Day two in Tokyo began around lunch time as we headed up a street in search of food. We eventually decided on a rotating sushi bar where we sat on stools and drooled over the assortment of sushi that glided past us on a conveyer belt.
After eating as much sushi as possible we walked back down to an arcade we had passed the day before. The arcade was overflowing with an assortment of brightly coloured game machines that I could have easily spent hours on. We also found a Purikura (Japanese photo booth) machine and decided to take some very "kawaii" photos. These photo booths allow you to take multiple photos and then edit them using cute filters, effects and stickers. The booths also seem to really enjoy elongating my face so much that human isn't the first word you think of when you see the pictures. Needless to say we ended up with some pretty interesting photos. A couple of us also attempted a Taiko drumming game which proved a little more difficult than expected, especially since we attempted to drum along to the attack on titan theme song in the hardest setting possible.
It was then time to head to Harajuku! Our first stop was the Meiji Jingu Shrine located in the middle of a unexpectedly green forest area. We entered through a giant Torii gate after taking many selfies and headed down the path for about 10 minutes before reaching the shrine. The Shrine was really beautiful and peaceful to walk around. I even decided to buy a prayer plaque and hang it around a large tree in the centre square of the Shrine, alongside many other plagues with prayers written in a multitude of languages.
After leaving the shrine we headed to Takeshita street. This is an extremely popular street in Tokyo that is well known for its unique fashion, shops and food. Having only seen pictures of the street it was a bit surreal to actually walk down it! I definitely want to go back next time I am in Tokyo.
Four of us then headed back to the Asakusa area in search of food. We ended up in an Okonomiyaki restaurant at the recommendation of Anna (my volunteer partner). After ordering when you wanted on the menu the waiter brought you the mix which you has to stir and pour onto the large grill in the centre of the table, a bit like a savoury pancake. After it is cooked you can add sauce and seasoning on top and you are good to go! Needless to say it was really yummy!
After dinner we walked to a youth hostel that Anna had stayed in during a previous trip to Japan. There we met up with a friend of hers who was playing in a Jazz band. (She even joined in and sang a few songs with them!) It was a really strange feeling listening to a Jazz band in a youth hostel in the middle of Japan after sitting at home only a few days before wondering what it had gotten myself into. It was definitely the perfect way to end my time in Tokyo.
