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One of the famous areas in Japan would definitely be Ikebukuro. Mentioned in countless anime, and infamous for the nightlife. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3S9lVXUFsO
Me and my friends met up there, and walked the whole day. Keep in mind, my legs can't take much due to that accident. Even though I was wearing braces for both my legs, damn they hurt. Even my friends who had no issues with their legs were limping by the end of the day.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9G4YY0uBE
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8i4ht9xEE
So, what did we do? Of course, we visited ANIMATE. Both branches - the first one had a few collab cafes that we didn't find interesting, as well as cosplay services where you can try cosplaying with a photoshoot.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpBQYE77AIs
The main branch... oh boy. We went through each story in the building. Oh boy, I didn't know one whole story would be dedicated to BL manga. Hahaha. Luckily, there were other men there, so we didn't feel too out of place. I couldn't find any Gintama volumes... but I definitely recognised a lot of manga as well as manhwa that they sold. I bought some Gintama merch at the store that took up one story - expensive...528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6AHn7hzozV
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM55JNmOZNo
Anyhow, we went to a BOOKOFF (second hand store) afterwards, and stayed there for a while reading manga... in Japanese. Of course, I spent 20 minutes searching for Gintama, and another 20 minutes reading different volumes. While I obviously can't understand most of it, I recognised each panel from the corresponding scene in the anime. We also saw a Pokemon card being resold for over $4300 usd... damn. I think that's more than what we spent for the entire trip. (We didn't go to Disneyland or anything, cos that's overrated. Or is it? I went to Disney in HK, so...)528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoSFW0v9UtO
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNEsOXAdp0
And the highlight of the trip, Sunshine City! A "city within a city". We didn't explore ALL of it, of course... but you know, I gotta visit the Pokemon floor. And so I did! Unfortunately I couldn't book for the Pokemon or Kirby cafe in time...528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmk4XIxWAT
The Pikachu sweets cafe was pretty, but the bad reviews were there for a reason. 90% of my drink was ice, smh. But it was great looking around the Pokemon-themed floor, and though nothing caught my eye at the Pokemon centre... we caught some boy bands performing by chance haha. It was hilarious watching them meet and interact with fans. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjFam9alYj
(This was 90% ice... shame.)528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJyJKlm6an
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTlCiSbzkC9
My legs were so sore that I sat on the ground while observing the idols. At some point, I decided to take a video of them, but just before I took a video, one of the members looked up, and seemed to make eye contact with me. The first thought that popped into my head was, "Am I... not supposed to take a video?" despite others clearly taking pictures. I just had the idea I was doing something very wrong. We ate dinner at Sunshine city! Pretty good, but nothing spectacular, so no pictures.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiM75lgICBm
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74rbUiPOKj
Oh, I had to mention we ate ramen at a local chain! Not very famous, but it's called Ichiryuu. Delicious and cheap. I've tried Ichiran and many other ramen places in Tokyo, but something about the msg in the Ichiryuu ramen was so good. 9/10. A little biased because I really want to eat ramen rn.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpVpqcm6jXR
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLldk3Nc4au
Finally, we hurried to the Sanrio cafe. I got the sesame Kuromi(?) cake, and it was nice. Again, pricy. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmgastfCvbd
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxnLGAXyNeE
Ah, how could I forget! The amazing sumikko gurashi themed capcom cafe we went too for dessert! (Yes, a lot of dessert all in one day lol) 8.5/10. Very delish.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzdcZ5MNiQ1
The pudding came with the plate. Yes, you could take the plate home... it was around 2200 yen?528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkMopMXfazJ
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIOctu4Y4Jm
So in the end, we tried to look for the Ikebukuro nightlife west of the station. The main streets had many pretty girls and boys handing out flyers to attract customers, but we wanted to see the "seedy" red-light district. 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnrVqz2TX1
...We ended up wandering into deserted streets that were probably prone to Yakuza visits instead LOL. Disappointing... I would've liked to visit a love hotel just for the lols sometime.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJOwRlGiek
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7oc48iIvKp
Damn, this is getting lengthy so I'll just list the places we went to!528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQ6d71rlwq
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQvwwtCOyb
Maidreamin idol cafe! We paid for a performance of Yoasobi's "Idol" by a maid. (very) expensive... taste was good though! 7.5/10.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5wIFOw4Sm
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5v8P5AVDZr
Mister donut! A self-serve donut chain. It was pokemon themed for this period of time! All donuts were delicious. I had the snorlax, gold-flaked chocolate, and the original donut. 8/10.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjqWFbm36rM
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi2j2r7ogBt
Tokyo Skytree! Just a mall with the tower you can go up.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQFDBMKZtq
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxto1yGJZFn
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6A8fhVOAu
We went to the Shibuya crossing! What did we eat again? Ah, right, Ichiran ramen. All these ramen chains are intended for single people, with the barricade between you and the next seat. You don't have to talk, and order by a machine. 8/10.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBLb4u6L2n
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6B3j70cQco
Some restaurant near the Ebisu station that was honestly fire... 8.5/10.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xilqtzfN6
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtS5D8vpT7
Harajuku street - takeshita? Nothing special, just touristy... AHHHH A popup store of a band I like is gonna be there... but it's too late L528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡreQw6jz3eG
528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdA0HXvvzPz
Extra: Since Sukiyaki outside is expensive af, we had homemade sukiyaki at a friend's house in Japan. Delicious! Raw egg is a thing in Japan, and don't underestimate the power of raw egg on rice... damn... 528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINtRqmHP7b
Oh yeah, we also went to TeamLab. We accidentally missed two rooms, rip.528Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzuH32mvSII
