Nonstop to Tokyo [.co.uk]

This picture is of a shopping arcade in Asakusa, one of the older and more historic areas of Tokyo. It's not exactly a traditional shopping arcade, but compared to most of the ultra-modern stuff in Tokyo it certainly felt like one! This is where I bought a lot of presents for my family, including kimonos/yukata all round, and a touristy but pretty fan for my Mum. Not exactly original I know, but they're classic Japanese gifts, and they were all very much appreciated.

This, is an, um, very large lantern (probably yet another 'record breaker'!). It's in the Kaminari-mon (Thunder Gate) at the Senso-ji temple in Asakusa. It's pretty cool. (Pizzicato Five have done publicity shots there before, and whilest in Tokyo I bought the 'Readymade TV Vol 3' DVD, which features Pizzicato Five standing in front of this lantern on the cover, so it's pretty cool that I've actually been there!!) We didn't spend much time in the actual temple, as the temple itself isn't as impressive, and we'd seen about a billion temples by then!

In the centre of this picture is the (in)famous Phillipe Stark-designed building, also in Asakusa, which Emma spotted while we were randomly crossing a road, so I risked life and limb to take this picture before the lights changed! It's a building with a golden sperm on it, basically. It's kinda funky though.

This view was taken from the park surrounding the Imperial Palace right in the centre of Tokyo. In the distance you can see the Tokyo Tower in Roppongi, a replica of the Eiffel Tower which is, unsurprisingly, taller than its Gallic cousin (between 13 and 30 meters taller, depending on who you believe). It's also apparently the tallest building in Tokyo, and the tallest freestanding iron structure in the world. So there. (Anyone who's ever read much CLAMP manga will undoubtedly have a special place for the Tokyo Tower in their heart!)

So, picture the scene. You're a Japanese schoolgirl, you live in Tokyo, and you've got Sunday afternoon free. What are going to do to pass the time? Well, duh; you're going to dress up in your best Gothic Lolita outfit and parade around Harajuku station, of course! Unfortunately, this picture was taken about 6pm, so it doesn't really capture the scene fully (a lot of people had gone home by then), but you can still make out a lot of black eyeliner, white faces, black clothing, bondage clothing, and assorted freakiness (sadly most of the people in Strawberry Shortcake-style dresses had gone by then). Bizarrely, we also saw some really *really* dressed up schoolgirls shopping for bondage clothes with their Mums in one of the department stores earlier in the afternoon. How sweet!

In Japan, there seems to be a limitless supply of up-and-coming punk rock bands who will set up a sound system in any area large enough to fit a small crowd, and play to the passers by. Never to be outdone, Shibuya manages to pack a whole handful of different bands (and musical styles) outside the frankly so-big-it's-scary Shibuya station, where they compete for attention from the thousands of passers-by. This two-piece, called 'Kiss With My Song' (yes, in English) caught my eye (and ear) as they had a more funky style than the other bands, which were mostly straight-down-the-line punk-pop. A guy in a suit (who I assume was their manager) gave me a flyer because I took their picture.