Shibuya!

I finally made it into the heart of Tokyo!!! Shibuya is a much sought out destination for tourists visiting Japan as well as local fashionistas, as the shopping is amazing! I went with a big group today and had a great time shopping and experiencing the crowds, Japanese fashion, and music!

Yay Shibuya!!!

When you first step out of the train station, you're welcomed by Hachiko! There is a really amazing story behind this statue! Basically the dog would see his owner off to work every morning at the Shibuya station and wait for him all day no matter the weather until he returned. One day the professor didn't come home after having a stroke. Hachiko was adopted by other families but would always sneak away to go to the station at the exact time the train arrived to wait for his owner. He did this every day for 10 years! Not only does he have a monument to commemorate him, there is also a train entrance named after him and a movie was made based on his story!
Here is the full story if you're interested: Hachiko's Story

The famous Shibuya intersection is pretty amazing in person. I've seen videos and read about it, but there is nothing like actually walking through it. Shibuya is pretty much the Times Square of Tokyo and the atmosphere is breath-taking. This day trip was the first time I really though "WOW, I'm actually in Tokyo, Japan!"

The crowd wasn't too overwhelming the first time we crossed. Probably because
it was noon on a Tuesday.

Before

After

What it normally looks like according to Tokyoezine.com

Crossing the intersection!!!

Shopping in Shibuya!!!

After a few hours of shopping and walking around, our group met up at Starbucks to go out to lunch somewhere. We ended up going to a little underground pizza place...typical Americans (and Brits and Aussies). We had our own private little room with a cool painting on the wall!

Jesus was there too! As was Michael Jackson, ALF, Darth Vader, Jack Sparrow and friends...

Funny story: one of the girls ordered a Japanese Pizza! The description included mozzarella cheese, green onions, and Japanese spices. Sounded safe and delicious. So it arrives and she has a bite and we all want to know how it is. She says it's great but the Japanese spice is a little fishy tasting, comparing it to an anchovy. So a few of us, including myself, try a (big) bite and like it but agree it's very different. Another girl at the table looks down and says "is that shredded fish?" We all start inspecting the pizza and it just looks like shredded cheese with specks of black which we assume are the "spices." The closer we look, the more we start to see that those little shreds of cheese are actually hundreds of little white fish with two black eyes. They look like little baby shrimp or even worse, long skinny maggots. So all of us were pretty grossed out, except one guy who trades pizzas with her and enjoys every last piece of the fishy surprise! The end!

That little cluster on the bottom left portion of the pizza is a good-sized chunk of fishies. Gross. Can't believe I ate them :(

Can you see them now?

The day was pretty fantastic! Finally saw downtown, shopped a little, and spent some quality time bonding over fish pizza with my cast!