Japan day 12/13 - Asakusa, Chiyoda, Nakano, Kichijouji, Setagaya, Jiyugaoka, Shinagawa

We're nearing the end here, so today I was lowkey gonna be starting my speedrun of things I really wanted to see still but didn't get to because of having made plans. The last two days were gonna be travelpilled souvenirmaxxing experiencefarming picturegrinding and so on, but hey it's gonna be spontaneous and chill right? Today the train lines were gonna become my biggest friend.

First up was Asakusabashi station which I planned to visit much earlier cause it's so close to Uguisudani, but at the same time so far to get to. The place I specifically wanted to see was called Yoshitoku Doll, they handcraft those traditional Japanese Hina dolls there but they also had so much other high quality adorable stuff too. Didn't have much money left but the main objective was to get a guinea pig so I did that would love to visit this place again next time though.

Second stop was Iidabashi station, and then walk over to the Nippon Budokan to take some pictures. You often hear this place mentioned because it's a famous stage for big live music performances and probably more, you also hear about it in music anime, so I just had to go see it in real life! There was an event going on that day but the amount of things I wanted to see was packed so on we go!

Third place of the day was Nakano Broadway located very close to the Nakano station. It's basically a giant shopping mall dedicated to weeb culture. Like Akihabara but under one roof. With some unexpected self control the merch haul was very not overboard. On the basement floor they had more stores not specifically aimed at weebs, and the one I was looking for was Miyoshiya, a second hand clothing store where you can find yukata, kimono, and maybe other things starting from 1000 yen (about 5-6 euro) to find something for my friend's gf, and I also picked some stuff for myself, there's no way I would fit it all in my suitcase but it will be fiiine! Some clothes had very bad stitching or lots of stains, but most of it was surprisingly okay. But what can you expect for these prices!

Close to there were some more anime places I wanted to take pictures of, including a Starbucks so I took the opportunity to go for a coffee. The cashier said the bag I was wearing was cute, I told her the character is called Stinky (Kusaiyatsu 🤭) from the Moomins but sadly she didn't know him. Still this little interaction made me happy cause Japanese people (especially those working in service) just barely do small talk.

Fourth was Meidaimae station, there I went to look for Saitama (One Punch Man)'s apartment building, despite his name it's not located in Saitama but Setagaya city in Tokyo! The vibe was so different in real life because it's not actually abandoned and it's next to a busy road. But you could see the apartment in the show was clearly inspired by this location.

The cat temple Goutokuji was kinda close so I took a bus there, but unfortunately it already closed earlier at 5 PM and this one has no way to get in or catch a glimpse at all outside opening hours. Sadly it will be off route tomorrow so maybe next time!

It was kinda cold tonight so I bought some of those magic kairo heating packs that you shake and squish and then it slowly heats up and lasts for like ten hours. Perfect product! My fabric shoes were very thin and I stuffed some in my socks 🔥

Not far from there was Jiyugaoka station, known for little Europe and other eccentric art things. I unfortunately learned the Europe part is just part of a privately owned square that is closed off during the evening and night, and you could kinda see it from the outside but it didn't look as cool in real life. There was also another square behind bars that was supposed to be a Korean thing I believe, it was bright pink, but it looked permanently closed. This area had a lot of interesting Europe inspired buildings with bricks and different colors. It had this hip vibe to it, I'm surprised you don't hear about this place often! Near the station there was also a museum with a giant orange on the outside that says "sniff here" but i was too scared...

Last stop for today was Shinagawa station, it feels a bit like a gateway into Kanagawa. Of course this was also for anime tourism... It doesn't sound very cool when I describe it like this but it actually makes me discover so many beautiful spots I'd otherwise never know about 💕 The station itself has some incredible architecture, it feels so unreal in a way, with the giant arching hallway.

Another spot I wanted to visit was Konan park, it has some bizarre structures and pretty lights and the night skyline is breathtaking as always.

There were a few homeless people at the station so I wanted to bring them some warm food and drinks and those heating packs. There were more konbini bags around them so it looks like more people did the same, that makes me happy ^^

It was time to head back to the hostel, my leg was in so much pain at this point that I'm not sure how I would handle tomorrow, but I tried to sleep a bit longer, it was like 10 hours. Resting did help a lot, but well, only one day to go so gotta make the most of it! The thing that mostly bothered me was that it slowed me down and I couldn't do as many things as I wanted!

Tomorrow I had to check out from the hostel so I walked once more by the vending machine with the pudding that was close to there. One for now, one for tomorrow, and one for Mizu san. I thought he would laugh but he was very thankful, what a precious man.