JinuChriz : 21 Japan DAY 12 – EARTHQUAKE, TOKYO CITY AND SHOPPING, JAPAN (5 May, 2014)

The starting of this particular day was peculiar. I suddenly woke up at 5.30 AM, felt a shaking of my bed and my father telling my mother not to be worried and that there was an earthquake. This slightly did make me panic not because of the earthquake but because of our closeness to the sea. Yes, our room was very close to sea, with the airport runway in between. According to geologists, the warning sign before tsunami was earthquake and since Japan was often susceptible to tsunamis, the foremost thought in my mind was that. So my reaction was to stare out of the window; this proved to be a mistake as my then past self had failed to realize that we would be ridiculed for it. None the less, it’s irritating when my mother recounts my reaction.

Runway and Sea Views from Excel Hotel Tokyu Room,

Haneda Airport (Domestic T2), Tokyo, Japan.

May 5, 2014

When the shaking down had stopped, we promptly went back to sleep as earthquake was not anything new to us according to my father as we experienced some in Taiwan; truthfully, I don’t remember.

The second time, I woke up and preparing for the day which we had left exclusively for shopping. It was an important day for me, particularly as we were going to visit Shibuya which had the official One Piece shop.

Let me tell you about another problem of mine, according to my father. My addiction to anime. Go ahead laugh people who think it’s funny. You see, anime is a synonym for cartoon, however there is a difference. America and other countries create animations which are referred to as cartoons and target the children. But, Japanese animations are different; the graphics are much clearer, the plot is compact and it’s mainly not for children. Most of the popular animes have blood and violence. Of course, there are passive ones like Doremon which I believe most of us know. Unlike what my parents think, some animes have deeper meanings with philosophies of life. An example is Graveyard of Fireflies. This is a tragedy movie; it depicts the life of two siblings and talks about the Second World War. This movie is beautiful; it shows us the state of the people during and after the war. If you ignore the animation nature of the movie and simply watch, you will end up with crying.

Okay enough of my rambling and defending; sorry that got out of hand. I'm tired of my parents’ laughing at me. Anyway simply speaking, One Piece is an anime.

Back to our story, now you probably know our hotel Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyu was located inside the Haneda Airport (Domestic Terminal 2). To go to Shibuya, we had to go to the Haneda International Terminal by a free shuttle bus. After getting information about the bus, we made our way to platform 8 to wait for the shuttle bus.

Haneda Airport (Domestic T2), Tokyo, Japan. May 5, 2014

Upon arriving at the Haneda International Terminal, we shuffled slowly to the subway where we got on the Keikyu line’s Haneda Airport rapid service (train). We got down at Shinagawa station to change lines and transferred to JR Yamanote line which is a circular line, passing through the major stations including Tokyo station.

From Haneda Airport to Shinagawa. Tokyo,

Japan. May 5, 2014

Note: For those who are planning to visit Japan, I will write a separate and more detailed post about the metro rail and how to navigate with ease. The Japan Railways are complicated; however once you understand it you will find yourself travelling with ease.

From Shinagawa to Shibuya by Yamanote Line.

Tokyo, Japan. May 5, 2014

By the time we reached Shibuya it was already 11.40 AM. By then I was excited and felt happy, if only I knew the disappointment I would meet later on.

Shibuya Shopping Area. Tokyo, Japan. May 5, 2014

After getting a map and a location for that specific One Piece shop, we stepped out of the station…..to be met by an ocean of people. It was terrifying. Not that I minded, the only problem was my father kept disappearing and my mother was getting frustrated because of that.

The One Piece shop was located in Parco, a separate mall in Shibuya, on the sixth floor. And when I saw the store, I was impressed as there was a miniature statue of my favourite character. I did not even know where to start to look for what I wanted to buy. Admittedly there were many goodies; unfortunately, I realized too early that what I had been looking for was out of stock.

One Piece Shop, Shibuya. Tokyo, Japan. May 5, 2014

The rest of the small amount of time I spent there was spent walking around like a zombie trying to come to terms with the fact that she is dead. So giving up on my shopping, I instead concentrated on getting things for my brother, who earlier that year, I had, I guiltily admit, convinced to watch the anime shows. The result was, he liked it, though earlier he kept saying he wouldn't. I picked out the goodies of his favourite character and we waited at the counter. I, on the other hand, bought a small key chain and some bag pins…!

At One Piece Shop with my Favourite Anime Character, Shibuya. Tokyo, Japan. May 5, 2014

Anyway as the zombie like girl and her parents who were not zombies walked out, her mother declared that she was hungry. This resulted in wasted efforts of trying to search for a good restaurant which got me annoyed because my parents were ignoring a KFC right in front them.

Lunch at KFC, Shibuya. Tokyo, Japan. May 5, 2014

Finally, they gave up the search and we ate at KFC, though admittedly it wasn’t that good, I could not bring myself to care as my mind was trying to find a way to lift it. This happened in the form of the Radio Hall (a shop in Akihabara) which apparently contained the figurines of all types of animes. This was suggested by a brother whom I met in Sapporo who was coincidently a fan of One Piece like me. This shop was a last option as the thought of ‘all types of animes’ did not bode well with me since not all animes were good.

But setting that aside, in the end, we decided to go to Akihabara, the anime capital of Tokyo. Getting there was a simple task as we just had to take the same Yamanote line we took earlier. The problem was finding the said shop. That was fortunately easy for us after getting a map from a lady who I believed was there to help tourists.

Shibuya to Akihabara and Akihabara Shopping Area.

Tokyo, Japan. May 5, 2014

It took us a while to find the shop, due to the distance. Unsurprisingly the shop lived up to its reputation that the figurines of almost all animes were there. Still worry was unwarranted as there were many figurines of my favourite characters so much so that I was confused as to which one to choose. However after looking around, I finally settled on the one which I wanted and we left the shop soon after.