One of the famous areas in Japan would definitely be Ikebukuro. Mentioned in countless anime, and infamous for the nightlife. 596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGcKhwTrmmh
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.596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6vvu5xn3UW
596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3PQZb29PWr
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.596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnAOMRQ9jtB
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...596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmiYesFSwwi
596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmAbSWPDI9V
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...)596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz20byzgRC6
596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXY6q8sqpF
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...596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8gwMsjNFdo
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. 596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmoxL968KHM
(This was 90% ice... shame.)596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhwOakAVmzc
596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZNbYr6NEd
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.596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD9cRJ0QNu1
596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZNgNKhoNm
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.596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4W3QWnLZyP
596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGDw6AhCtiT
Finally, we hurried to the Sanrio cafe. I got the sesame Kuromi(?) cake, and it was nice. Again, pricy. 596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQxk0PxbjyB
596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNL5dhjCgs
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.596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFw7NpN5BP0
The pudding came with the plate. Yes, you could take the plate home... it was around 2200 yen?596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxg7hNGLn7m
596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCI5qndsMGR
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. 596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6DePre93sZ
...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.596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbBOK0VS0KP
596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBIYc38ijvs
Damn, this is getting lengthy so I'll just list the places we went to!596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1oO98bOln5
596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ZSGpxgmIb
Maidreamin idol cafe! We paid for a performance of Yoasobi's "Idol" by a maid. (very) expensive... taste was good though! 7.5/10.596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6d2uZyrqk5
596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9O1lfAvS8
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. 8/10.596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGSh2tILwqo
596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYR2L7iKshx
Tokyo Skytree! Just a mall with the tower you can go up.596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNtq9M0Ztd7
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596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGPpdcpniU
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. 8/10.596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6RrHlVXS9a
596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡarGy99DrPb
Some restaurant near the Ebisu station that was honestly fire... 8.5/10.596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhD67Ij9IOl
596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyaGuF4ZMTO
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 L596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXDs9eFoqQ9
596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy0ahsMyc0z
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... 596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tSDnep6co
Oh yeah, we also went to TeamLab. We accidentally missed two rooms, rip.596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTF5MjSgNln
