Day 18 Harajuku & Shibuja

We stay at Hanabi Hostel  in Shinjuku occupying three family rooms with futon and tatami mats set up for six people each. The shoes remain downstairs in the safety box.

                                   ....a quick pastrie in between metros......

Prada, Guccie, Channel, Boss ....they are all showing off at Omotesando in the Harajuku area - the Champ Elysee of Tokyo.

Cat Cafes have become very popular in the technological and virtual reality of urban Japan. People can show their affection to a living being in this uncompromising and uncommitted environment and have some form of relationship and a coffe for 30 minutes for under $10 . The next level up on the search for intimate contact are the Cuddle Cafes where you pay to actually cuddle a person.

It was a easy start to the morning, we all got up and got ready to head to Tokyo city to go shopping and go to a Cat Cafe. No one in my class has ever been to a Cat Cafe but everyone was interested to see what it was all about. We got to the Cat Cafe, and as soon as we got there we where given keys to a small locker to put our shoes in and then we had to head over to this machine that delivers slippers to you to wear once you got into the room, we also had to sanitise our hands before going in. Once we entered the room there was about 15 cats from short hair to long and fluffy hair and cute squished faces and floppy ears! Most of the cats would just walk around to people who would sit down to get pats but if you where to walk over to them they wouldn't like it that much. Overall the cats where very shy and didn't liked being touched. It was a very interesting experience sitting down between 15 or so cats and getting a butt load of cat hair all over you! Would I do it again? Maybe if I wasn't soo covered in cat hair! But On the bright side I got to pat a grumpy cat that look done with its life XD.

                    .........Harajuku's  young peoples' shopping mecca..........

                                                                 

 

        Sake packed into rice straw wraps near the Meji Jingu Shinto Shrine

        SHIBUJA CROSSING from the theatre lobby of the HAKARIE building

Class 12 crossing the junction which has people walking in six different directions.

This RAMEN noodles ticket machine replaces the waitress and you deal directly with the chef of this small eatery.

                      Shibuya Crossing, the Time Square of Tokyo, at night.