x
One of the famous areas in Japan would definitely be Ikebukuro. Mentioned in countless anime, and infamous for the nightlife. 343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4hGE6LUuu5
Me and my friends met up there, and walked the whole day. Keep in mind, my legs can't take much due to that accident. Even though I was wearing braces for both my legs, damn they hurt. Even my friends who had no issues with their legs were limping by the end of the day.343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQ4VzR8VTd
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyCR6GU2prI
So, what did we do? Of course, we visited ANIMATE. Both branches - the first one had a few collab cafes that we didn't find interesting, as well as cosplay services where you can try cosplaying with a photoshoot.343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9lPu2jzvxr
The main branch... oh boy. We went through each story in the building. Oh boy, I didn't know one whole story would be dedicated to BL manga. Hahaha. Luckily, there were other men there, so we didn't feel too out of place. I couldn't find any Gintama volumes... but I definitely recognised a lot of manga as well as manhwa that they sold. I bought some Gintama merch at the store that took up one story - expensive...343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDtzKoWZmdo
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE00fpjEYIR
Anyhow, we went to a BOOKOFF (second hand store) afterwards, and stayed there for a while reading manga... in Japanese. Of course, I spent 20 minutes searching for Gintama, and another 20 minutes reading different volumes. While I obviously can't understand most of it, I recognised each panel from the corresponding scene in the anime. We also saw a Pokemon card being resold for over $4300 usd... damn. I think that's more than what we spent for the entire trip. (We didn't go to Disneyland or anything, cos that's overrated. Or is it? I went to Disney in HK, so...)343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5TkHuOYQNB
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7oTYMigfG
And the highlight of the trip, Sunshine City! A "city within a city". We didn't explore ALL of it, of course... but you know, I gotta visit the Pokemon floor. And so I did! Unfortunately I couldn't book for the Pokemon or Kirby cafe in time...343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDoLfgcTXs8
The Pikachu sweets cafe was pretty, but the bad reviews were there for a reason. 90% of my drink was ice, smh. But it was great looking around the Pokemon-themed floor, and though nothing caught my eye at the Pokemon centre... we caught some boy bands performing by chance haha. It was hilarious watching them meet and interact with fans. 343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCeS1oPyfWr
(This was 90% ice... shame.)343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuG58psfVqn
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyh9ftufU3f
My legs were so sore that I sat on the ground while observing the idols. At some point, I decided to take a video of them, but just before I took a video, one of the members looked up, and seemed to make eye contact with me. The first thought that popped into my head was, "Am I... not supposed to take a video?" despite others clearly taking pictures. I just had the idea I was doing something very wrong. We ate dinner at Sunshine city! Pretty good, but nothing spectacular, so no pictures.343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2SlMftrOcZ
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLNN9ku9Pgi
Oh, I had to mention we ate ramen at a local chain! Not very famous, but it's called Ichiryuu. Delicious and cheap. I've tried Ichiran and many other ramen places in Tokyo, but something about the msg in the Ichiryuu ramen was so good. 9/10. A little biased because I really want to eat ramen rn.343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT5zNItEf6K
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOajHLpYjVs
Finally, we hurried to the Sanrio cafe. I got the sesame Kuromi(?) cake, and it was nice. Again, pricy. 343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡch0Gqu4gBe
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡagNysVUYAN
Ah, how could I forget! The amazing sumikko gurashi themed capcom cafe we went too for dessert! (Yes, a lot of dessert all in one day lol) 8.5/10. Very delish.343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcEigdZABN
The pudding came with the plate. Yes, you could take the plate home... it was around 2200 yen?343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFxJLsvCLgI
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF4bXGQf0i9
So in the end, we tried to look for the Ikebukuro nightlife west of the station. The main streets had many pretty girls and boys handing out flyers to attract customers, but we wanted to see the "seedy" red-light district. 343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59sOrLPNE5
...We ended up wandering into deserted streets that were probably prone to Yakuza visits instead LOL. Disappointing... I would've liked to visit a love hotel just for the lols sometime.343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbe52zO2UU
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4qn60DwCA
Damn, this is getting lengthy so I'll just list the places we went to!343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIi2ISLRctY
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJ8maFgdCs
Maidreamin idol cafe! We paid for a performance of Yoasobi's "Idol" by a maid. (very) expensive... taste was good though! 7.5/10.343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPMGclNqZBC
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡByTKfk8nsc
Mister donut! A self-serve donut chain. It was pokemon themed for this period of time! All donuts were delicious. I had the snorlax, gold-flaked chocolate, and the original donut. 8/10.343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4eIrnB2MY
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDif9HIfxhF
Tokyo Skytree! Just a mall with the tower you can go up.343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdbEUssQyUO
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4T2nL3sfOY
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc4Q2gswqOI
We went to the Shibuya crossing! What did we eat again? Ah, right, Ichiran ramen. All these ramen chains are intended for single people, with the barricade between you and the next seat. You don't have to talk, and order by a machine. 8/10.343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77AyKrxCmI
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQYWMS0KFF
Some restaurant near the Ebisu station that was honestly fire... 8.5/10.343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcyVXJrg3N
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKhbCHNAO4W
Harajuku street - takeshita? Nothing special, just touristy... AHHHH A popup store of a band I like is gonna be there... but it's too late L343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsaZshBxnb7
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQrFD97rYd
Extra: Since Sukiyaki outside is expensive af, we had homemade sukiyaki at a friend's house in Japan. Delicious! Raw egg is a thing in Japan, and don't underestimate the power of raw egg on rice... damn... 343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1L5Kb5pXQn
Oh yeah, we also went to TeamLab. We accidentally missed two rooms, rip.343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRbL8c70gpX
