Hanging out in 渋谷Shibuya

Shibuya is one of the most famous places in Tokyo for youths to shop and hangout. When I was younger I dabbled in my fair share of Shojo manga (girly comics) and one of the places I remember seeing drawn was Shibuya 109. I actually did not realize until I went there last January that it was a real place! 笑

Of course, 109 is a must visit. There are many great deals on the latest fashion crazes, but since the place usually caters to the more extreme types of fashion, you might find that diamond-studded fur and heeled booties are not quite the conventional sort of thing you were looking for (or maybe they are?). Still, it's both inspiring and entertaining to see what fad will be flooding the streets of Tokyo next. 

Being a nerd and being cool overlaps quite often in Japan. :D

And of course, no trip to any kind of shopping center is complete without Purikura (Japanese sticker pictures). The picture  above is the outside of the machine with Ayumi Hamasaki endorsing the amazing amount of photoshop filters that are put on your face so that you too can look like a Japanese pop-star. This includes an automatic enlarging of the eyes, high contrasting, and makeup applications in the decorating options. It's oodles of fun.

Honey toast and a strawberry calipco cocktail. Even the ice was made of calpico! Mmm.

The five-year-old girl in had to stop by the Disney store in Shibuya (which is pretty impressive and puts a cute spin on all your favorite Disney products), and I also gave in and bought Hello Kitty socks for winter and some room slippers.