Those crazy kids

Today was the long awaited visit to the pop-culture capital of Japan, Harajuku.

I eagerly jumped on the Yamanote line and rode the 13 stops to Harajuka, left the station and beheld Takeshita Street, ground zero of all that is teen culture in these parts. Only problem was that I was so eager to get amongst it that I had arrived a little early, just after 9am, and Takeshita Street was virtually deserted.

Turns out that the crazyness runs to a strict schedule, after 11am to be exact.

No problem, part of my scheduled buffet of culture today included a visit to Nezu Museum. This is about 2ks from Harajuku, so by the time I'd walked there the museum was just about to open at 10am.

Naturally, this being a Japanese facility you needed a reservation if you wanted to get straight in. I didn't have one, but once the people who'd planned ahead had waltzed in they let the walk ups in.

After an hour of admiring the ancient artworks within the museum I took time to wander the carefully tended gardens, viewing the historical statues and keeping my hands well clear of the ravenous koi in the ponds.

I left the museum around 11am and headed directly to Takeshita street, which by this time was a much different place. It was heaving, and I could barely get near the puppy cafe, or Strawberry fetish. I was a little disappointed that I didn't see as many crazy, outlandishly dressed fashion crimes, but there some amusing sights nonetheless. It's obvious that there is a unique vibe here, and it was certainly worth a visit.

Next stop was Shibuya to cross the road. No really, that's the reason I stopped. Shibuya scramble crossing is credited as the busiest pedestrian crossing on the planet, so how could I pass that up. It seemed like the several thousand other people crossing the road with me were also there for the same reason. I swear nobody was there to actually do anything else.

Road successfully crossed (what an achievement) I headed back to the hotel for a rest before my next mission.

Around 6pm I hit the Oedo line bound for the famous Tokyo Tower. I love a good tower as much as the next guy, but this visit was strictly to play some games. There is a digital theme park on the 3rd floor of the tower's base building, and there's no way I could pass that up. It is called Red Tokyo Tower and includes lots of VR games with full body rigs and motion and video projections. It's great fun, and recommended, especially if you're here with family or a group of friends.

Tearing myself away from the gaming (reluctantly) I caught the train back to the hotel for some well-earned food and a good night's sleep.Read more