tokyo a go go

after all that running around, it’s nice to have a weekend off in tokyo. it’s extra nice to be able to be in tokyo if someone else is footing the bill. it’s nicest of all not to have to get up at 4am to catch a flight to the next country on your itinerary.

spending most of the day just getting to narita and then into tokyo and setting up in the hotel, we head out to akihabara, the famed “electric light city” consumer electronics district. fun to see all the neon lights from the stores, and even though a lot of shops had closed for the night by the time we got there, my sales rep was able to get a pair of fancy headphones, which was exactly what he was looking for.

but what else to see? tokyo is just so huge and rich and has so many things to do, how do you choose with just a scant day+ of recreation time? i wanted to hit the ghibli museum to see the wonderful world of miyazaki. if nothing else, how about the life-size catbus? alas, you need to buy tickets in advance, and they’re sold out for three months. no totoro for me.

instead we hit shibuya, one of the main shopping districts. waste a lot of time at the shibuya HMV, where i spend a couple hours listening to japanese jazz and hip-hop and experimental electronica. we head over to loft to pick up some other stuff, and then waste a couple of hours trying to find the yodobashi camera shop. as it turns out, it’s actually in shinjuku not shibuya, which it does state under the listing, but the map has it marked as being in shibuya. BAD lonely planet!

after that i head over to harajuku, where all the kids hang out. it’s really a sight to see, with all the gothic lolita girls hanging out with their elaborate costumes. i browse through the clothings stores for a while, but decide that i’m still not down for the $200 t-shirt, no matter what country it’s from, and end up in the huge toy store for a couple of hours, drooling over things like batman legos and gamera micronauts.

finally i hit the muji flagship store, where i have to resist buying everything. although i admit i’m tempted by the muji earthquake kit. and the muji washing machine. and the muji flat travel kit. mmmm muji.
Posted at July 30, 2006 10:43 PM