6.24.16
It’s Day 2 of our Tokyo excursion! We woke up bright and early, and hopped onto the Keiyo Line at Kaihin Makuhari Station. We transferred to the Yamanote Line (a train line that basically circles around the major parts of Tokyo), and disembarked in Harajuku.
Our Harajuku excursion began at Meiji Jingu, a shrine located right near Harajuku’s Takeshita-dori and Omotesando. We found ourselves walking through Meiji Jingu’s large torī gate (a large gate that usually stands at the entrance of shrines), and wandering inside of the manmade forest that surrounds the shrine. The shade of the trees definitely provided some relief from the hot summer sun. Within the forest, some students stopped to take pictures of the large ceremonial sake barrels that were lined up on the right side of the path to the shrine.
After walking for about 10 minutes, we found ourselves at the entrance of the shrine. Although the shrine was under construction, quite a few tourists had gathered to admire the shrine. We purified ourselves at the fountain near the entrance (a process that involves pouring water on your left hand, followed by your right hand) before entering the shrine. Upon entering, we were lucky enough to stumble upon a photoshoot for a traditional Japanese wedding. After spending several minutes admiring the bride’s beautiful kimono, we paid our respects at the shrine and headed towards Takeshita-dori.
Spotted at Meiji Jingu: someone prayed for Marlin and Nemo to find Dory
As usual, Takeshita-dori was dotted with young women wearing school uniforms and lolita fashion (a style characterized by frills and bright pastel colors). Of course, there were some rather interesting sights: for example, at the entrance of Takeshita-dori we noticed a dapperly-dressed man walking his pet rock (decorated with a mini top hat).
Professor Dorsey and I set the gang loose to explore and shop. Most of the gang scrambled into the Daiso, a 100-yen shop, located within Takeshita-dori. I spent some time window shopping – I must confess that Harajuku is my favorite part of Tokyo, and I very much adore Harajuku fashion (both as a researcher and a self-proclaimed fashionista). We eventually regrouped at a crepe shop. We munched on our crepes, chattered for a bit, and continued to explore Takeshita-dori.
Crepe purchased in Takeshita-dori
After the gang made some purchases (I bought myself a skirt decorated with kitchen utensils, because…kitchen utensils), we regrouped at Harajuki Station and hopped onto the Yamanote Line towards Akihabara. As soon as we entered Electric Town, several of the LSAers gasped in delight. One LSA member referred to Akihabara as “sensory overload.” He wasn’t wrong.
Akihabara's Electric Town
The group scattered in excitement, and perused the various arcades and anime stores located through Electric Town. Professor Dorsey and I thought that it would be fun to make a group reservation at a Maid Café, so we searched for a nearby café employee. In Akihabara, Maid Café employees tend to stand on street corners fully dressed in their maid uniforms as a way to advertise their respective cafes. Professor Dorsey and I approached an employee from Maidreamin, a maid café chain, and made a reservation for the LSA gang. Afterwards, I mentioned that I was interested in purchasing a camera since mine had broken. Professor Dorsey led me to a nearby camera store and helped me in purchasing a pretty good used camera. After the purchase, we visited a nearby Excelsior Café for tea and coffee.
We regrouped with the gang in front of Akihabara Station, and headed to the Maid Café for our afternoon reservation. Upon entering the café, we were greeted by an energetic maid, who led us to our table and gave us our own animal ears to wear. Even Professor Dorsey wore a pair of animal ears…a rare sight enjoyed by all of the LSAers. We called a maid to our table by saying nyan (the Japanese equivalent of “meow”), and ordered a variety of drinks ranging from melon soda to coffee. Those who ordered coffee (Professor Dorsey and Patrick) were instructed by the maids to add love to their coffee through “Nyan power.” Basically, both Professor Dorsey and Patrick had to say nyan while curling their hands like cats’ paws. It was a marvelous sight to behold. Before leaving the café, we took a group picture with one of the maids, which was eventually uploaded onto the café’s Facebook page.
The LSA taking a group photo with one of the café's maids
We all made our way back to Chiba, and had dinner at a French-styled buffet in Hotel Green Tower. We then headed back to Apa, and some of us took a dip in the daiyokujyō. We headed to bed early in preparation for Saturday, the big day!