Wandering Fel

Showing posts with label Harajuku. Show all posts

I just watched a travel show about Harajuku the other day at one of those cable TV channels which my mum subscribes back at home. Got a little jealous sometimes cause I got no telly on my own here in my rented room in Singapore. Oh well, anyway, I don't really have time to watch TV too.

Okay, where was I? Oh right, the show. When the cute host talked about Harajuku, she introduced this fun store named Kiddy Land. If you are a fan of Japanese characters like Hello Kitty, Doraemon, Gudetama, etc, you must give this store a visit.

10D9N Spring Japan Trip: Kiddy Land, Harajuku

Kiddy Land is a toy paradise for both kids and adults. I don't really refer to the products sold by Kiddy Land as toys though. To me, they seem to be collectibles instead of toys. The atmosphere in this five-storey buildings screams "fun" so I think it's best to visit Kiddy Land later toward the day when you are done with the itinerary for the day.

Studio Ghibli Merchandises at Kiddy Land Harajuku Japan

This paper display of My Neighbour, Totoro, one of the finest creation of Studio Ghibli looks so cute.

Studio Ghibli Totoro Paper Art at Kiddy Land Harajuku

Kiddy Land also has non-Japanese cartoon character toys too such as Powerpuff Girls. Konichiwa, Bubble-san! (I nearly got myself Bubble plush toy seriously).

Bubble Powerpuff Girls Soft Toy at Kiddy Land Harajuku

If you are a collector of pins, Kiddy Land sells all kind of pins from the big ones to the smaller ones. Oh my gawd, it's hard to resist temptation to buy stuff here.

Powerpuff Girls pins at Kiddy Land Harajuku

Doraemon-themed cutlery and cookery can be found in Kiddy Land too. I always want to have a themed-kitchen to be honest with you (not sure in which lifetime).

Doraemon Merchandises at Kiddy Land Harajuku

Oh! Random pins. I love random stuff and hence, I got myself one pack of this. I got the yellow pin with Brown and Sally in sheep shape. Cute!

LINE Friends random pins at Kiddy Land Harajuku Japan

Kiddy Land's opening hours:

Weekdays: 11AM - 9PM

Weekends: 10:30AM - 9PM

How to go to Kiddy Land:

Kiddy Land is situated in the middle of Omotesando. You can reach Kiddy Land by taking subway to Harajuku Station and take Omotesando exit. Alternatively, you can also reach Kiddy Land from Meiji-Jingumae Station (exit 4).

I was an avid manga reader (okay, I should use the word "is" since I still love reading manga until now) when I was young. There is this manga telling a story about the life of teenagers which revolved around her and her friends' daily life spent in Harajuku. The impression given in the manga about Harajuku is that Harajuku is really strong in style-game. It's the center of Japan's fashion styles. So since my travelling buddy and I wanted to do some shopping too that night, we took the subway ride to Meiji-jingumae 'Harajuku" Station.

Harajuku is still lively despite the fact that it is already 8.30PM on a Thursday night. Japanese stays pretty late on the street every day, especially in big city like Tokyo.

10D9N Spring Japan Trip: Night Time Shopping at Harajuku, Tokyo

You can actually reach Harajuku by walking from Omotesando but we were too lazy that night. As you can see from the picture below, a lot of high street fashion brands set up a huge store here in Harajuku. For instance, there is the four storeys high Forever 21.

Right across the street, there is a three storeys high H&M. All of these stores invest pretty big in lighting game. After all, nobody would bother to visit those dim fashion stores I suppose.

If you prefer to shop Japanese fashion, you should make your way to Laforet Harajuku. The shopping centre is located strategically at the junction of Omotesando and Meiji Shrine. Laforet Harajuku is huge and it contains a lot of small boutiques selling Japanese-style clothes and accessories. If you are looking for some kind of lolita, gothic or other eccentric fashion, you may be able to find your things here in Laforet.

Vivienne Westwood Anglomania is one of the brand opening a store at Laforet. If you watched an anime called "Nana" before, you will recognise this brand straight away as this is the fashion and accessories brand which is loved by one of the main character, which is a singer in a rock band. The anime itself is so good, I am thinking of re-watching it someday.

Vivienne Westwood Store in Laforet Harajuku Tokyo

There is another shopping mall which is loved by the Japanese youths and it is called YM Square Harajuku. Oh my goodness, even Charles & Keith has opened a store here in Harajuku. Not bad eh, Charles & Keith? (fyi, Charles & Keith is a Singapore brand shoe store).

Most of the stores in Harajuku open until around 9PM so if you don't know where to go at night in Tokyo, you can make your way to Harajuku and enjoy some shopping time.

When you are in Japan, you should not miss the chance to eat the local favourite, sushi. Sushi is an art in Japan and you can't make a living by selling those lousy not-so-fresh sushi to the customers. But the thing is...sushi restaurant is abundant in Japan. In Tokyo alone, there is countless number of sushi restaurants which we see wherever we go. We decided to try a sushi joint named Heiroku Sushi simply because it's conveniently located in Omotesando.

10D9N Spring Japan Trip: Heiroku Sushi, Omotesando

Heiroku Sushi turns out to be a popular sushi chain in Japan. When we came, there is this snaking queue up to the point that we had to wait outside because the line inside the restaurant was already long enough.

Thankfully, Heiroku Sushi put their menu (with pictures) in front of the restaurant too so we could slowly choose what we wanted to eat. The price range for the sushi seems to be on the reasonable side. We did not see any sushi which is priced ridiculously beyond belief.

After 45 minutes or so, we had finally joined the indoor queue. Can't help looking at what people in front of us are eating while we were waiting for our turn to get seats.

15 minutes later we were finally assigned seats at the conveyer belts. The condiments are complete and there are a lot of them on the table so you don't really have to share with the diners sitting next to you.

Lots and lots of sushi passing by. If you don't see your favourite sushi on the belt, you can make an order by calling the waiter/ waitress to take your order. Just like ordering sushi in Sushi Tei in Singapore I suppose.

Heiroku Sushi Conveyer Restaurant in Omotesando Japan

What's different from the usual sushi joint in Singapore is the fact that there is a super big piece of tuna fish displayed in the middle of the belts. This tuna is basically the premium item. The sushi chef will announce (loudly) when they are about to serve this premium tuna sashimi on the belts. As it is considered premium, there is only a limited serving sold to diners within a day.

Premium tuna sashimi at Heiroku Sushi Omotesando Japan

We took one plate of the premium tuna because we were after all curious tourists. I can't really appreciate eating tuna sashimi as compared to salmon sashimi but I can say that this tuna sashimi is very fresh. There is no fishy smell at all (not like the one I ate in Singapore last time).

Tuna Sashimi at Heiroku Sushi Omotesando Tokyo

Heiroku Sushi is located right across Omotesando Hills. You will not miss the restaurant's sign and the queue outside the restaurant, especially during peak dining hours.