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One of the famous areas in Japan would definitely be Ikebukuro. Mentioned in countless anime, and infamous for the nightlife. 563Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCiReJSjZwK
Me and my friends met up there, and walked the whole day. Keep in mind, my legs can't take much due to that accident. Even though I was wearing braces for both my legs, damn they hurt. Even my friends who had no issues with their legs were limping by the end of the day.563Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6vlQH9xNJ
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So, what did we do? Of course, we visited ANIMATE. Both branches - the first one had a few collab cafes that we didn't find interesting, as well as cosplay services where you can try cosplaying with a photoshoot.563Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKXtDVtn6s
The main branch... oh boy. We went through each story in the building. Oh boy, I didn't know one whole story would be dedicated to BL manga. Hahaha. Luckily, there were other men there, so we didn't feel too out of place. I couldn't find any Gintama volumes... but I definitely recognised a lot of manga as well as manhwa that they sold. I bought some Gintama merch at the store that took up one story - expensive...563Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKkb8r1Wpz
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Anyhow, we went to a BOOKOFF (second hand store) afterwards, and stayed there for a while reading manga... in Japanese. Of course, I spent 20 minutes searching for Gintama, and another 20 minutes reading different volumes. While I obviously can't understand most of it, I recognised each panel from the corresponding scene in the anime. We also saw a Pokemon card being resold for over $4300 usd... damn. I think that's more than what we spent for the entire trip. (We didn't go to Disneyland or anything, cos that's overrated. Or is it? I went to Disney in HK, so...)563Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOghOcaYXdc
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And the highlight of the trip, Sunshine City! A "city within a city". We didn't explore ALL of it, of course... but you know, I gotta visit the Pokemon floor. And so I did! Unfortunately I couldn't book for the Pokemon or Kirby cafe in time...563Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWEPxDN4aEL
The Pikachu sweets cafe was pretty, but the bad reviews were there for a reason. 90% of my drink was ice, smh. But it was great looking around the Pokemon-themed floor, and though nothing caught my eye at the Pokemon centre... we caught some boy bands performing by chance haha. It was hilarious watching them meet and interact with fans. 563Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrHfprdT1yk
(This was 90% ice... shame.)563Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhV01M0uwUT
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My legs were so sore that I sat on the ground while observing the idols. At some point, I decided to take a video of them, but just before I took a video, one of the members looked up, and seemed to make eye contact with me. The first thought that popped into my head was, "Am I... not supposed to take a video?" despite others clearly taking pictures. I just had the idea I was doing something very wrong. We ate dinner at Sunshine city! Pretty good, but nothing spectacular, so no pictures.563Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpUo3UeGGtD
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Oh, I had to mention we ate ramen at a local chain! Not very famous, but it's called Ichiryuu. Delicious and cheap. I've tried Ichiran and many other ramen places in Tokyo, but something about the msg in the Ichiryuu ramen was so good. 9/10. A little biased because I really want to eat ramen rn.563Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWku7apG2Rs
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Finally, we hurried to the Sanrio cafe. I got the sesame Kuromi(?) cake, and it was nice. Again, pricy. 563Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNivtPOtilX
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Ah, how could I forget! The amazing sumikko gurashi themed capcom cafe we went too for dessert! (Yes, a lot of dessert all in one day lol) 8.5/10. Very delish.563Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWlptTCG8N
The pudding came with the plate. Yes, you could take the plate home... it was around 2200 yen?563Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTXoIbPiSz2
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So in the end, we tried to look for the Ikebukuro nightlife west of the station. The main streets had many pretty girls and boys handing out flyers to attract customers, but we wanted to see the "seedy" red-light district. 563Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlR4tZcYmJq
...We ended up wandering into deserted streets that were probably prone to Yakuza visits instead LOL. Disappointing... I would've liked to visit a love hotel just for the lols sometime.563Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ERCdUTmz4
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Damn, this is getting lengthy so I'll just list the places we went to!563Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZoPgtPaId
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Maidreamin idol cafe! We paid for a performance of Yoasobi's "Idol" by a maid. (very) expensive... taste was good though! 7.5/10.563Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpj9k0GFoJP
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Mister donut! A self-serve donut chain. It was pokemon themed for this period of time! All donuts were delicious. I had the snorlax, gold-flaked chocolate, and the original donut. 8/10.563Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmnEkbtwree
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Tokyo Skytree! Just a mall with the tower you can go up.563Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR8RrT7fgC1
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We went to the Shibuya crossing! What did we eat again? Ah, right, Ichiran ramen. All these ramen chains are intended for single people, with the barricade between you and the next seat. You don't have to talk, and order by a machine. 8/10.563Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxCYruvIs1R
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Some restaurant near the Ebisu station that was honestly fire... 8.5/10.563Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7nK8lbjLGm
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Harajuku street - takeshita? Nothing special, just touristy... AHHHH A popup store of a band I like is gonna be there... but it's too late L563Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8eDl3CvWNC
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Extra: Since Sukiyaki outside is expensive af, we had homemade sukiyaki at a friend's house in Japan. Delicious! Raw egg is a thing in Japan, and don't underestimate the power of raw egg on rice... damn... 563Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhqfn1VRwZJ
Oh yeah, we also went to TeamLab. We accidentally missed two rooms, rip.563Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeIlWtiCNLt
