Memories of Japan - 2010-08-09 - 4. Cooking and singing

The second night in Japan and the first night in our new hotel finished, so we woke up. Man, this hotel was a palace compared with the previous one. Besides, we had free breakfast! For breakfast there was some oriental and occidental food. So I tried a bit of all.

After breakfast was time to go out to visit Asakusa. When arrived there, we were taking a walk arround all the souvenir stores near the Sensoji temple and later in the temple complex. There I praid to have a great travel with my friends. We also looked our fortune and finished we three of us with bad fortune... but we tied our papers and our bad luck went away :)

We spent all the morning there, so when we finish the visit was time to have lunch. For lunch we decided to try an okonomiyaki's place when you had to cook your food. The final result doesn't seems an okonomiyaki but was nice, and fun.

After lunch we went to the Ueno park. When we finished to visit some of the temples in the park, we went to the lake. There Laia did one of the biggest discoveries of the travel, Suika soda! Soda with watermelon flavor. Is very very nice! But before that great moment of the discovery, my three friends took a boat in the lake and I prefered took a walk arround the lake. Then was when I was assault by a crows flock. Luckily was able to run away alive. Also remember that there, the cicadas made a lot of noise.

Later we left Ueno park and went to the Tokyo University. They have a lake inside the university! In my faculty was hard to find more than 3 square meters of grass... Also saw the main building. Was nice to see after saw it a lot in Love Hina manga.

After that... Yokoso Akiba!! My first time in Akihabara. Was very exciting! We took a fast walk, don't have much time, and went to have dinner in one of the cheap restaurants that there are there.

And later... yes, after that long day still had energy for more, karaoke time! We had a lot of fun singing. These drained all the energy that remainded in us, so after that came back to the hotel to sleep.

Memories of Japan - 2010-08-08 - 3. Cuteness, hamburger and walk to Shibuya

Our first full day in Japan starts and we wake up in our disastrous first hotel. Luckily, the following hotels was all good. Everybody picked up their baggage and I took some pictures of our room. Bye bye horrible hotel, hope don't see you again.

Our first night room.

After that, we went to our new hotel. Toyoko inn if I remember well. This time was a western style hotel with normal beds, but too much better than the other one. Well this really seems an hotel, the other one... I can't define. We left our baggage there and went out. Still was too early to do the check in. So we went to Asakusa to find a place to have breakfast. And we found a little coffee shop where, after our first tries to communicate, enjoyed delicious pancakes.

Enjoying pancakes.

After breakfast, went to Harajuku. And there, we found our first, and more mythical, kawaii store, Kiddy Land. We spent some time in the seven floors of this big store full of cuteness. Later, we went to visit Meiji Jingu shrine. We spent our time there until was time to have lunch.

Meiji Jingu.

To have lunch, we went to Jonathan's. That's the place in the world where I ate the best hamburgers that I tasted. Totemo Oishiii~ And while my co-travelers chose more conventional drinks, I tasted Melon Fanta. Was very sweet! But tasted good.

Lunch at Jonathan's.

After lunch, we decided try to go from there to Shibuya walking. Was fun. We stopped in a music store, with lots of floors, too. In the anime section was playing "No, Thank you!", the second K-ON!! ending. That is maybe the song that I listened more in this travel. We also stopped in a clothes shop that had One Piece posters outside.

A clothes shop on our walk to Shibuya.

After walk some time, we arrived to the mythical Shibuya crossroads. We took some pictures of the crossroads and some more of the Hachiko statue. Later, finally was time to go to the first manga and anime related place, Shibuya's Mandarake. I enjoyed a lot walking through bookcases with lots and lots of manga. There I also found some figurines and nendoroids hard to find with expensive prices. But I bought nothing that day.

Shibuya.

After Mandarake's visit, was time to have dinner. We went to a typical Okinawa restaurant but without knowing it. Later, the waiter, that was very nice person, explained to us. Also explained and suggested some plates to choose. We enjoyed of a bit expensive but very good dinner.

Enjoying our dinner at a typical Okinawa restaurant.

After dinner, was time to come back to our new hotel. We still had to do the check in. After that, we went to our rooms. I checked my mail account, took a shower and watched TV a bit while the other people also checked their mail. And when everybody finished, bed time. Oyasumi!

Memories of Japan - 2010-08-07 - 2. There's no way Japan can be this hot!

After an uncountable number of hours flying in a plane, we arrived to Narita airport. Finally were in Japan! A new day just started and we were exhausted, couldn't sleep too much at plane. After the controls and pick up our baggage, we went to exchange some euros for yens. Later go to take the train that took us to the Ueno Station. And now finally in Tokyo!

At train to Ueno.

We came out of the station and... What's this heat!? We just discovered hot Japanese climate at summer. With lots of hours without sleep and with an insane heat, we went to our first hotel in Tokyo. It was situated at North of Asakusa. We arrived, left our suitcases and went to have lunch.

Our first restaurant in Japan.

Our first lunch in Japan was in a small restaurant that almost all that they only had was yakisoba and takoyaki. Well, actually they also had some other "yaki" things. All was delicious, our first meal in Japan!

After lunch, we took a walk for the surrounding area near the hotel. Were waiting that was time to do the check in. We visited some shrines in that walk, knowing nothing about them.

One of the shrines near the hotel.

When was time, came back to the hotel. And when went to our rooms, discovered some problems in them. In one, the shower didn't work, and the other had leaking water on the ceiling! Well, we went to claim and they offered move us to another hotel, but from the next day. We accepted it and came back to our rooms to take a shower.

Mapo Tofu!

Later, we went out again. This time took a walk through Asakusa. Looked for a place to have dinner. And that dinner was special, because was the first time that I tasted Mapo Tofu! Yes, when I saw it, couldn't choose another plate. So I enjoyed a lot my spicy Mapo Tofu.

After dinner came back to the hotel. And finally, after lots of hours, was time to go to sleep.