Among the cities I have been to so far, Tokyo definitely ranks up there along with my two other favorite cities, Singapore and New York. This city is incredible! For a city of over 13 million, I am so amazed at how clean it is, with a very efficient public transportation system, friendly and courteous people, and a never-ending feast for the senses for both tourists and locals alike. You will never run out of things to do here, and there are always seems to be something new for you to see!
This blog post is the second of a series of Japan-related posts (see the first one here), and there will be more coming up. Please do watch out for them!
Ikebukuro
The hotel we stayed in, the Sunshine City Prince Hotel, is located at the northwestern side of Tokyo, in a busy district called Ikebukuro. Our hotel is located in a part of the district called Sunshine City, a massive complex with office buildings, a hotel, and large shopping centers (think Eastwood City in Libis). The hotel is extremely popular with Chinese tour groups, and there were quite a number of Russian tourists staying there as well. The lobby is always so busy (and noisy)!
Our two rooms (both with two single beds each) were located at the 24th floor, and we were treated to this great view of the city each time we looked out the window. The view looks amazing at night, too.
Even if our hotel is a bit further away from the more tourist-y districts of Tokyo like Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ginza and Harajuku, there's still lots of things to do within Ikebukuro itself. This pedestrian-only street (called the Sunshine 60 Dori Strip) is just a 5-10 minute walk from our hotel, and is full of large shops and restaurants.
See how bustling this place is even during the late hours?
For all you Uniqlo fans, there is a massive, multi-level store along the Sunshine 60 Dori Strip. This particular store is one of the largest in Tokyo, and boasts of one underground level and six levels above ground, so that's a total of seven levels. Seven!
The Ikebukuro Station of the JR Yamanote Line was the starting point for our train journey for where we were headed: Shibuya!
Shibuya
Shibuya is one of the more popular districts of Tokyo. The most popular attraction here would definitely have to be the extremely busy pedestrian crossing just outside Shibuya Station. This place is also a popular shopping district with large department stores and flagship stores of several well-known brands, and it is also a popular nightspot with numerous bars and restaurants. You shouldn't dare miss out on this place!
First order of business: Check out the famous pedestrian crossing. This photo was taken just as the traffic lights turned red and the people were just beginning to cross.
And...go!
This pedestrian crossing gets even crazier when it gets dark! See it as recorded by my dad below:
The Starbucks branch just above the Tsutaya sign you see on the photos and video is one of the busiest Starbucks stores in the world. You can always try your luck if you can score some seats overlooking the streets so you can get a better view of the madness below!
Some more scenes while walking around Shibuya:
I also took this one last photo before we decided to call it a day and took the train back to Ikebukuro:
It looks and feels just like Times Square in New York!
Stay tuned for the next part of our trip!
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