Yesterday was Sunday, so of course we went to Harajuku! Unfortunately there were no lolitas or Elvises or anyone else hanging out :( I understand that the authorities try and sweep loiterers out of the area every now and then, so perhaps that was the reason, or perhaps it was just too cold – though I’m seeing plenty of miniskirts and shorts and other outfits that would give me hypothermia!

Harajuku was still great fun though. First we looked at a few shops, including Kiddyland, which I remember as being the best toy store I visited last time I was here. It came through again with five floors of fun, and a couple of things I’d been looking for but hadn’t found yet, including a sweet kitty-face wallet to replace my current, half-disintegrated one. I also bought some stickers from a vending machine, just because I’ve never done that before and was curious about the mechanic. (It’s quite simple really, the stickers come out in a little cardboard sleeve when you pull a handle.)

After the shops we had lunch at Shakey’s Pizza. I don’t mind eating Western food some of the time because I like to experience the Japanese versions. It’s common to hear about how weird and horrible Japanese pizza is, but you know what? Some pieces I ate had seaweed, and some had squid, and many had corn, but they were all really tasty. Ha! Plus, I learned that a “viking” meal means all-you-can-eat.

We spent some of the afternoon looking in the Design Festa galleries. These offer lots of small spaces that can be rented at reasonable rates for self-hosted exhibitions, and judging by the website they are usually full of fun and light-hearted work. We ran into the Pixiv Festa, a large exhibition of work from illustrators and artists from the Pixiv website, and it was the most fun art event I’ve ever been to. On entry we were given a sheet of star stickers, to stick next to our favourite pieces, and there were other stickers and tables all around to write messages and comments. I’ll probably write a post later about my favourite pieces, as I collected business cards for lots of the artists. We both really enjoyed seeing a glimpse of a visual art scene very different from what we have at home.

Later in the evening we finished off the day with a trip to the laundrette. YAY! I’m not being sarcastic, I like to do ‘normal’ things like laundry when travelling.

Today we took a break from the inner city and headed out to Hakone, a region about two hours out of Tokyo by train, with several small towns and natural hot springs nestled into the mountains. Once you reach the first town in the area you can take a ’round trip’ course consisting of a scenic train through the forest; a funicular to the top of a mountain; a cable car partway down the other side; a cruise across a lake; a walk along an ancient cedar avenue planted by the shogunate in 1618; and finally a bus to take you back to the start of the loop. Obviously it’s set up for tourists, but on a winter Monday everything was nice and quiet.

My favourite part was the cable car, which offered beautiful views of Mt Fuji. Luckily today was the first clear day we’ve had, with blue sky and sunshine, though still very cold. Mt Fuji isn’t really that different-looking to local mountains, but seeing it is so exciting for Japanese people that the feeling rubs off :) The fresh air and nature provided excellent variety, and my feet appreciated a rest from constant walking.

Time is flying, and I can hardly believe we only have two full days left here…