What a long day… I wanted to try something new in the city, so I tried googling for Tokyo, and found the Tokyo City Guide, which had articles on some sections of town I hadn’t been to yet. I saw they had a page on Ikebukuro, so I thought I’d give it a try.
Like Shibuya and Shinjuku, Ikebukuro is on the outskirts of Tokyo, and is a place where the regional rails meet the Tokyo subways and buslines. Around all these places, a large industry has built up to service the many, many commuters who go through. From restaurants to pachinko parlors, there’s something for everyone, so I made my plans.
So, with that plan in mind, I woke up this morning, and hopped in the shower. As I’m bending over to scrub my feet, I feel something pop in my back. It wasn’t paralyzing, but it hurt… I dried off and got dressed, and sat in front of my computer wincing for the next two hours, complaining to Sarah who was online.
Anyway, I decided that a little back pain wasn’t going to keep from getting up there, so I hopped on the subway, and rode down to Shibuya Station and hopped on the JR line (regional rail) up to Ikebukuro.
There were so many people. So many people. I can’t communicate how many people there were. Thousands and thousands and thousands of people. All of them shopping.
Imaging taking the King of Prussia Mall, chopping it up into 8 sections, and stacking those sections on top of each other. Then putting them next to train tracks. That would be the Tobu Department store. Now, do it again, and put it on the other side of the tracks. That would be the Seibu Department store. Then do it again about 500 yards down the street. That would be Sunshine City. It was absolutely amazing.
And the vanity… Gucci, Tiffany’s, Donna Karen, Guess, Hugo Boss… all of them had multiple stores. I have a tough time thinking that Faithful and Christian didn’t pick up a few things when they were passing through Vanity Fair, but regardless, I bought some chopsticks and some toys for the kids.
Then I saw in my dream, that when they were got out of the wilderness, they presently saw a town before them, and the name of that town is Vanity; and at the town there is a fair kept, called Vanity Fair: it is kept all the year long. it beareth the name of Vanity Fair because the town where it is kept is lighter than vanity; and, also because all that is there sold, or that cometh thither, is vanity. As is the saying of the wise, all that cometh is vanity.
I also stopped by one of the many arcades. The arcade industry in America is dying, but no such thing is happening in Tokyo. The places are packed with some amazing games including this horse racing game, and this fish cutting game.
After four hours of wandering around, I found the aquarium, but didn’t really have time to give it the attention it deserved. Oh well, I’ll save that for another day.
Food for the Day:
- Breakfast: Nothing – Â¥0
- Lunch: C&C Curry Shop – Â¥650
- Dinner: Sushi and Asahi Beer – Â¥2100