Posted by

Tim Brockley

Posted on

2016-10-30

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Harajuku

Before Harajuku

I got up around 10:00 and went to Shinagawa Station. I bought a couple of snacks and took some quick video footage of the station.

Harajuku

I caught a train to Harajuku Station to meet one of my HelloTalk friends. We arranged to meet at 11:30 inside the ticket gate at the Omotesando Exit. I arrived early and eat one of the snacks that I bought earlier.

I met my friend and we went to Omotesando.

The area was a mixture of new and old buildings and is known for being a shopping destination.

My friend told me that one of the old buildings we went into used to be apartments a long time ago.

Then we went in a souvenir shop and I tried to get some money from a cash machine. It didn’t work with my MasterCard which may have been because it was Sunday.

While we were there, there was a Halloween Cosplay Parade in the main street. People lined the streets to see it. I took a photo and some video footage.

One of the shops had a robot called Pepper. Pepper is a Japanese robot which is designed to have realistic conversations with people. It was being used to describe make-up products.

Then we headed for Takeshita Street through some back streets.

On the way we stopped in a cafe and had something to eat. While walking I noticed a few people were getting photos of their fashion and cosplay outfits away from the crowds.

Our destination was Takeshita Street which was packed full of mostly young people and teenagers. This area is has been somewhat of a Mecca for young people who love fashion since the 1970s. It is teaming with fashion and accessory shops.

I had a coffee and managed to find a cash machine that worked with my MasterCard.

We then left to catch the train to Shinjuku where I had arranged to meet another HelloTalk friend at 18:30.

Shinjuku

We got there about 16:30 and my friend and I looked around some shops until she had to leave at about 17:30. I continued to look around the area until I met my other friend.

I met my other friend and we went to Kirin City for some food and a few beers. After Kirin City we went to a traditional coffee house before I returned to the train station in order to get back to the Kita-Shinagawa.

Index

Shibuya & Halloween Photos

Posted by

Tim Brockley

Posted on

2016-10-23

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Japan 2016

Abeno Harukas, Osaka

Introduction

This is a record of my visit to Japan over a two week period in October and November 2016.

Planning

I spoke to friends and work colleagues who have been to Japan and watched numerous videos online to learn about what to expect before I arrived.

I learnt some basic Japanese as I knew there is very little English spoken in Japan.

Expectations

As I was staying in big cities, I expected tall buildings and bright colourful lights.

I expected Japanese people to quiet, keep themselves to themselves and it to be busy with people rushing round on their way to work.

I expected it to be easy to find places, to be easy to get around and the trains to be very reliable.

Electronics

I bought a ChatSim which is a Sim Card that works all over the world with instant messaging services (but not text messages or calls unless you pay for that function). I bought a spare phone so that I could use both SIM cards if I needed to.

I bought spare SD cards and batteries for my camera.

I bought a couple of mains adapter plugs and a USB Power Bank so that I could charge my electronic devices.

I wanted to keep things simple and I didn’t want to be carrying a lot of things with me, so I chose to take one small camera and I left my laptop at home.