Wandering Shinjuku

Today I was just wandering around Shinjuku with no set plan on what to do and see. I did go to the top of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building that has two publicly accessible observation decks. Each observation deck is on the 45th floor of the north and south towers of the building. Tokyo was fairly hazy but I managed to get some good pictures showing how large the city is and the densely packed buildings. But there are a few places in Tokyo to escape the noise and the people, such as the Meiji Shrine and Yoyogi Park.




I was also able to get a picture of the Imperial Palace grounds.




I tried to get a picture of Mount Fuji but it was just too hazy. I can see Mount Fuji from my apartment in the early morning but I have to lean way out the window and look around the corner of the building. So here is a picture of where Mount Fuji would be if I had been able to see it from the observation deck.





While wandering around I found the first and only KrispyKreme. It looks like the Japanese love their donuts because the line outside the door was 4 rows deep. I have seen some long lines at the local Tim Horton's but I don't think I would ever need a donut so badly that I would line up for an hour to get one.




After wandering the streets a little I came across an electronics store called Yodobashi Camera. It was 5 floors of computers, cameras, MP3 players, televisions, stereo equipment, CDs and DVDs. I had never been in anything like it. The local Best Buy or Futureshop back home do not compare to Yodobashi at all. The only way to describe would be to take a Best Buy, double the floor space, now stack 5 of them one on top of the other, have different music blaring from every area of the store, and cram it full of people and electronics. I saw a lot of computers and cameras that were the same as back home. Even the prices were fairly similar. I kept wondering if they were hiding the really cool Japanese electronics from the foreigner in the store.

I have realized though that I would like to get a smaller camera. The one I have is great, it's just that it is a little large and I find it looks a little intimidating when trying to capture "street shots". It is a great tourist camera but if I want pictures of everyday life on the streets, in the stores, and on the trains of Tokyo I need something a little smaller.

After wandering Shinjuku I headed back to Nishi-Ogikubo but I got on a train that was a "special express" and it would not be stopping at my station. I got off at the Nakano station and noticed a sign for a Yakitori restaurant. The lesson I learned today is, "when ordering do not always rely on the pictures, it may not be what you expect."