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One of the famous areas in Japan would definitely be Ikebukuro. Mentioned in countless anime, and infamous for the nightlife. 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡalbEJ5UVUo
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxnrgaBGNIy
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡljKhhRzqh2
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgsY6Nng67
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...475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQOBV1cZKt7
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4LZ1VGcRmD
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...)475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlaeZ0kvhKg
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFyGOH3aFcq
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...475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ408hmTmOuy
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. 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb8OL582A0g
(This was 90% ice... shame.)475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwOnXqPqBaF
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS2o72yEJeD
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEWikqNpGg
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBypTAOavH
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDY4ljbM1Vb
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Finally, we hurried to the Sanrio cafe. I got the sesame Kuromi(?) cake, and it was nice. Again, pricy. 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjNFDu8msWB
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxfwwub1rQb
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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpCRdwYqsSK
The pudding came with the plate. Yes, you could take the plate home... it was around 2200 yen?475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc7PakaBIQJ
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwGlfQiJOsF
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. 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡewH7dlmVtj
...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.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡShCr6shnv3
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJEFnb9HgB
Damn, this is getting lengthy so I'll just list the places we went to!475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKGQ1k9sgNR
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2KSubCyVx
Maidreamin idol cafe! We paid for a performance of Yoasobi's "Idol" by a maid. (very) expensive... taste was good though! 7.5/10.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvBjvdnfbVF
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDps9ZQsNe
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. 8/10.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgeKad7bfpP
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6BRm0gb1F7
Tokyo Skytree! Just a mall with the tower you can go up.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgN22Oz2gsx
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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. 8/10.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1IlgZvTuh
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Some restaurant near the Ebisu station that was honestly fire... 8.5/10.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDdctTlBF4
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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 L475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiueiQBb8T8
475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk8KwZsqflK
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... 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzV7p3kPvC
Oh yeah, we also went to TeamLab. We accidentally missed two rooms, rip.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIlhP64mfKy
