Okonomiyaki

Today was supposed to be a day of accomplishing many things.. but of course, as we got distracted by all the lights and flashy things that Tokyo has to offer, we ended up shopping the whole day in the same areas we’d already been. Let the day begin – back to Shiboots!

NEWS

Some random parade/protest sweeping through the streets..

Note to self, never buy an item in Japan that you’re not 100% sure that you want to keep. Apparently it is super difficult for all stores to accept returns, if they even do! I purchased a pair of shoes from Gap at a different location, and tried to return them, but no can do. So we wandered to Ragtag where Erin sold some of her designer goods. Then we stumbled across Ichiran! The most delicious ramen restaurant in the world!! You sit alone in these little cubicles and there is a little window in the front of your cubicle that the staff lower once they’ve placed the food in front of you (the kitchen is behind your window). You even choose your desired taste preferences by selecting the options from a sheet – thank goodness they had an English version.

After our lunch we wandered to some stores where the sisters bought some more goods. Miu Mui sunglasses, no big deal, Ro is revolutionizing! The only good I purchased all day was an umbrella because an unexpected rain shower decided to grace us with it’s presence. It was like $20, but didn’t end up feeling very sturdy… it is light though, which is why I guess they sell. It appeared to be popular as the other customers ran in from the rain and made a b-line for the umbrella section…

Then, we wandered to Aoyama to shop in style. Hysteric Glamour, Miu Miu, Comme Des Garcons, Prada, Chanel… just to name a few. Ro finally purchased the sweet purse that our trip was partially revolving around. Success! Snotty ladies at Prada, eat your heart out.

After the sisters splurged, they encouraged me to purchase those Chanel sneaks I’d been eyeing… but in the end, can I really justify dropping almost a grand on a pair of sneaks? Umm… maybe if I’m in the right mood, but not today. This tight student budget is really grabbing a hold on my usual shopping tendencies. Instead, I splurged on a crepe in Harajuku and we wandered our way back to the Gap where I had found my shoes to return them. But could I return them? Nope. Man these people are picky. The original receipt isn’t good enough, you need the slip of paper to verify the credit card number used to purchase them! What a pain in the bum.

So we made a quick trip to drop off the millions of bags that Rochelle had acquired and made our way back to Shinjuku where the sisters let me scour the shops for the messenger bag I’ve been looking for. Unfortunately, it was nowhere to be found, so we met up an hour later to have some okonomiyaki. However, not really knowing what to do, we had to ask for the advice of our server who yammered on about what to do, as we ignored her voice and solely watched to figure out what the heck she was talking about. I mainly expected the other sisters to pay attention, so I focused on the table beside us as they continued to get sloshed.

Then it was home to my bed where I could worry about the following day's activities which would include going to my new school and getting introduced to the people who would become my roommates for the following year…

Walk-thru McDonald's, North America would be wise to follow suit