On this day of my trip, I battled with myself on what my life priorities are. Originally, this day was allotted to going to Tokyo Station to check out the Pokemon Cafe. However, I rechecked the other activities that I wanted to do in this trip, and one of them is shopping! I realized I didn't have much time for this because I had specific appointments I would need to attend to on the following days to come. This is the only whole day left that I have "free" time. So I dumped my original plan and went to Takeshita street instead! This is another perk of doing a DIY trip -- you can do last-minute changes to your plans to suit your needs. 👍
I would have loved to see Pikachu and the gang and to hang out with them at the cafe, but I really needed to accomplish my shopping list!
Along Takeshita Street
And so I went my way to Takeshita street, a long street lined up with lots of stores! I realized I have been in this area when I visited the Meiji Shrine. This was the street where all the people from the subway walked towards to.
There were lots of cute stuff everywhere! I felt like I was back in Insadong in Seoul because of all the artsy stores in this street. This tourist area has been in my to-visit list and looking back now, I think I did the right decision. I wanted to visit this spot because I learned that there are lot of crafty stores and a lot of 100-yen stores like Daiso. This is the perfect place to get some stuff to give back to my folks back home!
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| It was such a joy shopping at these 100-yen stores. There were lots of items in all categories you could think of. |
If you love Studio Ghibli (like I am!), these craft stores would be heaven for you. There are lots of merch available and you will never run out of Totoro stuff toys. I would love to purchase all of them, but I had to hold back from burning my money. 😅
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| Panda lovers would surely love this section here. 😍 |
Socks Hoarding
One item that I enjoyed shopping here are socks! 🧦😍There were lots of varieties and colors and styles to choose from! I saw this one store that sold any 3 pairs for 1,000 JPY. I really enjoyed looking and choosing amongst all the designs available. I think I bought 9 pairs, and I am using them well today. Although I think I should have bought more because I always use insole socks. Next time, I'll buy more!
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| This is the store where I bought my socks. Go visit them too! |
Corndog Snack Break
When travelling, one tip I got is if I see a long line for food, I better check it out, because most probably, the food is great! And so when I stumbled upon this scene while walking down the street, I decided to queue in. I'm a fan of corndogs, and since I still didn't know where I would eat for lunch, I decided to why not have this for a snack.
It took a while for me to reach the front of the line. I noticed that the line grew longer as the minutes passed by. I guess the curiosity of the people got them to go in line too!
I purchased one corndog, got myself some serving of mustard and ketchup and searched for a spot to eat. There were no seats for customers since it was just a stall, so I followed the cue from the people around and just stood nearby and started munching my corndog. Apparently it had melted cheese (I'm guessing mozzarella) inside. Ahh it was so good! It was a bit messy to eat, but I was able to finish it all. I thought it would feel awkward being alone and eating this, but I felt like most people were just minding their own businesses, and so I was able to relax and focus on my eating. 😋
Transforming into an Otaku
As I continued my journey along the street, I found some stores filled with anime merch, and I found myself entranced by them. I felt like I was 11 years old again as I found this section dedicated to my all-time favorite anime -- Cardcaptor Sakura!
Usually it consisted of a few shelves only, but it was okay. I still enjoyed looking at all the merch available. I was still in search for the Clowbook, but my luck was not with me again that day. I already tried searching for that in Akihabara but I wasn't able to find one. Based on my research online, the Clowbook is considered a rare merch because Cardcaptor Sakura was launched more than a decade ago. It only came back into the scene because of the new Clear Card arc. As for the Clowbook, because it is already a rare item, it might be expensive. But oh well, I was leaning towards the acceptance that I might not be able to find one, and that I should just move on from fangirling because I'm already too old for that. Plus, even if I do get to purchase one, what would I do with the Clow Cards? (editor's note: just you wait my dear, the Universe has a plan for you!)
Most of the anime I saw there were not familiar to me, so it was such a joy to stumble one that is close to my heart. I found this Gachapon Sailormoon. It costs 400 JPY to draw a random toy so I only tried once. I am so happy to get the crescent moon wand! 🌛
Most of the anime I saw there were not familiar to me, so it was such a joy to stumble one that is close to my heart. I found this Gachapon Sailormoon. It costs 400 JPY to draw a random toy so I only tried once. I am so happy to get the crescent moon wand! 🌛
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| I just noticed that "no photography" sign. Sumimasen. 😅 |
Line Store Stop
After completing my visit at the shops at Takeshita street (with my hands heavy with shopping items!), I started walking towards the nearest subway. Along the way, one store caught my attention: this Line Store! I super adore the characters in the LINE app so I thought of stopping by to check out the items available.
I liked the message of these bags above because I somehow got to relate to them at that moment. You are not alone -- yes I was travelling solo, but that doesn't follow that I am lonely. I guess at this point in my trip, I have already assured myself that I enjoy my own company and that I get to savor these precious "me time" that I am spending here in Tokyo. Keep calm and keep calm -- having a panic attack while in this trip is one of the things I worried about myself. But good thing, all that I experienced so far was just feeling relaxed and being in the moment. There were some slight mishaps along the way earlier that day though. There were black people (I'm guessing they were the Nigerian folks being mentioned in the Japan travel forums that I was in) randomly inviting guys on the street, and leading them somewhere. Good thing no one approach me while I was there because I don't know what I would have done. There was just one guy that slammed to me while I was walking, and he didn't even said sorry or anything. I just glared devilishly at him (he didn't look back at me) and I walked furiously fast to the opposite direction. I also double-checked if something went missing from my items. Good thing nothing was gone. Good thing I only encountered those group of people in Harajuku.
After that quick visit at the shop, I headed to the subway to go back to my hotel and drop my shopping items. I was set to meet someone I know from college later that day because I invited her to watch a concert with me tonight! Yay! Super excited to write about that on the blog. Stay tuned!
After that quick visit at the shop, I headed to the subway to go back to my hotel and drop my shopping items. I was set to meet someone I know from college later that day because I invited her to watch a concert with me tonight! Yay! Super excited to write about that on the blog. Stay tuned!
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