightclubs. It was absolutely rammed with people, and it was after 3.30am, before there was any space to dance or socialise properly. We stayed till 5.30 then moved onto another place, this one a lot smaller and mainly regulars, until 8am.
@Womb

New Years daywas super chilled. Got up to take a phone call from home. Rachel spent the whole day in bed, so I hung out with Oliver and Lesley in the kitchen who kindly fed me udon noodles in soup with daikon and tofu (very healthy), then took me on a sunset walk. That evening, Rachel's bandmate cooked us dinner and we cracked a bottle of red wine.

Jan 2nd went to the Imperial Palace. The grounds are only open 2 days a year and Jan 2nd is one of those days (the other is the Emperor's birthday). I followed the flag carrying crowds as were guided through the grounds to a square looking onto a long building with a glass enclosed balcony running the entire length. It was only at this point that I realised the imperial family were acruall due to come out and address the crowd. 20 mins later, the imperial family emerged to much flag waving...

The palace is situated right at the heart of Tokyo -an oasis of peace an tranquility - a real contrast to the city whose skyline rises up all around.

After the Palace I followed the crowds and ended up at another shrine - the road up to which was lined with stalls selling food and trinkets, and up at the shrine, as in Asakusa, people were making offerings and buying fortunes...

My plan was to go back to go back to the Tokyo View at Mori Tower in the afternoon to see the day view, check out the art gallery there and watch sunset. Was held up slightly a a result of bumoing into Madeleine - a friend from Scotland who is teaching English on Honshu for Jet. We bumped into eachother on the stairs of Shinjuku Station - the busiest in the world!

@Tokyo View, Mori Tower

My last evening in Tokyo, I met up with Rachel for dinner. The Thai restaurant we had planned to eat at was still closed for thr holidays and we ended up eating in Pizza Express -and very nice it was too. We went for a couple of drinks in Shibuya befoe calling it a night. Next day, I got the monorail back to the airport.