Shinjuku, Harajuku and Shibuya

Shibuya, Shinjuku and Harajuku are three of the most famous areas in Tokyo.

SHINJUKU

Shinjuku is a large business, entertainment and shopping district in Tokyo. It is also home to Tokyo's busiest train station; Shinjuku Station (it handles more than 2 million people a day). Many of Tokyo's skyscrapers are located in this district, as well as some of it's red light areas.

















Here's a pretty good view of the Shinjuku skyline.

















More buildings.

















Like most areas in Tokyo, there are a ton of small shops on the back streets. Some of these back streets sell wares that I was not interested in, as I noticed when some pretty ugly old guys with more teeth missing than they had were trying to ask me if I wanted to meet some girls. Right... Isn't that what nightclubs are for?

















A pretty good view of some of the signage in the area.

















Actually, I didn't find Shinjuku to be all that amazing. There were a ton of people, and many different kinds of shops and that sort of thing, but there really wasn't anything here that I wouldn't come across elsewhere. It's main just a large business hub.


HARAJUKU

Harajuku is more interesting. It's a very post and hip area. If you ever want to check out the styles and fashion in Tokyo, this might be the best place to come. The 'Harajuku girls' are pretty famous, as they dress up in very interesting clothing. This is a very popular area for teenagers and young adults to hang out in.

















Harajuku Station. It's definitely one of the more stylish train stations!

















Another view of the station. I mainly just wanted to get this cute girl in the shot.


















An example of 'Harajuku Girls' (picture is from Wikipedia.org) . Often, young people (boys and girls) will dress-up as their favourite musicians, actors, cartoon characters, pop icons, etc., just hang out in Harajuku (and other areas of course. People also do this in Saitama) and have fun playing dress-up. This is often referred to as 'cosplay', which is short for 'costume play.' It's definitely interesting going to somewhere like Harajuku and just checking out how people are dressed up, as they parade themselves around and happily pose for pictures taken by their friends and also by strangers. Some people really seem to get into it. This could be considered a form of living visual art.

Interestingly, there's a genre of music that is closely related to cosplay. It's called 'visual kei.' Visual kei isn't necessarily a musical style. Rather, it refers to the visual style of the band. It is often hallmarked by dyed hair, make-up and attention-grabbing clothing. The J-Rock ('J', standing for Japanese) group, X Japan, is generally credited with having founded this movement. They were quite popular in the 80s and 90s, until their break-up and then death of one of the main members. It could be assumed that the style of X Japan was influenced by some American 'glam rock' bands, such as Motley Crue and Poison; who were known for their big hair and make-up in the 80s. The band KISS should be credited for this as well, as they were extremely well known for their visual style and full-face make-up, as far back as the early 1970s.





















The late 'Hide' (Heed-eh), of X Japan (taken from Ugly Pink Machine). He was well known for his make-up and pink hair, which gave him a feminine-like appearance (very similar to early American glam rock bands like Motley Crue and Poison).

















Across from Harajuku Station is Snoopy Town. What a cool place! Snoopy Town is actually a chain of Peanuts (Charlie Brown, Snoopy, etc.) stores in Japan, where you can buy all sorts of Peanuts things; lunch boxes, pencils, stuffed characters, etc. It's very similar to a Disney or Hello Kitty store.

















This is the main street through Harajuku. There were a lot of cool cars to be seen. Here's a Mini Cooper, a cute little car.
















Hey, an old station wagon! Seeing a vehicle this old in Japan is very rare. Most cars are only a couple years old, due to a strict upkeep law in Japan.

















Another view of the main road through the district, looking towards Shibuya.

















I stood on pedestrian overpasses and took some pictures.

















Another shot.






















Here's the United Nations University campus. I never would've known there was a UN University until I saw this.

















Is there Pepsi Nex in Canada? It's being heavily pushed here. To be honest, it's just not that good.

















They were showing a production of 'Annie' at Aoyama Theatre. Notice the line-up...

















... it is quite long! Also notice the gender of the people. I think this would be a great place to meet some girls! :D


SHIBUYA

Like Harajuku, Shibuya is a popular spot of fashion and shopping. There is also a lot of entertainment here. There are many different nightclubs and bars that keep the young crowds here at night. Shibuya Station is one of the busiest in Japan. The pedestrian crossing in front of the station is reportedly the busiest street crossing in the world. A Starbucks is located in one of the buildings overlooking this crossing, and it has been reported at the busiest Starbucks in the world. I thought of going in, but it's so busy that your order is taken at the entrance, and then you get to wait around for who-knows-how-long until a seat is free. I didn't feel like waiting.

















Wow, giant video screens. WEEEEEE!!! Look at all the people...

















...and more people...

















The stop light go red for the cars, and the green walking light comes on in all directions. People can cross the intersection straight across, or go diagonally.

















Lots of light and video screens.

















Isn't neon great?

















I like it.

















The Koreans are invading! Forget Godzilla, Samsung is taking over! Run!!!

















Ahhh... Time for an ice cold Labatt Blue and a plate of poutine down at 'The Maple Leaf.'