Shibuya

Back in the craziness that is Shibuya. I remember being there a year ago and it was raining so I didn’t really explored the area. Today the weather is lovely , let’s take a walk in the concrete jungle 🙂

Back to the infamous “Shibuya scrambling”. The tall tower on the right side have just opened in November. There is a lot do inside but the best is to go on the terrace -rooftop. The view must be great. I might go there with a friend soon.

Shibuya is a “vertical district” but isn’t as crowded and hectic than is close neighbour “Shinjuku”. You can find many good stores and some “Hip” coffee place and trendy restaurant.

Up and up and up … burning those calories.
This was in “Tokyu Hands” , a 7 level stores with many goods. I fell in love with the tea section there. Many cool mugs and gears to make some good tea !

Shibuya is a Hip area and you can feel that. It’s amazing to look at fashion trends around. Which seems orientated towards “sportswear” among youngsters.

Cool café

I actually did find a tea place called “Gen Gen en” where they serve good quali”tea” !

The place. Can you spot all the cassettes ?

They serve mostly what it’s called “Genmaicha” which is a Japanese green tea with roasted rice inside. It has an interesting flavour. A mixture of Unami and “Cereal-ish”. It was 12 o clock so the place was empty but this would be a good place to hang out for the afternoon break. And I am doing this trip alone so I miss the connection with others. I know that I will meet people , it’s a matter of time. Unfortunately my Japanese language skill is almost non-existent so it’s quite hard to communicate. It just make me smile and laugh.

I continued my day slowly with no goal. Just cruising around Shibuya.

“Vertical Shibuya”

The streets here are pleasant to walk. The shops are really attractive and also more pricey than elsewhere in Tokyo. It’s quite a trendy area.

I have found a shop that makes a really interesting fusion. Chocolate + Green Tea = pure goodness !

“Nanaya Aoyama” , a shop where you can buy many different tea from Japan.

And some chocolate too !

Lunch break with the good friend Chocolate / Green tea. This is delicious. The aftertaste of Green tea is strong and subtil. There is not much cacao (they might have used only cacao butter) inside so you really feel the tea. It was 500 yen (3.5 euro).

I was getting a bit tired so I decided to come back slowly.

On the way back to Shibuya station you could appreciate how “multi-layered” is that city. Just look at the structures.

Fascinating architecture. It really is different layers serving different purpose. This bridge was getting to the massive station.

It was a nice day in Tokyo , a city that is constantly growing. The contrast with the different neighborhoods is stunning. This city feels liks a “ant nest” with many facets. On a sunny day like today it was easy and enjoyable. If you dont go crazy Tokyo isn’t as expensive as one might think. For lunch I had two onigiri and seaweed salad in takeway , which was around 500 yen (3.5 euro) which is really fine. On the way back I went to the supermarket and bought some food , it wasn’t so expensive. Just like a French supermarket actually. The selection of mushroom was impressive , apparently they can grow all type of mushroom all year long here.
On the way back home. Students finishing there day. It was around 3:30 which seems pretty early.

Shibuya was a cool experience. I’m looking forward going back there with friends. Sharing moment with others is whats matter the most at the end. Tokyo remains a fascinating and creative city. I am in awe with the architecture there.
If you wonder how the future will look like , come to Tokyo and surely your question will find an answer.

Peace