Shibuya – The Engen's Japan Cultural Exhibition 2k18!

Our first plan for a full day out of our base in Shibuya was to head to Akihabara (Akiba) and Harajuku for some shopping and site seeing. These districts are widely popular for their massive shopping centers, fashion and otaku culture bases. Since our JR rail pass was now expired, we had to pick up a Suica card which is a card you can preload money on and use for the JR East rails that run through Tokyo.

So on the agenda for the day was shopping!! Time to get rid of that yen before our journey back. We hopped on the Yamanote line that circles around all of Tokyo and stops at all the major hubs. Our first stop for the day was Akiba since it was on the other side of the loop from Shibuya. By the way, the Yamanote is a JR rail, which is covered by the JR pass and makes it super easy to get around Tokyo.

Maker:0x4c,Date:2017-11-8,Ver:4,Lens:Kan03,Act:Lar01,E-Y — Travel bunny

Not only is Akiba the most known for Otaku merchandise, it is also an electronic gadget mecca. Prior to us visiting Japan we had agreed a goal of ours was to purchase a nice camera, so we googled the area to filter the many electronic department stores to choose a place of purchase. Our search lead us to Yodobashi Akiba, a 9 story Colosseum of electronics. Each floor featured a different type of product, so we made our way to the 3rd floor for cameras.

Yodobashi-Akiba-02

After a few hours getting lost in the department store for a few hours we finally made our purchase on a Canon g9x Mark II, then it was time to get some grub.

Our big purchase, now to take even better pictures of our trip going forward!

After shopping and checking out the many maid cafe’s in Akiba it was time to head to our next destination the ever so fashionable Harajuku.

This kawaii gashapon clock sums up Harajuku

Harajuku is the modern day fashion capital of Japan. Lets just say, we felt very under dressed. Loads of people and shopping, we loved it so much we actually walked from Shibuya to Harajuku the next day (they are only a stop away on the Yamanote line).

After two hours of shopping the main streets of Harajuku, we went to Yoyogi park for an evening stroll before heading back to the rails for Shibuya. The park was absolutely stunning as the sun was setting.

Once we arrived back in Shibuya it was time for a traditional Sukiyaki meal. This was the most expensive meal of our trip and well worth it. A little intimidating for our uncultured taste buds, but I must say the raw egg is very complimentary to the meat!

Tummys full it was time for bed, Ghibili Museum to look forward to the next day…or so we thought. Stay tuned and enjoy the photo dump below of anime and fashion related experiences while visiting these two hubs of Tokyo! Thanks for stopping by!

Maker:0x4c,Date:2017-11-8,Ver:4,Lens:Kan03,Act:Lar01,E-Y

Maker:0x4c,Date:2017-11-8,Ver:4,Lens:Kan03,Act:Lar01,E-Y

After our wondrous week in Osaka and surrounding areas, it was time to move on to the last leg of our journey. For our last stay in Japan, we were going to be living out of an AirBnB in Shibuya, Tokyo. Time to jump on the Shinkansen bullet train again for another 3 hour trip back into Tokyo. We were sad to lay our JR Pass down to rest(we only had a 7 day pass), but it was time. We encourage all travelers to purchase the pass, it basically pays for it self after a few Shinkasen rides and there are extensive rails in Japan and Osaka that you can utilize the pass on.

Once we arrived in Shibuya station, we headed out of the station into a massive swirl of people. Shibuya is a heavily dense population center. It’s famous for its Shibuya crossing, which is one of the largest pedestrian crossings in the world. We found our way to our new Air BnB following the detailed map provided to us by our host. Our new apartment was smaller then our last one but it was cozy enough for the both of us and right in the center of the exciting Shibuya district of Tokyo! It was also on the 7th floor, so I’m glad elevators exist.

The view from the front of our new Air BnB in Shibuya.. Glamorous, right?

We got settled in and decided to hit the town and see what local mischief we could get into, this setting was a lot more busy then our time in Osaka. Walking the streets we were surrounded by countless people, shops, and restaurants. We were ready to sit down and get some food, so we started looking for a place.

Around the corner and down the street from our Air BnB

The first place we located was called goodbeer faucets, which had a fairly decent draft selection and food – so we took a seat! We tried some pizza, which… For all the good food in Japan, pizza doesn’t seem to be their thing. However the beer selections were great, and we tasted a few different local craft beers. After that, I looked up another place nearby which was known for their no nonsense bartender owner and his vast collection of vinyls. We collected our things and headed over!

Shortly after that, we got to our location the Jazz Blues Soul Bar – this guy has thousands of vinyl lining all his walls in his bar. He’s the only employee, picks the records himself, and serves you one kind of beer – mix drinks too, with everything at a seemingly flat rate of 500 yen. He plays some of the most awesome music some of which I had never heard, in addition to taking requests – if you’re nice. The place is tiny, so if it’s too full – don’t be surprised if he asks you to leave. It was fantastic and we loved the atmosphere.