Retail Therapy

Day two was much, much better, which is among the top ten understatements of the year at least. I can't underscore exactly  how relieved I am that this trip is finally going the way I expected it to, or at least want it to--in the direction of epic win.
We woke up around seven and showered and got ready and were out by eight. I expected it to be warm today like it was yesterday, but when we got outside it was overcast and fairly cool.
We walked down a main road by our hostel and ended up stopping at a Denny's for breakfast, which was actually amazingly delicious. I got a light soup over rice, and it was freaking amazing and very, very filling.

Afterwards we had to run back to the hostel really quick, because I'd forgotten to grab some extra cash for the day of shopping ahead, and I wanted to get a jacket because the wind was making me uncomfortably cool. Then we went to the post office and Will and Andrew exchanged their money for some yen; we headed to the train station directly after to go to Shibuya.

I have to say, after a day of using them without having to dodge through commuter armies burdened with a crappy broken suitcase and a million-ton backpack, I've come to adore the train system in Japan. It's quick, convenient, and so much easier than driving.

Once we got to Shibuya, I did the biggest tourist-y thing I could think of and had Andrew take my picture by the statue of Hachiko. Hachiko is the dog that met his master by the train station after work every day, and who waited for him there even after he passed away until he (Hachiko) died, too.There's a movie about it with Richard Gere now that Andrew said was actually pretty good, having watched it on the flight over.

Shibuya is what I imagined Tokyo to be like in all my daydreamings. It's huge and has endless shops. We went to SoftBank first, which is a phone provider over here kind of like Verizon or AT&T. Andrew got his phone set up, and  Will and I purchased pre-paid phones to use while we're here. Japanese phones are awesome; instead of texting to your phone number, you set up an e-mail with the service provider and actually send e-mails to phones. My e-mail is dawn0fchaos@softbank.ne.jp, and I have unlimited (300 yen a month, or about $3!), so feel free to e-mail me whenever you'd like.
So, after that was all set up, I had to use the little girl's room. The only reason I'm mentioning this is to squeal over the fact that the toilet in SoftBank had a heated seat. I've been told about how high-tech Japanese toilets are, but was still rather pleasantly surprised when I was met by warmth instead of cold ceramic.

That aside, we headed out of the SoftBank store and down an alley to grab some lunch at Mos Burger, which is a Japanese fast-food chain. I got a mixed veggie, burdock root and carrot "burger" on a rice "bun." Why can't we have fast-food like this in America, I ask you? If we did I swear I'd eat there every day.
Once we'd devoured our meal, Will and I had to head back to SoftBank to get them to set up our e-mails, since apparently the phones we'd gotten (the cheapest ones) don't have any way to do that. Andrew went off back down the alley we'd taken to get to Mos Burger to examine an arcade we'd passed, and Will and I successfully remembered our way back to meet up with him.
An intense day of shopping ensued. For the first bit we mostly wandered into different stores (109, Uniqlo, etc.) 'cause Will wanted to buy some clothes. Holy mother of god that boy can shop! But he got some pretty spiffy stuff, so I guess it's worth it.

I didn't end up buying anything in Shibuya, but once we finally pried Will out of 109-(2) and headed towards Harajuku my wallet lost a few ounces. We wandered down a long, narrow road crammed with people and cute, cheap shops, and I bought a blue polka-dot umbrella for about $5. I also found the black studded bracelets I've been needing for my Harley Quinn cosplay for NDK in September, which excited me since they've proven nearly impossible to find in the States. They were pretty expensive, but worth it--something  to show off to the contest judges and earn props, I guess.

The shops were awesome and, for the most part, really, really cheap, which always makes a college student ecstatic. I got some souvenirs for people, a cute Tinker Bell strap for my cell phone (something I'm super excited about since none of my cell phones have had a place for a strap before), and a pair of cute blue high-top Converse that only cost me $5! Oh, and we stopped for crepes shortly after I bought the umbrella, because Harajuku is well-known for its crepe vendors and I had to, had to, had to have one. I got a double chocolate strawberry, which was whipped cream, sliced strawberries, chocolate sauce and a scoop of chocolate ice cream. It was sugar-drowned heaven.

Once we'd emerged out of the main road we'd been shopping, Andrew led the way to the Meiji Shrine. It was about four by this time, so once we got to the shrine we sat down and let ourselves relax a little before heading back to the train station, and to Akihabara.
It started to rain as we walked out of the shrine, so I got to make good use of my cute little umbrella. I bought an omikuji (protection charm)  from a stall just outside the temple, for peace of mind and body in hopes of warding off any more anxiety or panic like yesterday. It's on my cell phone next to Tink, so with fairy dust and Shinto protection, I should be fine.
When we got to Akihabara, which is the electronic district and haven for nerds, geeks, and otaku everywhere, it was after 5, so all we really had time for was for me to go into the first big electronic store out of the station and buy my electronic dictionary! I bought a light blue Casio ExWord and white case, which set me back a good $300 dollars. I haven't had a chance to play around with it yet, but I'm sure on the long train ride to Kyoto on Friday I'll have plenty of time.
We headed back to our hostel to drop off our stuff, and then out to a tempura shop for dinner. I had to put on some nylons under my shorts to keep my legs from getting too cold, as it was still raining and kind of windy, and to change into my converse from my sandals. When we got into our room, I collapsed on the bed, and it took all my will power to get up again even though my tummy was rumbling because I was exhausted from a long day of walking and shopping and sightseeing. But we eventually dragged ourselves out and down the stairs, where, in the little entry way where you put on your shoes, we ran into two really cute Australian guys. Gotta gush a little over their accents, and hope that we run into each other again before we leave on Friday morning.

Anyway, we went to the tempura place and got, again, an amazingly delicious meal for relatively cheap. After that we wandered around a department store called Rox, and then returned to the hostel for the night.
I'm absolutely beat. My lower back is furious with me right now since we didn't really sit down at all except for the brief train rides and a little bit at Meiji Shrine, and my eyes are itching with heavy fatigue. Sleep tonight is going to be bliss, with the only thing that can possibly hope to top it being waking up to another day stuffed to the brim with shopping, tourism, and, of course, food. There's a cafe we passed in Akihabara called Vie de France that smelled absolutely divine when we walked by that we're planning on going to for breakfast in the morning. For lunch Andrew and I are hoping to drag Will to a kaitenzushi (conveyer belt sushi restaurant), even though he hates fish, because Andrew and I want sushi, damnit. We'll explore Akihabara a little more thoroughly, maybe return to Shibuya or Harajuku, and then meet Maki-sensei, an old volunteer teacher from our first-year, for dinner in Roppongi. I'll also need to see about replacing my suitcase sometime tomorrow before we leave for Kyoto.
My bed is calling to me like Odysseus' sirens, and there's not really much reason for me to resist.