Japan: Day Two

I woke up at 10 am, ate some crackers, and then met Megan at 11. She came all the way to my hostel (such a good friend) because there was no way I could do the Tokyo transportation system by myself.
First we headed to Shinjuku so I could get money out of an ATM. I ended up getting money out of 7 Bank.

Shinjuku

Another photo of the confusing map

Train tracks

Then we went to Harajuku to go shopping! Megan was waiting until I got there before she bought things so we had fun looking at all the different stores together and seeing some very Japanese fashion. Girls in Japan wear lots of make up, fancy hairstyles, and unique clothing. At one point, I saw two girls wearing matching bunny rabbit fuzzy pajamas walking down the street of Harajuku. Tails are also a popular fashion accessory (not for me though!). We both bought a few things because everything was so expensive.

Look familiar?

Clothes store for dogs

No comment.

We ate lunch at an all you can eat sweets buffet called Sweets Paradise. YUM! It seems that Japanese people really love sweets. There are cafes and crepe stands everywhere. I wish Hong Kong had crepe stands. They are soooo delicious.

Melon soda.. it was yummy

YUM!

Normal food...

After lunch and more shopping, Megan and I did purikura - picture booths! It was fun. We took pictures and then had a limited amount of time to decorate them.

After leaving Harajuku, we went to Shimo Kitazawa to look at secondhand clothing stores and other stores.
Exhausted, we headed back to where Megan lives. We stopped at the grocery store and bought some food. In the area where Megan lives (the suberbs of Tokyo) all the buildings are short and it is sooo quiet. Actually, in general, Japan is quieter than other places. Megan would have to remind me to not talk so loud when we were on the train, even though to my ears, I was just talking normally. I guess I am just used to noisy Hong Kong. Megan told me that Japanese people are not very aware of what goes on around them. I wonder why that is.

Temporary card for subway

More vending machines! This time for cigarettes.

Notice the English translation.

Megan's train stop

Grocery Store!

Anyway, after stopping at the grocery store, we went to her dorm. The place she lives is very nice. She has her own room and lives with all other international students. They commute about 40 minutes to school everyday. They all share a common kitchen and eating area, which is great for bonding. I wish we had a set up more like theirs because not only do I miss cooking my own food, but I also am shy and don't make friends that easily so being forced to socialize would be a good thing for me.

Get ready for a shock family... I had french toast for dinner.... and liked it! Megan made french toast with cinnamon sugar. It was good. We put some jam (strawberry I believe) on it and ate it with a side of fruit salad made up of Asian pears, kiwi, bananas, and apples (prepared by me). I met Megan's very talkative and outgoing friend Tamara and some of the other international students she lives with.
We cleaned up after our dinner and spent some time together in her room and then she took me back to my room.