For our last day and a half in Tokyo, my sister and I once again started the morning in Harajuku. I had a few hours before I was to meet Yumi to see the butai, so I made a mad dash into the shops and tried to buy as much as I could. Once I was at my limit, I dragged all our purchases back to the hotel, then went out again to meet Yumi at Shinjuku Station. Soon we…
For the first of our two days in Tokyo, we got a head start in the morning and arrived at Harajuku about a half an hour before the shops were about to open. There was already a small lineup ahead of us, but we were in good position to get in on the first round. It was only girls waiting in line, but everyone there seemed to have a common interest. The shop we went to? Johnny’s Shop of course….
For our last day in Nagano, we were lucky to be traveling with an expert tour guide. I certainly wouldn’t have known how to get myself around Azumino or Naraijuku, nor would I have been able to navigate on a bike while trying to avoid plunging into a ditch. The only thing that slightly hindered us on our plan to have an authentic Nagano experience was her soba allergy, but I won’t hold that against her. =P After checking out…
Day 2 in Nagano began with breakfast at the hotel lobby. The only time I ever get to eat washoku (和食) for breakfast is when I’m staying in Japan. I think my sister specially hunts for hotels which serve complimentary breakfast. =P After finishing up breakfast, we walked over to Matsumoto Station and took the train out to Nagano city, which is about an hour away. I had booked a tour before I left on vacation, so we would be meeting…
After waking up and grabbing a quick breakfast at McD’s, we checked out of the hotel and headed over to Shinjuku Station. We lined up first at the information counter to exchange our JR East Passes. Once we were set, we headed down to the platforms to take the train to Matsumoto. Since the ride would take around three hours, we made sure to buy bentos as we’d be arriving past lunch hour. Here’s what my fukugawa meshi looked like:…