Adventure with Fujita lab members

On 2013-09-29 we went to Shinjuku first, where we went to eat ramen. After that we went back to the Harajuku station, and from there we headed into Yoyogi park where they had a large shrine. This day was together with Vesa-san, Funada-san, Sugimoto-san and Miyazawa-san.

Yamauchi-san could unfortunately not join us.

You were supposed to wash your hands before you entered the shrine which was situated in a large forest like park. Also, beneath a tree in the square people hung little wooden bricks on which they had written their wishes.

When we felt that we were done inside the park, we walked back to Harajuku station and from there started walking towards Shibuya. So many people outside. And the first time I really see a lot of tourists. Since we live in Yokohama-shi, just outside of Tokyo, we don’t see a lot of tourists around. But in central Tokyo, and places like Harajuku/Shibuya, they are everywhere.

While regretting that I wore a black shirt on a sunny scorching day, we went up through a fashion store to a Starbuck’s atop a building. It was very beautiful up there with a bunch of greenery. Funada-san told me about how they have to CO2-compensate for the buildings in the large cities and that is partially why so many buildings have trees and greenery on the rooftops.

We kept walking through town towards Shibuya station. Tokyo has so tall buildings. And many people everywhere. I’m looking forward to some day planlessly walk around in these cities without being on a schedule.

At the Shibuya station there’s a famous pedestrian crossing. Right next to the crossing there was this statue of an, apparently, famous dog called Hachikō.

Then we took the train from this station to Harajuku. Another place where there are so many people. Many tourists, but also many japanese people. They have a lot of game machines, electronic stores, anime shops and much, much more.
We went into a large electronic store, called Yodobashi, and while there I decided to buy a new SLR camera. My Canon EOS 400D has been with me a long time and I felt it was time to switch it out. That was a great way to end our adventure.

Vesa-san and I headed home to Shofu Dormitory, and the other guys disembarked on their station. Somehow you still feel kind of like a tourist, but I guess that’s partially because I haven’t been here for too long, and partially because we did such touristy things today. I do not believe that anyone of the japanese people had been to the meiji shrine before.

It was a good day.