Dolly girls, trolley girls, Tempura & Bento boxes
Trip Start
Aug 10, 2007
1
12
92
Trip End
Dec 27, 2007
Tokyo,
Japan
Monday, August 27, 2007
27th. The palace is lived in by the emperor of Japan, who is basically a figure
head, much like the queen. Therefore you cannot enter the palace.
Tokyo has an abundance of parks and we ambled through a big park, Hibiya park,
and then we caught the metro to harajuku.
Harajuku is where the teenagers hang out and where new teenage fashions are
developed. It was amazing, there were mobile phone personalising shops, mobile
charms for Africa, the trolley girls, the boy girls and the dolly girls
Central Gai
.Mobile phones are accessorise with beads, diamante, studs, fur etc. while
everyone has at least 3 charms for their phone. The trolley girls are the ones
that pull behind them a carry on luggage bag, instead of using a handbag. The
boy girls are the boys that have girl hairstyles (hair piled high on their head
blow waved, coloured and gelled ...... and they wear girl's flip flops!
But, the weirdest are the dolly girls. I could not get a photo - too obvious -
but I did get most of the above on video. I went all David Attenborough and
stealthily filmed from behind my book, while sitting on a Macdonald's balcony.
Anyway ...... the dolly girls ...... they dress up to look totally like a doll!
Alice bands, pink frilly netting dresses, shiny satin pumps, socks to their
knees etc
Gate at Meiji-Jingu
. Unbelievable to see them walking down the street as if it is a usualoccurrence.
After wandering around the markets and shops of Harajuku, we went across the
road and walked through a park to the Meiji-Jingu. The MJ is Japan's most
splendid Shinto Shrine. It was built in 1920 in honour of emperor Meiji and
empress shoken.
We had a quick picnic lunch, nap at home and then we arrived in Shibuya for a sensory overload. Coming out of the metro at Shibuya you are hit square in the face with loud music and lights. All the buildings have video screens playing music videos and thousands of neon lights. Shibuya makes Time Square look small.
We stood for a while and just gaped and shook our heads. When the traffic lights all go red, people cross the streets from all areas through the centre. The entire place fills with people. We eventually crossed ourselevs and went up a famous shopping street called Central Gai
Harajuku atmosphere
. Here the fashions of Japan, and then the world, come from, apparently?! Jules found a few shoe shops to browse (because the three pairs she has already purchased on this trip are not enough yet) while I tried to get a few video clips of the locals.
We wondered about for a while and finally decided on having a Japanese steak for dinner. We went up to the Big Chef for dinner. Basically you window shop, looking at plastic recreations of meals on teh ground floor. When you find sonething you like, you go into the building, go up to the resturant and order what you saw in the window.
We sat up high and watched all below us in Shibuya while we had a magnificent meal. I had a sirlion steak with fried onions and pepers, with veggies and potatoe wedges, while Jules also had a steak but went for the omelette option. They served a cheese omlette on top of the rice. Very very good.
We took our smiling contented selves across to the Starbucks and had a banana frascatta (me) and a hot chocolate (Jules), while again watching all the people below us in the square.
After that we headed home on the Metro, once again agreeing that Tokyo was brilliant!
Comments
Hi again
Seems like a wonderful experience to be in Tokyo! When exactly do you leave for Oz? Enjoy! Lotsa Luv, Mom xxx