things i'm grateful for: tokyo lovin'

day 1

narita airport was a breath of fresh air and efficiency.

after around an hour from the airport, we arrived in aoyama in the middle of a rainy night.we hauled our wet, er, backs off and tried to find a cab to take us to our hotel as the bus from the airport only stopped at certain places.great, we thought, welcome to a nice holiday.there we were, just off sunshiny boracay,and we were greeted by a cold, wet tokyo.

little did we know how much we would fall in love with aoyama, and with tokyo itself.it was autumn season and it never rained during our stay, save for the night of our arrival.there was a moment when we even wished that it would rain so that we can do something boring and go to a museum perhaps, but it never did.so for that, i have to thank the heavens.arigato gozaimusu.

we stayed at tokyu stay premier in aoyama.mr t found this hotel apartment online, and it's one of the greatest things ever.

anyway, we really wanted a room with a kitchen as we have baby with us.the added bonus was the washing machine.and the views, my god, the views were something else.

this greeted us in the middle of the night:



and this was what we woke up to:





the funny (and sad) thing was, i forgot our lonely planet tokyo guide book.so we had no clue where to go and what to do.we just decided to go around and look for a bookshop that sells travel guide books.and everything else was serendipity after that.

breakfast was included in our booking, so thank god, we did not have to wake up early to look for food.we would usually have our breakfast at ten in the morning and be back at eight or nine in the evening.

tokyu stay has this buffet breakfast at architect cafe.it was a delight! the staff spoke english very well and were very friendly.they doted on baby so much.i can still taste the miso soup!

we would put baby on the floor and let her crawl and look out the windows.we chatted with other guests, from an italian couple who would coo "bella" to baby to a stylish japanese mother-daughter tandem who would coo "kawaii" in turn.



we already realized that we were staying in a totally rockin' place and area with all the chic people around us.

during our first breakfast, we actually went to the cafe wearing trainers and sporty jumpers.we wanted to crawl and hide under the table when we saw all the other diners were all in their sunday (autumn) black best.as in branded clothes and bags were floating before my very eyes.

now, don't get me wrong.we live in dubai where every second person is either wearing gucci or louis vuitton (fyi, we fall into the other group.hahaha).i was just not accustomed to see a lot of people who can actually wear luxurious brands with ease and without any yabang (arrogance) at all.as in, effortless.winner talaga.

on the first two floors of the hotel were these trendy, high-end shops, and just a few minutes away was a metro station!

honestly, this place was perfect for us.it's away from all the hustle and bustle of the other tokyo districts, but it's so accessible at the same time.

so off we went without a clue where to go.we just made sure we were properly dressed so as not to offend the japanese.heheee.

we just walked, and walked, and walked.and every step was a delight, every building was a revelation, every moment was cherished.

aoyama is part of omotesando,an upscale shopping area and "architectural showcase." feeling champs-elysee.











mr t even made a comment that street cones are so chica also.



i remember that we just made a right turn in one of the alleys, and we saw this li'l creature.



i was already wondering where we were as the shops in the area were selling all these brightly colored and outrageous stuff.





without even realizing it, we already reached harajuku, the world of the bizarre.



so many smurfs, so little time.



kyot



we kept on walking until we reached the (in)famous harajuku station.



we noticed that there were a lot of people going to a certain area.we followed them, and saw a lot of families with li'l babies.finally!we thought at first that we were the only crazy ones pushing a pram in the middle of harajuku.



and then we saw this entrance.we thought that this place was probably special and so we decided to take a stroll and while away the time over there.



we did not know at first that this was the location of the meiji shrine, tokyo's grandest shinto shrine.it was actually a forest, brimming with cypress trees.







barrels of sake



huge chrysanthemums!



inside...







where i fervently wrote down our prayers





we thought we struck photographic gold when this wedding procession suddenly materialized right before our very eyes.hello, "lost in translation" moment?









kyotness



we walked back to the hotel and passed by takeshita street.weird shops galore.









we love our peacock supermarket! this is a supermarket just around our hotel.this was usually our last stop before going back.we shopped for everything here.from sushi dinners to baby's food.



it was only our first day and we were already smitten! and still no travel book to guide us!

to be continued...