Harajuku

The freaks come out at night...or in the middle of the day if you are in Harajuku. This is the next area south of me, which is within walkable distance. People call this place the cutting edge of style (although that is definitely an opinion). When I first stepped off the train I was greeted by Snoopy Town. If you haven't realized the Japanese love things that are cute, thus they love snoopy.


Remember that cutting edge style? Well these are the rainbow brights.


Ok, from here on out the pictures will be mostly black and white with a little color, I switched to this setting and didn't realize it until too late...but some of the pictures did come out pretty cool like this anyway.


The vans and busses are hard core Japanese Conservatives, they drive around blaring music and yelling how Japan is for the japanese, foreigners suck..blah blah blah. They are very loud.

Here is a Tokyo gangsta (the MTV kind)
Main street in harajuku with all expensive name brand designers (just pretend gap isn't there)


Fendi, Prada, Vuitton...it was somebodies store and looked pretty cool.

Next pic is the back alley where all the goth, punk, hiphop...well it's where all the young kids get their clothes while the old people are on the main name brand strip.

lol @ OPP

Now we cross the street and head toward yoyogi park, this is where everyone just hangs out. There are a couple of different groups that dress a certain way, you have the regular goths, then the lolita goths, then the anime goths, zombies, rainbow brights, and then some other shit I don't even know. But it is a freak show.







Even some German girls were in on it.
Yep...it's a pikkachu



I handed rob the camera and told him to take a picture as soon as I snuck up behind them.







Hey look, it's our friends again, music and speeches still going.

Next we walked into Yoyogi Park, first up were the Elvis's. Now these guys are called Elvis something or others (dont remember). They just put on music and dance...it wasn't Elvis, more like classic punk, but they were entertaining nonetheless.



These guys were the next group into the park, apparently these are the original guys who started doing it in the 70's. Their music was a little more Elvis like.
Skateboards were next
Then BMXers

Further in there was Kendo

Japanese drum dancing

Guys with drums just grooving while the ladies did just the capoeira movements

Bruce Lee with nunchucks (he sucked btw), and two juggelers.

Then we stubbled on a little rave going on...

Everyone was pretty gone, from drinking or just listening to the music...yea...




Then down the walkway a bit there was a band playing, the guitarist and drummer were actually really good, the other two sucked.

These guys had a beat box going and would rap or sing...it was god awful.

Pikachu again

Back to the freaks
Entrance into the Shrine part of the park. That's Rob in the red jacket.

Walk
walking there, the preferred method of transportation for the Japanese. That and they love to put stairs everywhere...seriously
Main part of the shrine below

Inside looking through the courtyard of the shrine
me in front of the enterance
more freaks on the way to the train





Then we went 2 stations north to Shinjuku (which is also within walking distance of me)
Shinjuku is another high fashion area, know for their department stores and indoor mall's. Also has the busiest subway/train station in the world...apparently.





Pachanko game house. Gambling is illegal in Japan, so you win tokens, which you exchange for a prize, which you then go across the street and exchange for money from a store which is in no way affiliated with the place that gave you the prize. The one below is hoarse racing.

stopped at a vending machine area on the way back from practice, Rob getting a drink.

So the second class over at wajyutsu keisyukai went good. I got recommended for the pro class, then accepted, and then was told to go. I think I surprised everyone in the gym, definitely Rob and Roxy (roxy is a female fighter from Boston). Going to find a gym to lift at today.