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One of the famous areas in Japan would definitely be Ikebukuro. Mentioned in countless anime, and infamous for the nightlife. 478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEPSc5NcTjv
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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuopqyVauWm
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHpGBf6JKY9
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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2prE0tOhGj
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...478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDBRJZPQtfh
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ngHlEXiGG
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...)478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcp0jYJH5eC
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXDegrY4vad
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...478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡViPcrSe1cq
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. 478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn6AQc8IG3a
(This was 90% ice... shame.)478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1aoileCCpU
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1pRyreYtz
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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2QMHKMaXtf
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0uzgf5vn2B
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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWSuG2OYK3
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHlCkyhsmZh
Finally, we hurried to the Sanrio cafe. I got the sesame Kuromi(?) cake, and it was nice. Again, pricy. 478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoOCk0HRaaj
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Zcu4WESL4
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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA1ALH10qp1
The pudding came with the plate. Yes, you could take the plate home... it was around 2200 yen?478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCGAlTDBjT5
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjXzhrJt1Ss
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. 478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQg1HtznGP9
...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.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCubQJXyZ45
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsT4Ls2LjdD
Damn, this is getting lengthy so I'll just list the places we went to!478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpBocPXzDlo
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiyRRRf8gUm
Maidreamin idol cafe! We paid for a performance of Yoasobi's "Idol" by a maid. (very) expensive... taste was good though! 7.5/10.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ005q7BamqO
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrpoWbGaD9e
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. 8/10.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQkmOV5IUb
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡucOugooRi1
Tokyo Skytree! Just a mall with the tower you can go up.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZGTOqYQtyV
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478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRzLxvz1rp9
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. 8/10.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFkrkbIEqx
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZlAWMZ5LtY
Some restaurant near the Ebisu station that was honestly fire... 8.5/10.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTcGxHoqHX
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡltU6wszVbQ
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 L478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUiIn3DiqgB
478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy0ysBhVZr9
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... 478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZMP6i5pm9J
Oh yeah, we also went to TeamLab. We accidentally missed two rooms, rip.478Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzj1kdiYKaF
