Tokyo for Golden Week: Day 1

A shinkansen arrives at Nagoya Station.

The last couple years I really didn't go anywhere for Golden Week due to the insanity of travel during that time. But this year Melissa and I braved a trip to Tokyo, and boy did we have a smashing good time.

A bride and her man being led down Chuo Dori for a photo shoot.

We arrived in "Tokes" at around 1pm, dropped our bags at Ginza Station for easy retrieval later on, and took a stroll about Ginza land. Unless you're loaded or new to Tokyo, Ginza is only really interesting for about 10 minutes or less. We were there on Sunday, however, so they had the main drag closed to traffic. This always provides a much better atmosphere, where it's easier to blend with the crowd rather than being the gawky Western tourist creating a big jama on the sidewalk.

The latest in canine streetwear.

For some reason, applying makeup ranks up there with smoking, talking on a cell phone and listening to loud music as something annoying to do on the subway.

Fitness in a Yukata

As it was a Sunday, from Ginza we went on to Harajuku to see if there were many kids out showing off their once-a-week crazy outfits. And there were.

Kawaii!

What's a trip to Harajuku without a turn down Takeshita Dori? Not a trip to Harajuku, says I.
What with it being Golden Week and all, the place was puh-acked, encumbering our passage. But it was fun, and it was packed in Harajuku, so it was all good.

Throngs of tourists and locals jam up Takeshita Dori.

At a cosplay shop on Takeshita Dori.

From the pedestrian bridge over the bridge to Yoyogi Park in Harajuku.

Melissa's so-called "Strawberry Shortcake" reapplies her makeup.

How many were there???


Trying to shoot through crowds with my 50mm lens can be a little... well... trying, so I decided to see if I could find a cheap yet decent zoom lens that would give me a little wider angle and a little more zoom to work with. My Tokyo Metro Navi told me that there was a Bic Camera near Ikebukuro Station, an area of Tokyo that neither I nor Melissa had been to. So off we went. There were no lenses in my price range to be had at BC, but there were plenty of Good Times to be had in Ikeburo.

Some "cool guys" give the peace sign to a couple of camera-clad gringas.

It turns out that the area around Ikebukuro Station is bumping at night, with tons of young folk strolling about, shopping and hitting up the Game Centers aplenty.

Sahtee Wan was also a big hit on that balmy evening.

In what some might call the highlight of our Tokyo trip (not to create an anticlimactic ending...), Melissa and I stumbled upon a game center - specifically Sega Game - where it was possible to dress up in cosplay costumes... for fuhree! And dress up we did. Awesome and awesome.