ニッポン １２ - TOKYO

12Sept08 Fri
Day 12 - Harajuku→Shibuya

原宿→渋谷

Another picture of our room in Yusuke's house

Blue blue skyy

Yusuke always check the timings of the trains so that we can set off and catch the train in time.
This is one thing I really like about Japanese trains, they have very accurate timings, and are never late. The best thing is, you can check the timings with your mobile phone. HOW COOL IS THAT? You can check weather also. Weather forecast tells you the possibility of rain(in percentage) and the overall weather. When the Japaneses says it's going to rain in the afternoon, it WILL rain in the afternoon.

That's why Kiki and I always watch the weather forecast on TV in the morning.
They will tell you what time to hang our clothes out in the sun, remind you to bring umbrella,
very interesting!

Harajuku - Takashita Street.
Take Yamanote Line, get off at Harajuku station. Cross the traffic light in front of the station and turn left, walk straight..
I really really like this street, great fashion at good prices!!
And there are so many things to see..

What is so special about this takoyaki shop?

The takoyaki is huge!!

Ate Miso Soba for lunch... nothing special in my opinion..

More shopping.. Yumiko and Kumiko were so nice, knowing that I was looking for vest they went into all the shops, trying to help me find...

Getting my sister's keychain done..
I learnt a word from Kumiko that day: 器用(kiyou, meaning good at something)
So i told the person who was making the keychain, Kiyou desu ne!
He was a little shocked and embarrassed, and replied arigatou gozaimasu...

Weird person in pink

Hahah... Sumiko's classroom

For people who likes cute stuff, there's a building in Harajuku which sells many many cute items..

New Japan Mascots(?)
Cute right!!

too cuteeee!

Kumiko leaving for part time job again... the last time we will be seeing her :(
she bought items from Paris Kids for us =)

the girls =)

Digressing, I saw Narimiya Hiroki on this street!
http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Narimiya_Hiroki

At first I saw this guy who was really tall and was in really fashionable clothes,
then when I looked at his face, I was like, Morita senpai from Honey and Clover!!

Mesmerising! Haha.

One station away from Harajuku on Yamanote Line - Shibuya

Hachiko, an Akita dog, was a Shibuya fixture during the late 1920s and early 1930s; his statue near Shibuya Station is a popular meeting spot.

In 1924, Hachikō was brought to Tokyo by his owner, Hidesamuro Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo, During his owner's life, Hachikō saw him off from the front door and greeted him at the end of the day at the nearby Shibuya Station.The pair continued their daily routine until May 1925, when Professor Ueno didn't return on the usual train one evening. The professor had suffered a stroke at the university that day. He died and never returned to the train station where his friend was waiting.

Hachikō was given away after his master's death, but he routinely escaped, showing up again and again at his old home. After time, Hachikō apparently realized that Professor Ueno no longer lived at the house. So he went to look for his master at the train station where he had accompanied him so many times before. Each day, Hachikō waited for Professor Ueno to return. And each day he didn't see his friend among the commuters at the station.

The permanent fixture at the train station that was Hachikō attracted the attention of other commuters. Many of the people who frequented the Shibuya train station had seen Hachikō and Professor Ueno together each day. Realizing that Hachikō waited in vigil for his dead master, their hearts were touched. They brought Hachikō treats and food to nourish him during his wait.

This continued for 10 years, with Hachikō appearing only in the evening time, precisely when the train was due at the station.

That same year, another of Ueno's former students (who had become something of an expert on the Akita breed) saw the dog at the station and followed him to the Kobayashi home where he learned the history of Hachikō's life. Shortly after this meeting, the former student published a documented census of Akitas in Japan. His research found only 30 purebred Akitas remaining, including Hachikō from Shibuya Station.

Professor Ueno's former student returned frequently to visit the dog and over the years published several articles about Hachikō's remarkable loyalty. In 1932 one of these articles, published in Tokyo's largest newspaper, threw the dog into the national spotlight. Hachikō became a national sensation. His faithfulness to his master's memory impressed the people of Japan as a spirit of family loyalty all should strive to achieve. Teachers and parents used Hachikō's vigil as an example for children to follow. A well-known Japanese artist rendered a sculpture of the dog, and throughout the country a new awareness of the Akita breed grew.

More info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachik%C5%8D

Old train model outside Shibuya station. apparently also a popular waiting area.

Freedom of speech? No one was taking notice of him but I thought what he was saying was very interesting. I would have stood there listening to him if I had time, provided he doesn't ask me to join his activities. Haha...

He was talking about quitting smoking at this point..
"Please raise your hands if you don't like smoking"...

Shibuya 109

ichi-maru-kyu
109

only pic I took in the shopping centre. I don't really like 109. Very crowded, very noisy..
and clothes aren't that cheap..

Shibuya Center

Part 1,2,3?

Japanese comedian advertising for big sized clothes

Train back home

Seriously i think this job is super boring because it's so repetitive..
But it is for the safety of the citizens..

the screen on Japanese trains telling us the no. of stations, how many mins away, and updates on technical problems of train..

Considerate Japaneses.
Advert for avoiding smoking people in a nice way,
and reminder to not text while walking..

Self-service petrol station.
Yusuke drove a distance to go to a station that was 1yen cheaper -.-

advanced...

Dinner at Yusuke's house for the last time.
Never knew kama (fish cheek) was so delicious..

Yusuke, his father, Kiki, me and Yusuke's mother.
Parents look very young right?! Yusuke is 19, and has a elder and younger sister. But both his parents look sooo young. His father is quiet but Power Mum is very animated.. haha..
Power Mum is a nurse, can drive, can cook, can make jokes, knows about Japanese idols, takes care of family... 24 hrs a day...
Super Mum!

Before this I always thought Japanese mums are all housewives..
guess not...

Got up Shiozaki san's car at Nagareyama Shopping Centre Gate 2 again. Haha.
Off to our next adventure in Tokyo =)