The Happy Moments & Laughter We Shared ^^: Japan

Day 5: Tokyo

Big day!
Plan was to do Ueno park - Ameyayokocho - Akihabara - Roppongi if we had the time. Over 250 pictures.. SNAP SNAP SNAP!

Kabukicho

UFO Snack catcher!

expensive juice but good so spend away!

Tried in vain to look for the CnC curry rice near the station, got hungry n grumpy till dearest stumbled upon this while wandering in Shinjuku station.
I wanted my CnC but i'm glad we had this! Apparently it too is some uber old establishment.. hmm...

oh so good. alwaus pick the option with the katsu!

note: this section (next to their restaurant) is only for curryrice diners

Just outside Ueno station (Shinjuku: JR Chuo Line - Kanda station: JR Yamanote Line - Ueno Station)

wtf was i thinking..

always wanted to take a picture like this

her best panda impersonation

Well apparently the park is closed for renovation works :(
but we still managed to take in the beautiful sights and the photo ops :)

There were some small gardens, shrines nearby as well as a large one we could see from the distance so we decided to check them out. Lots to see around Ueno Park, including the two pandas recently acquired by the Ueno Zoo! Lots of shops nearby with panda toys, snacks and other merchandise to accentuate this.

mini amusement park nearby, artist doing a sketch

a cultural heritage site

like wow people actually folded so many to wish for well being! niceeee...

write your wish on a plaque! they're not cheap but hey you can't price a wish can u?

could not resist..

the pillars have company names on them (sponsors?)

IT'S A FAKE.
(due to restoration works but it looks so real from afar!)

Omg are you friggin kiddin me.
We were not the only ones fooled!

Uncle painting landscape. Looks really good!

And so we made our way from Ueno/Zoo park to our next destination, Ameyayokocho!
It's a short walk from Ueno station, (exact location can be googleMapped) definitely worth checking out if you are near Ueno station, which is in between Ameyayokocho and Ueno park.

*The area map in front of the station will point towards Ameyayokocho so just follow the sign and keep walking. It's a straight path towards it you can't miss it.

Ueno station, area map,street scene towards Ameyayokocho
drunk passed out dude, uber cute poodle with robot style walk

On our way over we got waylaid by this sign. Gottabe one of the legendary 100 yen shops we kept hearing about! Well not that we don't have similar style shops back home but still!

Mostly everyday stuff but we're just that kind of tourist.. still really worth checking out!

Slightly further down once you see this you know you're in the right place. Ameyoko is a busy market street along the Yamanote line tracks between Okachimachi and Ueno Station, the site of a black market after WorldWar II. The name "Ameyoko" is a short form for "Ameya Yokocho" (candy store alley), as candies were traditionally sold there. Alternatively, "Ame" also stands for "America", because a lot of American products used to be available on the black market.
Today, various products such as clothes, bags, cosmetics, fresh fish, dried food and spices are sold along Ameyoko. Opening hours and closing days depend on individual stores, but stores typically open around 10:00 and close around 19:00. Many stores remain closed on selected Wednesdays.

i believe they call this the health type store ;)

We all love dressup. Oops.

So much to see and eat!

Despite Japan being in the minds of many an expensive place to visit, it's really not that bad once you consider the quality of the stuff you get while here...
Bought a melon n strawberry stick from an open air fruit store, really wunderbar!

Oooohh we have branches of this place back home too!
It's raved about but the one time i ever tried it i thought it was.. above average.

Babylove's tuna breakdown course. Since she isn't really familiar with the different cuts of tuna figured this had to happen right?!
Regular maguro sushi, chu-toro, Ootoro!
Mmm mmm... and it's cheap too... *suspect*

Something very Japanese about this shot.

feelin real healthy

Tenya tempura restaurant chain.
Whole bunch of these all over Japan, recommended as budget tempura joint.

We've been eating all day so luckily we only ordered one set.
Look at love's wide eyed look.

Akihabara!

..
...

"OMIGAWD TRANSFORMER! OPTIMUSSSSsss!"

And so on we made our way towards Yodabashi Camera, a chain store mainly selling electronic products. In the 70's Yodobashi camera store in Shinjuku sold 1/3 of all SLR cameras in Japan, making it by far the worlds most successful camera retailer, thanks to its strong purchasing power and low prices.
Funky stores like the one below and the ever tempting eateries slow our progress...

they have cooler stuff than we do! :(

boom boom pow!

like i said, f-u-n-k-y stuff.

i took one too but hell if i'm postin it!

at long last

so cool but not cheap for a toy!

for the young n mayb also the not so young..

some things are hard to put down i know...

wifi zone! all the nintendo DS gamers..

maid cafe! didn't visit tho..

mobile crepe van

irresistable indeed. it's not bad nth to shout about tho

as we trudge a long distance to Roppongi! still far ~

spotted this cool lookin drinkin joint in the middle of nowhere..

zozoji temple! majestic, even @ night

lift the sky!

at the gift shop. Chopper!

i wan an Eiffel tower version of this pic as well

Tokyo tower!!! We decided not to go up cause it was late and the entry wasn't cheap. Also, due to the conservation of energy it wasn't lighted up as well :(

Ah well.
After getting pointed in the right direction by the tower staff, we rapidly closed in on the infamous Roppongi district! Formerly an area known for having a high Yakuza presence, it is of late better known for its active night club scene which is popular with locals and foreigners alike.
*note: many touts will employ aggressive, high-pressure tactics to draw customers to their joints. Lastly, many foreign embassies are also located in this district.

Gas Panic Bar
Saw this place recommended on a few sites decided to check it out since we were in the area.
Cool place cheap drinks during happy hour and great music.
No photography allowed inside.

After some drinks and light dancing it's on to more food! We decided on Ichiran ramen due to the recommendation of Google Maps and were glad we did! Love spotted the place with her eagle eye (it's on the 2nd storey).

*note: there is a Japanese pet shop a couple of shops away and it's uber moeeee.. the cutest little animals evar. CHECK IT OUT.

It has loads of photos outside (presumably of celebrities?) and once you step in there are several rows of cubicles such as this one (minus the bowl of course).