Monday, July 26, 2010

Osaka

After an amazing time in Tokyo, we took the Shinkansen (bullet train) to the Kansai region of Japan. We had booked a hotel in Osaka (the second largest and busiest area after Tokyo) to serve as a base to explore the area. Japan does not disappoint. We loved Osaka!! What a place to see!

This is the view of Mt. Fuji from the train. Bullet trains are the greatest! We traveled over 500 miles in under 3 hours!

Once we checked into our hotel, we wondered around the area and found Amerika Town. =)
How about the good eating?

Best dessert ever! They called them donuts, but it tasted more like mini deep fried candy bars. Yum!


This is the famous Osaka Arcade. It is a gathering place and has just about every shopping and dining option you could ask for.

Once we got through the covered shopping area, we emerged and saw this:

Japan just kept surprising and impressing us! It gave us so much energy and happiness! Vegas could be considered dull compared to this place.

Don't eat the blowfish! ;)




I'm not sure I'd want to go in there!


Ferris Wheel?


Tuesday, July 13, 2010

SHIBOOOYAAAA

Shibuya is busy! They say that 2.4 million people go through Shibuya station on an average weekday. 2.4 MILLION! Crazy! We counted 16 lanes going into this intersection and when it was time to let the pedestrians cross, it was a sea of people. The lights were bright at night and it was so fun and energizing to be there!








We stopped in an arcade to watch people play. We wanted to play ourselves but really had no idea how any of the games worked!

Harajuku

As far as I can tell, Harajuku is a district of Tokyo that is famous for two things: Cosplay and the Meiji Shrine. The shopping area in Harajuku is a place where young people go to dress up as their favorite character and have some fun. Nearby is an impressive Shrine surrounded by large trees and a sense of peace.


Cleansing before entering the Shrine:




There was a wedding going on while we were there!


This is the entrance to the shopping area:



Some costumes you could buy: