Day 22 & 23: Early move and underestimated districts

Day 22:

Hello everyone, apparently our blog is still interesting enough to keep you reading. We're definitely happy. As announced in the last post, we had to get up earlier on day 22 because we had tickets to the digital art exhibition at Team Labs. We got extra tickets for 9am because we thought there might not be too much going on there. Oh well. When we arrived there was a huge queue of people waiting for us. Apparently everyone else had the same idea as us. Nevertheless, entry was quite quick and we were soon able to enter the exhibition. Beforehand we had to take off our shoes because we had to go into the water for part of the exhibition. A very funny thing happened, namely Jule apparently overlooked a sign that said please DO NOT touch the exhibit. What followed was an attempt to go through the LED tubes hanging from the ceiling in full influencer style, until I unfortunately had to inform her that this was unfortunately not possible. As with the last Team Labs exhibition, it would probably take too long to explain everything. So we'll let the pictures do the talking again. We spent about 1 1/2 hours in the exhibition and we both really enjoyed it.

When we came out, we noticed that our landlord had responded to our request to get the money back for the remaining nights. However, he wanted to see for himself first, which is understandable. We then drove to Shibuya, a very turbulent and hectic district known for its large street intersection (Shibuya Crossing) and its nightlife. Of course, we were only able to get a picture of the intersection at the time we were there. I don't think we (Moritz) understand what's so moving about it. If Jule hadn't told me, I wouldn't have even guessed that we were standing there. In itself, it was just another intersection in a huge city that was perhaps a little more crowded than usual. A little disappointed, we then looked for something to eat. As usual, it was very good again. After we had eaten, we explored the streets of Shibuya for a bit. There were many small restaurants and shops to see.

After Shibuya we went back to our holiday apartment to pack and move to the alternative hotel. We left a note with the owner to indicate our problem, the brown-dripping air conditioning system. The way to the hotel reminded me of the lesson I learned from the trip. Never again will I take so much luggage with me on a vacation where I travel around. A large travel backpack and a bag for everyday life will have to be enough next time. Jule sees it exactly that way. Whatever the case, we arrived safely at the next accommodation and took a bit of a rest.

In the evening we went out again. First of all, we grabbed a small dinner from the nearest convenience store and ate it beforehand. We then walked to a shrine where we prayed again. The original plan after that was actually to go to Shinjuku Golden Gai, a well-known bar district in Tokyo. The streets were very narrow, full of people and people were drinking alcohol or singing karaoke everywhere. Unfortunately, we couldn't find anything that met our needs. Once the fee was too high, another time the beer was too expensive, another time it was too crowded or it was a karaoke bar where we didn't know whether you had to sing (not a problem after a beer if so). you would also know the songs). A little annoyed, we grabbed a beer from the convenience store in protest and went back to the hotel. Even if it didn't taste like a freshly tapped one, we could only save money. The operator of the other holiday apartment we were originally in had also contacted us again at this time and was very insightful. So we get our money back for the remaining nights and the fluid from the air conditioning appears to have only been oil. Soon it was time for the Heia again.

Day 23:

After we changed accommodation yesterday, we were finally able to sleep in and relax. Although it was actually Moritz's turn to plan Tokyo, the whole thing didn't happen and we only planned what we were going to do today after we grew up.

The plan was to visit two parts of Tokyo that are not so well known and to go to Ikebukuro in the evening, as it has the largest anime store in the world.

At around 12:00 we set off to look for something to eat. We found a Japanese burger joint where we ordered two burgers and fries. It was really soooo delicious and for me (Jule) it was one of the best burgers I've ever eaten! The fries were also simply well made.

Happy and full, we then went to the train station to go to Daikanyama. Of course, we first got on the wrong train and then had to get out again after one station to get on the right line.

After about 20 minutes we were there and nothing really awaited us. The district is also called “Little Europe” and we quickly understood why. The houses looked very European, there were also lodges. In addition, the area was very expensive, or rather the shops looked that way.

Since there wasn't that much for us to do here, we drove on after an hour to Jiyugaoka, where there were more things for us to do. There were nice shops, cafes and lots to see here. We strolled around a bit, got some cooking chopsticks and then went to a café. There was cold chocolate for Moritz and an iced latte for me. We then shared some blue shaved ice together.

We went back around 4:30 p.m. because we were supposed to continue on to Ikebukuro. When we got there, we immediately went to the anime store where I picked up something from an anime that Moritz and I watched together. The good guy even gave me money so I could get two pins (thanks Moritz!). We explored the 6 floors and then went out again because not everything here was that interesting to us.

When we arrived outside there was a small snack and we soon went back. On the way to the train station we found a Spielo, which of course we had to visit immediately! We really like all the arcades here. All the lights and cute plush toys really seem to appeal to me. But since we pulled ourselves together this time and just played air hockey, we continued on to the train station. By the way, the station had 45 exits, just so you can imagine the dimensions of a subway station.

Since it wasn't that late and we were both still in a good mood, Moritz suggested that after we got to the hotel we could go out again in the evening.

After we had recovered a bit, we did the same, but with Moritz's intention: "But I don't want to walk so much now, okay?".

So we went to another 3 arcades, actually 4 but one was closed. We had fun the whole time but at some point after 22,000 steps the mood changed and Moritz just wanted to go home.

Now it was time to act quickly. It's just a shame that I had forgotten Moritz's intention and we now had to traipse back 20 minutes because the trains no longer run after 00:00. Oops...

When we arrived at the hotel everything was fine again and the mood was significantly better. 23,000 steps were quite enough for me. I was able to take another shower straight away because I was sweating a lot again in this weather and soon I went to bed.

Thank you for reading and see you next time :>