Tokyo, Japan (June, 2015) – Day Two: Meiji Jingu + Harajuku/Omotesando + Ebisu + Ginza

A day can never start out right without some good coffee. And being the coffee lover I am (and having a sister who is a barista in a specialty coffee shop in Manila, to boot!), we spontaneously entered any quaint-looking coffee shop that seemed to pique our interest while walking on the way to our first tourist spot that day, i.e. Meiji Jingu!

We actually started a bit late that day, since we were extra tired the day before, having just arrived from a tiring flight that day, plus immediately starting with our scheduled itinerary upon arrival. So, we kind of fueled ourselves up to start the day right by having some good specialty coffee in Tonga Coffee, Harajuku. It’s a fairly small coffee shop near the JR train tracks. It might be easy to miss, since it’s located in a slightly inconspicuous location. 

Prepping area is actually behind those flowers. It’s a bit small, but at a good spot since it’s by the front window, so you can see how they prep the coffee even from outside.

Not sure if this is liquor, or if they recycled their bottles to store the brew.

Passed by a Go!Go! Curry branch, which was right across Tonga Coffee.

Spotted a simple yet elegantly-designed Japanese house. It really the caught the attention of us three. There’s just something really refreshing about Japanese-styled homes.

We finally arrived at Meiji Jingu (shrine), and it really was a refreshing feeling to see the huge torii among the trees. Admission is free for the shrines, so there’s need to worry about that if you plan to visit this place.

I think this is from the South Entrance.

The walk from the south torii to the shrine area was such a breeze since the area was beyond clean, and the cool air with all those trees surrounding me just felt so rejuvenating. I actually spotted a guy raking the gravel of the path–another proof of how much they value their shrine, and also, a reflection of the cleanliness of the Japanese culture.

Spotted this cute little girl wearing a yukata (correct me if I am wrong) near the entrance of the shrine.

Seeing the yorishiros (in this case, the giant trees) up close was definitely an exciting feeling. I’ve only ever really seen them incorporated in manga and animes related to spiritual topics (e.g. Kamisama Hajimemashita), so seeing the actual thing made me feel the true warmth and respect that the Japanese have for these sacred things.

As with being in the Meiji Shrine, I wanted to take this opportunity to draw an omikuji (poem/fortune drawing), since this shrine offered poems which were composed by the Emperor Meiji himself. It was a good way to reflect on something new and unexpected for the day, especially since we were still kind of starting out with what they whole day had to bring.

I think I drew a number eight for this drawing.

After spending time exploring Meiji Jingu, we soon realized that we were already a bit behind schedule for lunch, so we headed out for Omotesando to look for the restaurant that my friend, Rainbowholic, had suggested for Japan first-timers like us. She suggested for us to try out Heiroku Sushi, since it was the kaiten-zushi (conveyor belt sushi) kind of place that we were looking for, and not to mention, a foreigner friendly place too! An added bonus was that they also had a Filipino chef!

Okay, another TEE-HEE moment with me and my sister, Alyssa. Again, we just HAD to take a picture of this cause ..I don’t know. I think the mascot (and pretty much the whole idea) was pretty humorous for us. lol!

Spotted a Cafe Kaila! lol! Hello, Kaila!

The Filipino Chef, Erwin, serving sushi at Heiroku Sushi in Omotesando.

The prices of your dishes will depend on the color and designs on the plates!

After lunch, we were scheduled for a bit of free time, so we could opt to do whatever we wanted in either Harajuku or in Omotesando, since both areas are adjacent to each other. For this day, I actually already contacted my friend, Kaila (a.k.a. Rainbowholic), beforehand to ask if we could meet up somewhere in Harajuku, Tokyo, on this day for just a bit of catching up and pasalubong exchange!

I totally spazzed when I saw this arch. I was THIS close to tears. ;_; Dreams do come true!!

We got purikuras (photo booth-enhanced photos) first at EggNom (lol!). A MUST-DO activity for any person going to Japan!

