July 27th, 2008: The Real Harajuku

Today was the day we planned to visit Tokyo. It was an exciting morning on my part. Eriko and I ran to catch a train, and I never knew a person could run so fast in heels. It took more than an hour to get to Tokyo’s Harajuku sector, and on the way, one of Eriko’s college friends, Rea, met up with us. She was a sweet looking girl with big brown eyes and a shy smile. She spoke to me ever so often in spite of the language barrier as we maneuvered through throngs of people.

In Harajuku, booths, shops, and salesmen flanked either sides of the markets, alleyways, and streets. Some stores were located below other stores or sat above lower stores. Many foreigners were peppered in the crowd. I was surprised to see a large number of punk, goth, and Lolita-clad shoppers filling the crowds.

We spent most of our time in Harajuku looking for a ramen shop, since it was something I requested. While looking for a ramen shop that served shio ramen (salty ramen), we browsed different stores. We finally found a small hole-in-the-wall ramen shop in the back of a secluded alleyway. It turned out that the ramen shop, Sontoku, was a very famous one indded, and I learned that shio ramen was very tasty.

We paid for our food and wandered into a mall with more than 6 floors. There was the sixth floor, then the five-point-five floor, then the fifth floor, etcetera. I purchased a shirt, two dresses, and a pair of overalls, all totaling up to around seven thousand yen ($70). We exited the building to find the sky overcast and droplets of rain hitting the streets.

Despite the absence of a kasa (umbrella), we bought shaved ice cream and crepes and went out into the thick air, heading back towards the train station. The train ride was rather leisurely, in spite of the wards of people filling it every stop, and soon, Rea bade me goodbye. Eriko and I remained on the train before switching to one bound for Odawara. We talked about my family, like how blunt my little brother could be, or how fast my mom likes to talk.

We made it home in time to sit down to somen, soba, and green tea ice cream. Before I went to sleep, I organized my room and my purchases, snickering at the Hello Kitty poster I bought for my co-worker.

Me and Jason eating green tea ice cream