Living:
My closest hub station is Ikebukuro, which is about 11 minutes from my home station. It's really close, just a few stops. It's one of those not-mentioned stations - people talk about Tokyo, Shibuya, and Shinjuku, but never Ikebukuro. It's strange. It has a bad rap here in Japan, as being a dangerous station, a very bad part of town - but bad part of town means that it's nicer and cleaner than the cleanest part of San Francisco.
Shinjuku station sees 2,000,000 people every day, it is the busiest station in the world, the second largest station in the world. Ikebukuro station is the second busiest station in Tokyo, it's huge. It's just not talked about.... I much prefer Ikebukuro. It's not as big as Shinjuku, the shopping is almost as good, you can get anywhere in Tokyo from it, there really isn't anything you're missing. On top of that, it's less tourist, less scout, less ganguro, less louis vuitton, and more just... people living.
*** This is a map of Ikebukuro Station.
*** This is a map of Shinjuku Station.
*** This is a photo I took of the Ikebukuro Sunshine City Exit- during the least busy part of the day.
Spending:
One of my favorite stores in Japan is Tokyu Hands. Eric was saying they don't have stores like this in the US - perhaps they don't. There are lots of them all over Japan, but there is one at the Sunshine City exit. They have EVERYTHING.
Today I went there, I bought rice paper rolls for my sister (the kind you use in Japanese screen doors) and a mailing tube to put it in and send it to her. I bought a plant that grows in an egg shell, too cute. Two roast beef sandwiches for 1600 yen, 3 small Nikuman (meat filled chinese buns) 315 yen, a handkerchief, you seriously need them because bathrooms don't have anything for drying hands, keitai strap, bottle of water and apple juice, kitchen scissors, cutting board, a double set of these Rabbit shaped salt and pepper grinders, white pepper to replace the black pepper that came with the rabbit grinder, two heart shaped sugar test tubes, yogurt puff treats for the hamster, notepad, and a pen....
There are a few things I want there, I will need Eric to help me get them, they're behind the counter. I also picked up an 256 SD card for my new camera, 5,900 yen... except that I about 5,800 points on my "point card" from buying the camera that day, so it was only 109 yen. that's $1. You can't use your points the day you get them which is why i got the camera yesterday and the SD card today. Photos abound, my friends.
This is my new camera, it's smaller than my cell phone, dimension are about the same height and width wise, but it's only 9.9mm thick..... tiny:
Valentines is over, you'd think something would be on sale... NO. They've moved everything over to White day (the guy does something for the girl) holiday that is March 14th. So much for cheap chocolate.
Existing:
Eric picked me up at the station, I had some food, got on the internet, fed the hamster some yogurt thing, only tried to bite me once today. Life is as we expected now, finally calmed down... domestic... lots of me shopping, lots of Eric working, lots of me having 5times the amount of free time he does... but making 3 times as much money monthly.
Such is life.
----------------
+ I wrote that yesterday evening and didn't post it until today. Additions are that we had a 5.4 earthquake that woke us up at 4am, it was pretty jarring.
+ I saw some house getting.. work done, I don't' know, construction. But what amazed me was that the contractors had covered the car in the driveway with plastic as to not get dust/paint/damaging material on the car. Very nice of them... but what was better was they covered all the cars up to two houses down! So I guess they worry about the neighbors' cars too... that is Japanese courtesy, for you!
+ I bought poo shaped chocolate in a plastic poo-shaped container that can be (and has been) converted into a coin bank:
My closest hub station is Ikebukuro, which is about 11 minutes from my home station. It's really close, just a few stops. It's one of those not-mentioned stations - people talk about Tokyo, Shibuya, and Shinjuku, but never Ikebukuro. It's strange. It has a bad rap here in Japan, as being a dangerous station, a very bad part of town - but bad part of town means that it's nicer and cleaner than the cleanest part of San Francisco.
Shinjuku station sees 2,000,000 people every day, it is the busiest station in the world, the second largest station in the world. Ikebukuro station is the second busiest station in Tokyo, it's huge. It's just not talked about.... I much prefer Ikebukuro. It's not as big as Shinjuku, the shopping is almost as good, you can get anywhere in Tokyo from it, there really isn't anything you're missing. On top of that, it's less tourist, less scout, less ganguro, less louis vuitton, and more just... people living.
*** This is a map of Ikebukuro Station.
*** This is a map of Shinjuku Station.
*** This is a photo I took of the Ikebukuro Sunshine City Exit- during the least busy part of the day.
Spending:
One of my favorite stores in Japan is Tokyu Hands. Eric was saying they don't have stores like this in the US - perhaps they don't. There are lots of them all over Japan, but there is one at the Sunshine City exit. They have EVERYTHING.
Today I went there, I bought rice paper rolls for my sister (the kind you use in Japanese screen doors) and a mailing tube to put it in and send it to her. I bought a plant that grows in an egg shell, too cute. Two roast beef sandwiches for 1600 yen, 3 small Nikuman (meat filled chinese buns) 315 yen, a handkerchief, you seriously need them because bathrooms don't have anything for drying hands, keitai strap, bottle of water and apple juice, kitchen scissors, cutting board, a double set of these Rabbit shaped salt and pepper grinders, white pepper to replace the black pepper that came with the rabbit grinder, two heart shaped sugar test tubes, yogurt puff treats for the hamster, notepad, and a pen....
There are a few things I want there, I will need Eric to help me get them, they're behind the counter. I also picked up an 256 SD card for my new camera, 5,900 yen... except that I about 5,800 points on my "point card" from buying the camera that day, so it was only 109 yen. that's $1. You can't use your points the day you get them which is why i got the camera yesterday and the SD card today. Photos abound, my friends.
This is my new camera, it's smaller than my cell phone, dimension are about the same height and width wise, but it's only 9.9mm thick..... tiny:
Valentines is over, you'd think something would be on sale... NO. They've moved everything over to White day (the guy does something for the girl) holiday that is March 14th. So much for cheap chocolate.
Existing:
Eric picked me up at the station, I had some food, got on the internet, fed the hamster some yogurt thing, only tried to bite me once today. Life is as we expected now, finally calmed down... domestic... lots of me shopping, lots of Eric working, lots of me having 5times the amount of free time he does... but making 3 times as much money monthly.
Such is life.
----------------
+ I wrote that yesterday evening and didn't post it until today. Additions are that we had a 5.4 earthquake that woke us up at 4am, it was pretty jarring.
+ I saw some house getting.. work done, I don't' know, construction. But what amazed me was that the contractors had covered the car in the driveway with plastic as to not get dust/paint/damaging material on the car. Very nice of them... but what was better was they covered all the cars up to two houses down! So I guess they worry about the neighbors' cars too... that is Japanese courtesy, for you!
+ I bought poo shaped chocolate in a plastic poo-shaped container that can be (and has been) converted into a coin bank:
VIEW 11 of 11 COMMENTS
There was, probably still is, an awesome used cd & video game store right outside one of the sides of the station, and the Sunshine 60 side has all the stores I could spend all day in. Plus a theater, some wicked cool video arcades, Tokyu Hands, Animate, K-Books...I could go on for ages....
And who needs Akiba,,,,that's for tourists
Ah...natsukashii!