You can opt to rent out costumes for 200 yen when using the photo booths. I was so tempted to rent the kigurumis! 🙁

Purikura with Kaila! Obviously a first-timer with all the sticker that I slapped onto it! (lol!)

Wonder Rocket in Harajuku! ♥ They’re known for their mori style clothing. I  also absolutely love the bunny mannequin decor!

Spotted some random street style shooting in Harajuku

Lolita and cosplay store, Body Line, in Harajuku!

Paris Kids in Harajuku! It’s known for having lots of affordable accessories–definitely a place for hoarding! haha!

Apart from that, I was also able to bring my Kawaii PH Book along, so it was a good opportunity to ask Kaila to sign it since she was one of the people who worked so hard to bring this book into actuality! I also got to hand her pasalubong from the Philippines, which was basically assorted snacks that she very much craved for back in Manila. lol.

After our long chit-chat along Takeshita Dori, we decided to give Harajuku vintage brand, Funktique, a visit. We were hoping that maybe Misato-san, the owner, would also probably be there. In addition, I also wanted to grab the chance to get a copy of the Harajuku Vintage Shop Map, since I really adore Harajuku fashion.

Unfortunately, upon getting there, Misato-san wasn’t around (;_;), but I was at least able to finally see the store for myself! Luckily, I was also able to have a photo with her shop assistant! yey!

While walking to Funktique, we were able to drop by the super kawaii information of booth of Harajuku. The facade of the Moshi Moshi Box was designed by Sebastian Matsuda of 6%DOKIDOKI! ♥

While in the information booth, Kaila also showed me their copy of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s Moshi Moshi Tokyo kawaii guide! ♥

Other kawaii goods that they sell in the information booth

At the scheduled time, my mom, sister, and I decided to regroup and head back home to meet up with my other sister who had arrived later than us because of a different-scheduled flight. We met up with her at Ebisu and decided to have dinner at a highly-reviewed ramen restaurant called Afuri, which was located near our hotel.

The method of ordering ramen in this restaurant is commonly how you would order in almost any other ramen restaurant in Tokyo, i.e. through a machine. You basically use it like a vending machine where you insert your cash, and then pick your order by pressing the button of choice on the machine. Afterwards, you will receive your order stub, as well as your change, if you have any. After choosing a seat, you will need to hand over your stub to the server so that they may prepare the specific meal you have chosen from the machine. The whole process is very quick and efficient, as with almost all restaurants in Japan!

I ordered a shoyu miso ramen, if I recall correctly. And, yes. It was DELICIOUS!

After having dinner in Afuri, we still had a couple of hours to spend before we could call it a night, so we decided to head to Ginza for some evening sight-seeing. Unfortunately, upon arrival there, the rain started to pour, so we briefly went inside a nearby mall to window shop. We were also hoping that we’d get to kill enough time there in order to wait the rain out; however, the rain ended up pouring even harder later on. So, we decided to call it a night and immediately headed back to the train station to get back to our hotel.

Tokyo, Japan (June, 2015) Day One: http://www.armaineyapyuco.com/2015/07/tokyo-japan-june-2015-day-one-narita-airport-ueno-odaiba/
Tokyo, Japan (June, 2015) Day Two: http://www.armaineyapyuco.com/2015/07/tokyo-japan-june-2015-day-two-meiji-jingu-harajukuomotesando-ebisu-ginza/
Tokyo, Japan (June, 2015) Day Three: http://www.armaineyapyuco.com/2015/10/tokyo-japan-june-2015-day-three-shinjuku-harajukuomotesando-shibuya/
Tokyo, Japan (June, 2015) Day Four and Five: http://www.armaineyapyuco.com/2015/12/tokyo-japan-june-2015-day-fourfive-tokyo-disneysea/
Tokyo, Japan (June, 2015) Day Six: http://www.armaineyapyuco.com/2016/01/tokyo-japan-june-2015-day-six-tsukiji-asakusa-shibuya/