Singin' on a Sunday+ Hangin' with the Harajuku kiddies

So maybe 3.5 hours sleep wasn't enough- normally that is, but for a first timer in Tokyo even an hour would have been plenty. Throwing the covers of the bed back, it was time for some breakfast and for photo taking, the day was young at 7am and I was like a bridegroom on his wedding day......Basically what I am trying to say is that I was feeling fresh (no dirty connotations intended). It was then that I came to the shower....oh the shower. Now, when we think of a shower room you think of cleanliness (it was clean), but you definitely don't think of a toliet- a toliet, 2 urinals and half a bath for that matter. Yes I'll give it to you that they were shut down (is wrapping foam what you call shut down?) and they were clean, it's just that showering above a closed toilet lid tied down by rope doesn't appeal to me- that aside, I am digging the cheapest accommodation house in Tokyo very much.

Feeling even fresher than when I woke up I was now walking down the street to get breakfast, with my jacket zipped up and a rather professional looking camera hanging around my neck, I was ready for action- oh how obvious to the many Japanese around me that I was a tourist. Heading up to the main street I arrived at kaminarimon gate (Sensoji Temple), one of Tokyo's must sees' for the visitor. Thinking "ooh, it is 8am and no other tourists are around, I can get all the shots I want without anyone in the way" (yes the photos are coming I just don't have the software yet), I began to fire away so to speak- 2 hours later my memory card was full, I realised that Breakfast had never actually come around, and that I was due at Church in about an hour.

After stopping by the hotel (Khaosan-Tokyo) to drop my photos onto the hard drive, I was off on my first subway lin adventure to get to a place I didn't know, in a city I had never been in before. Jesus Life House Church was fantastic! Guys if you are ever in Tokyo get there and check it out! Whether you a Christian or not I recommend it because it puts church into a modern, understandable, fun structure that you will have never experienced before. Got to talk and meet a few people, and then it was off to Harajuku.

Harajuku is almost incomprehensible- you can look at all the pictures on the internet and read about it all you want, but you will never fully get it until you experience it for yourself. Sunday in Harajuku is packed with people walking everywhere, trains leaving the station with people cramped like sardines in the carriages and strangely dressed sub-cultures on display for the world to see. Once again apologies about the photos, they are one their way. First off I found where the strangely dressed Harajuku kids were hanging for photos. I came to an interesting conclusion about these cosplay kiddies- the reason they dress the way they do is to attract attention to themselves, they want love or popularity because no one has ever given it to them- within their own social circles they are generally the quiet kids or the ones who are bullied at school, and the costume is their creative outlet and way of expression. They want you to take photos of them, but when I asked if I could (in japanese mind you), they would run away and pretend it wasn't what they wanted- strange.

That aside I also got to see the Meji Shrine (another must see) and take lots of photos- there were 3 Japanese wedding ceremonies and processions while I was in the shrine, so I got some nice photos of the couples. The Meji Shrine is amazing, it is so peaceful and so massively huge- I don't think my photos can do it justice. I finished the afternoon walking the packed backstreets of Harajuku taking in the amazing sights, crazy fashions, and even getting to talk to a group of Australian school students that I bumped in to.

Can't really think of what happened in the night, and I can't tell you anyway people need the computer!

Until another day,

Jieshi