madam striga: Yoyogi Park and Harajuku

After seeing Tokyo's metal side, it was time to do some exploring! I started my second full day there by doing what I do best - tracking down a vegan restaurant :) Pure Café was very close to the apartment where I was staying in the Omotesando section of Tokyo, but it still took me a while to find due to the plethora of small streets. It was pretty rad tho once I did find it to eat a veggie sandwich with veggies in it that I've never had before. From there I set out for Yoyogi Park...

I walked the main shopping street about a mile until the entrance to the park. Most of the stores along this street were regular and upscale retail shops - not my thing. I did stop in one store tho that sold traditional Japanese goods and I wanted to buy everything! I'm normally not much of a shopper when I travel but I've always loved Japanese art and design. This stop gave me my first indication that I would have to practice great restraint!

Yoyogi Park wasn't the hike that I expected - it was paved roads - but it's a lot of ground to cover and I was lucky to go there on one of the few nice days I had in Tokyo. Unfortunately the museums were closed when I was there but I did get to witness a wedding procession while I was visiting Zoujyoji Temple in the center of the park. When I finally exited the park I bumped right into a car show that was about to start. Timing is everything! I couldn't get close to any of the antique race cars, but I walk by one later on a flat bed while I was on my way home.

After the park I ventured to Harajuku, which was conveniently close by. This is a popular shopping area for crazy fashions. Here I was only tempted to by tights, of which there were a variety of fun ones, but it was eye opening to see what some people are willing to wear! As I continued on I got to a smaller street that had a lot of second-hand clothes... "Used American Clothing." This of course, amused me.