OK, enough of Shinjuku of its sleaziness. We left Lonestar hotel after breakfast and given an hour, we decided to explore Kabukicho in the daytime.
Moved on to Sunshine City by walking all the way from Ikebukuro, some how overshot a bit. You can't trust the map saying only 8 mins walk from the station, that's the Japanese speed of walking.
To reach Sunshine City at ease by metro, take the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho line from Ikebukuro station to Higashi-Ikebukuro(just a stop). When out of the station, walk about 10 mins straight where you pass by a 24hr Seiyu supermarket. Keep walking and cross the road to reach Sunshine City.
Side-note: As the weather was so freaking cold, we chose to take the metro. No need to bear with the harsh, cold, icy wind!
Chanced upon Namja Town, an amusement park based on cats.
Everything inside are cats, cats and more cats.
We bought the normal tickets without to play the games inside. So it's 300 yen each.
There are cool machines outside to purchase the tickets.
Warning: A place more for young children. You see the Japanese kids running around, carrying an electronic game device where they captured points inside.
Ok, we were hungry. It's easy to feel hungry in cold weathers like this, especially after a long walk from the station. So it's time for food.
The food we saw were of cat's theme also.
To play safe, I tried Japanese curry with rice. At least the curry was piping hot! (but egg was cold... duh...)
Kok Keng left a message in my facebook that the food dun look appetizing.
It actually tasted better than my cousins ordered(shown below).
This One Piece bento was TERRIBLE.... The drumstick was cold!
We also explored the other attractions in the park. From ice-cream city, haunted house to gyoza museum....... all in Japanese so we dun really understand their stories/concept that much. Not catered to tourists perhaps. One thing I can remember, they were all very expensive!
OK, here's a video clip on more details on Namjatown.
After loitering around in the amusement and nothing left to do, we moved on to a comic shop/building near Sunshine City.
The comic book store was 7-storey building containing comic books, magazines, toys, figurines, animation dvds, soundtracks....... and everything cute.
There was also an event on a video game debut on the top-floor which attracted a fair bit of young girls.
The attraction-seeking life-size standing cardboard characters. There is always one question in my mind, "Why do the young girls think they are hot?"
You even get to sit down comfortably to watch the "Opening" songs.
Comic shops in Japan were always about 7 storeys high. In every building we went, there will always a lift provided. However, waiting for the lift could take a very, very long time! So "bobian", we climbed all the way up!
I'm a little lazy to take pictures of the shop. But this place is a paradise for "otakus" and definitely a place for anyone who likes manga/anime related stuff. From books, magazines, figurines, dvds....... to even hentai! You can even purchase cosplay clothes here! (but no trying please)
After looking around so long, we settled down in a nearby family restaurant called "Ai Ai" for our dinner. They served delicious ramen and gyoza at reasonable costs.
Day 13 - Shimbashi, Odaiba
It was the New Year's eve. After checking online whether shops do open during this day, we decided to visit the "Marina Bay" of Tokyo, Odaiba, aka "New Tokyo". It was a group of man-made islands constructed during the end of Edo Period for defence against foreigners.
To get to Odaiba, we took JR from Ikebukuro to Shimbashi, then change to Yurikamone line to Odaiba Seaside Park.
JR to Shimbashi - You could see a lot of Japanese leaving the Tokyo city and returning back to their hometowns before New Year.
And the very long Shinkansen passed by almost every minute to cater to the large numbers of folks returning to their hometowns(outskirts) of Tokyo City.
Took this pic of the Rainbow Bridge while on Yurikanome monorail.
Finally we reached Odaiba Park. First stop, over to the Cats Lover's shop at Tokyo Decks.
Odaiba Cat Shop
You need to pay an entrance fee of 1,600 yen (which includes a drink) if you want to get close with the cats for 1 hour.
The cat figurines were cute too!
Need to treat the cat with respect!
OK, this one didn't seem to look well.
Catch me if you can!
Visitors could sit on these chairs and enjoy the "at-home" environment.
I wanted to buy this fat cat, but it cost almost 12,000 yen!(S$180)
When the 1 hour's up, we crossed over the bridge to the Venus Fort, a major shopping mall with the Venus theme.
The place was really beautiful. But it got too overcrowded and things there were expensive.
For lunch, we had chinese food.
Getting too bored with shopping, I took Xinyun(my cousin) to a trip on the Ferris Wheel. This 115 metres wheel is one of the world's largest and offers great views of the bay area.
The wind was pretty strong up there.
Fuji Television Station
After checking out shops at the Tokyo Decks, we went back a stop over to Shiodome to view the clock designed by Hayao Miyazaki (the famous Japanese Animator who did Spirited Away and Ponyo on the cliff by the sea)
The clock actually demonstrates a small performance 4 times a day according to mentioned stipulated hours.
And lastly I must say, Tokyo's dusk scene is really very romantic.
Day 14
Nakano
A hidden gem of old anime figurines/toys at special offers. Regretted not taken any photos there!
Day 15
Irumashi, Mitsui Outlet Park
After breakfast at Moriva coffee, we travelled to the Mitsui outlet at Irumashi. Took the Seibu Ikebukuro line (40 min) and Seibu bus (190 yen, 20 min) to get there. The outlet was one of the largest in Japan and seriously 3 hours of shopping was hardly enough.
Day 16
Going back to Singapore! Home sweet home!
I miss local food very much!
The first thing I want to eat is definitely Nasi Lemak and Laksa( with "hum" of course!
