The Tokyo Megalopolis Parts III & IV: Skytree, Harujuku, and Fuji Q

The next morning I ventured out to Tokyo Skytree, the highest building in Tokyo where you can view the whole cityscape from a 360 degree platform. The view was striking to see such massive urban sprawl dominating the landscape. I am amazed the city is as easy to navigate as it is with how chaotic it looks like from above. After taking in the view and fighting through the crowd to leave, I decided to get serious about fall shopping. 

Heading back into the heart of Tokyo, I decided to get some much needed fall and winter shopping done in Harujuku, Tokyo's main fashion district. Center stage Takeshita Dori, an outdoor street/mall of sorts which featured tons of boutique shops. This is where you can find some of your more obscure fashion choices, and where I found some sweet sweatpants, a sweater shaped like a sport coat, and much needed raincoat.  I also came across the rock star" style store Jimsinn which had their walls and ceiling covered with band signatures from the decades they have been open, including Metallica, Cheap Trick, Anthrax, and more. Outside of this street the major retailers have lined the streets and malls with their biggest stores. Lining the side streets even more boutique stores dot the landscape. It was wandering through these streets I managed to find a great faux leather fall coat at the upscale shop Tornado Mart, which was the highlight of my shopping excursions. Continuing to wander I ended up in a really quite upscale mall. A quick anecdote, here I found sneakers (think converse low top style) which were roughly $600 USD, because they were made out of fish scales, which apparently makes them durable and waterproof, which they better be for that much. So while the shopping was outside of my budget, the free dance show inside the mall kept the detour from being a waste. 

Protesters of Japan's recent re-institution of a military
marching in the street.

I continued hopping to different shopping places, which including Roppongi where I ate dinner. This section of town was recently renovated into large skyscrapers with a multi level plaza connecting the buildings. Within this plaza were bars, restaurants, shopping, and pretty much anything else you could need or want in urban living. It was bizarre to think this complex featured so much that a person could feasibly live only in that city block and meet all of their living and entertainment needs.

I ended my day in Shimokitazawa, the hipster part of Toyko full of second hand and retro clothing shops. The secondhand shops are a totally different experience from department stores, with items strewn about everywhere and the tiny shops being stuffed to the brim with clothing. 

Wandering throughout so many districts in Tokyo in a single day, I experienced firsthand how segmented the city is, with each area specializing in a particular commodity or lifestyle. I really appreciate this aspect of the city, it gives the whole city a sense of synergy and promotes more colorful character driven environments. 

My last day in Toyko was one I had high hopes for, but did not execute well. I set off in the early morning to Fuji Q Highland, an amusement park with some of the best roller coasters in the world. Because of silver week the lines were insane, with 3 hour queues at opening. I hopped in a line for an epic roller coaster holding Guinness world records, only to have it shut down due to rain 2 hours into the wait.


But I still got to check out the Evangelion exhibit. It featured mainly life-size Eva sets that you can take photos with. There was even one set with a projection overlay which has a short skit that is pretty cool!  It also displayed artwork, promotional material, and production information about the show. I'm sure all of this might seem like silly non-sense to many people, but to fans of the show all of this is a real treat.

Thankfully Fugi Q realizes how long their lines are, so you only pay per ride, so I at least didn't waste much money that day.

I headed to Ikebukuro (Durarara fans yes it's the same place) to wait for my night bus. To kill time I headed to the Pokemon Center in the area, a cool merchandise store. Afterwards I was still a bit bored, so I headed to a game center (arcade) and met some cool locals who joined me in some matches on arcade machines. I hope to catch back up with them in the future.