The queue for the Tokyo SkyTree is the reason why I didn't have much time to see much else that day.
I arrived at the SkyTree around 11 a.m. and noticed them handing out these tickets. Basically, you can't go in until the time listed on the little paper. Kind of like the Disneyland Fast Pass, except there's no regular line.
Seeing as how I had a few hours, I went back to the subway and rode to Ikebukuro.
Quick sidetrack here. When you visit Tokyo, you are bound to eventually see one of these Acure vending machines. These have a camera built-in at the top of it that figures your age and gender, and then recommends drinks to you. I never tried it, but really neat technology.
Ikebukuro is yet another commercial and entertainment district in Tokyo.
There's lots to see and do in this area. You could probably spend all day here and not see everything, but there were two specific areas I wanted to visit.
The first place was Toyota Amlux to see the Toyota showroom. Here is a Toyota Vitz RS (or a Yaris TS as it's known here in the States) with Girls und Panzer designs! Girls und Panzer is a great anime if you like tanks and cute girlies. Julie and I actually enjoyed watching the show together. I would drive this car.
There are over 50 different characters in Girls und Panzer, and they were heavily promoting all of them at the showroom.
Vehicles with anime characters on them are called "itasha." It literally translates to "painful car," which could either mean painfully embarrassing, or painful for the wallet because the designs and decals are so expensive, depending on what your opinions on them are. I would totally rock this vehicle over here.
There was a cool ride/video game called Safety Simulator that I didn't bother trying since it looked to be in Japanese.
Go outside and you're right on Otome Road! "Otome Road" literally translates to "Maiden Street" because this is manga and anime central for the female population of Tokyo. This was the second thing I just had to see here.
That's right... in Japan, anime and manga isn't just for nerdy dudes like me. Everyone loves the stuff here! Girls, children, old geezers, and even mothers. It's accepted and I love it. There were tons of cute ladies looking at manga. Can you imagine all of the women in the U.S. reading comic books and graphic novels!? This is inside the Animate store where there is a whole floor dedicated to cosplay items.
I have a funny story about this Mandarake store. You see, there's a Mandarake in Akihabara that I went to, as well. It was a really cool anime shop, despite its plethora of hentai material on the fourth floor. So, when I saw the Mandarake in Ikebukuro, I figured it would be more cool stuff. When I walked in, I looked around at all the posters and genres of manga they had on the shelves and immediately felt embarrassed. This Mandarake was completely filled with women and I was the only man inside. All around me were books and pictures of male anime characters standing close to each other or even caressing. Be forewarned that the Mandarake in Ikebukuro is a haven for a female otaku of a special kind, or in this case "fujoshi," where they love yaoi. Yaoi is basically homoerotic stuff, which is sometimes referred to as "boys love" there. It turns out that this genre is more accepted in Japan. The closest popular thing you'll find in the States is probably Edward and Jacob fan-fiction. I got out of that store posthaste and called it a day in Ikebukuro.
After standing in line for a bit to go up the Tokyo SkyTree, you eventually enter one of the elevators. Each elevator car has a different design inside. I was lucky enough to get the cherry blossom lift!
When you finally reach the top, there's nothing that can really prepare you for the best views of Tokyo that you are going to get.
I thought this was a great chance to try some tilt-shift photos. Look at those miniature soccer players!
Here is clear proof on how dense Tokyo is. There are so many buildings here and it seriously goes on forever and ever. You cannot see where the houses and buildings end, even from 450 meters up.
You can totally see how there are bigger buildings along the major streets in Tokyo.
Another tilt-shift photo. A friend said it looks like LEGO. Another said it is Sim City.
The shadow of the SkyTree. As you can tell, it was already getting kind of late.
So, you can get to the 350-meter viewing deck for the base price of ¥2,000, or a little over 20 U.S. Dollars. But for only ¥1,000 more, you can ride another elevator an additional 100 meters up and get to the Tembo Galleria deck. Do it. You won't regret it.
There's a really neat spiral, glass-covered walkway that wraps around the top of the SkyTree and ascends a bit. It's truly amazing.
It's a long way down.
'X' marks the spot?
This is the sorakara point, which is the highest point on the SkyTree that visitors can go. I was 451.2 meters in the air! That's almost 5 football fields!
Back on the 350 m level, there is an area with a glass floor that you can stand on.
And with that, it was time to return to Earth. This is a must-see in Tokyo. Afterwards, I did a little shopping as there was a nice store with tons of K-ON stuff. I also had some of the best soft serve I have ever tasted here.
As it became nighttime, I jetted over to Roppongi Hills where I wanted to go up Mori Tower for some Tokyo night shots. That's the SkyTree in the background to the left.
I could not tell you which view I liked the most. You can see just about everything from the SkyTree, but with Mori Tower at night, you are right in the midst of the other buildings and nightlife of Tokyo.
You also get a very impressive view of Tokyo Tower, which you can't see too well from the SkyTree. The tower at night is gorgeous.
Like the SkyTree, you can pay a little bit more and get to the rooftop of Mori Tower, which is another must-see as it's completely open air. I could watch the twinkling lights of Tokyo forever. I practically did since I stayed until they closed.
Another shot of Tokyo Tower, but this time with selective color. Think IKEA would buy this photo and put it next to their Eiffel Tower picture?
I strolled around the shopping area of Roppongi Hills for a little while just before the stores were about to close. Really nice stuff in here. Too rich for my blood.
This is a rather famous statue called "Maman." It was designed by the late French sculptor, Louise Bourgeois. It is a giant spider with a bunch of marbles in its belly, which I assume are spider eggs. It as six nearly identical sisters around the world, including one in Ottawa and another in St. Peterburg. It certainly catches you by surprise when you first see it.
This is Mori Tower. This is one of the buildings I could see from my hotel room. Hmm... maybe I should have shown this picture first. lol
I walked down Roppongi Dori towards the place where I knew I wanted to eat a late dinner.
A big ad for Oracle around one of the entrances to Roppongi Station.
There is a lot of nightlife in Roppongi. Being tired and running around solo, I decided not to really venture into clubs or bars. A friend of mine said he got hassled by a lot of guys here trying to get him to go into their clubs, but I didn't have that problem.
This was my final destination before my hotel that evening. Yep, Ichiran again for some ramen. Couldn't stop thinking about it after having it in Ueno on Day 3.
I would have liked to have gone up the Tokyo Tower and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, too, but I did not expect the SkyTree's wait to be so long. Still, I did prioritize these city views on purpose, so I was happy with what I got to see. Next time: Day 7 - Yokohama and Culture Japan Meetup.
See all 148 photos from Day 6 of my Japan 2013 trip here. See all 18 mobile uploads from Day 6 here.
Day 1 is here.
Day 2 is here.
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