One of the famous areas in Japan would definitely be Ikebukuro. Mentioned in countless anime, and infamous for the nightlife. 566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfxUzk2PFB8
Me and my friends met up there, and walked the whole day. Keep in mind, my legs can't take much due to that accident. Even though I was wearing braces for both my legs, damn they hurt. Even my friends who had no issues with their legs were limping by the end of the day.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGsid0v19O
566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0qTmtbOZfE
So, what did we do? Of course, we visited ANIMATE. Both branches - the first one had a few collab cafes that we didn't find interesting, as well as cosplay services where you can try cosplaying with a photoshoot.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHBdOTtK1E
The main branch... oh boy. We went through each story in the building. Oh boy, I didn't know one whole story would be dedicated to BL manga. Hahaha. Luckily, there were other men there, so we didn't feel too out of place. I couldn't find any Gintama volumes... but I definitely recognised a lot of manga as well as manhwa that they sold. I bought some Gintama merch at the store that took up one story - expensive...566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdoPj5lhA6K
566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4tZwtb5X0F
Anyhow, we went to a BOOKOFF (second hand store) afterwards, and stayed there for a while reading manga... in Japanese. Of course, I spent 20 minutes searching for Gintama, and another 20 minutes reading different volumes. While I obviously can't understand most of it, I recognised each panel from the corresponding scene in the anime. We also saw a Pokemon card being resold for over $4300 usd... damn. I think that's more than what we spent for the entire trip. (We didn't go to Disneyland or anything, cos that's overrated. Or is it? I went to Disney in HK, so...)566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvH9ZA6ocxR
566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74iU044ML6
And the highlight of the trip, Sunshine City! A "city within a city". We didn't explore ALL of it, of course... but you know, I gotta visit the Pokemon floor. And so I did! Unfortunately I couldn't book for the Pokemon or Kirby cafe in time...566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL3NBqD6igD
The Pikachu sweets cafe was pretty, but the bad reviews were there for a reason. 90% of my drink was ice, smh. But it was great looking around the Pokemon-themed floor, and though nothing caught my eye at the Pokemon centre... we caught some boy bands performing by chance haha. It was hilarious watching them meet and interact with fans. 566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlECBR6dUA1
(This was 90% ice... shame.)566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6XMljvjhuR
566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ51cIW2X4I
My legs were so sore that I sat on the ground while observing the idols. At some point, I decided to take a video of them, but just before I took a video, one of the members looked up, and seemed to make eye contact with me. The first thought that popped into my head was, "Am I... not supposed to take a video?" despite others clearly taking pictures. I just had the idea I was doing something very wrong. We ate dinner at Sunshine city! Pretty good, but nothing spectacular, so no pictures.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLCUehXiOdG
566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKa9ii4Elgd
Oh, I had to mention we ate ramen at a local chain! Not very famous, but it's called Ichiryuu. Delicious and cheap. I've tried Ichiran and many other ramen places in Tokyo, but something about the msg in the Ichiryuu ramen was so good. 9/10. A little biased because I really want to eat ramen rn.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc74fg8o8NJ
566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIhdJMyK7Q
Finally, we hurried to the Sanrio cafe. I got the sesame Kuromi(?) cake, and it was nice. Again, pricy. 566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7RcANG48N
566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdzVN6LEAJ3
Ah, how could I forget! The amazing sumikko gurashi themed capcom cafe we went too for dessert! (Yes, a lot of dessert all in one day lol) 8.5/10. Very delish.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuD8pjc4hpo
The pudding came with the plate. Yes, you could take the plate home... it was around 2200 yen?566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hjWHDxcLl
566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhpovXTxXg
So in the end, we tried to look for the Ikebukuro nightlife west of the station. The main streets had many pretty girls and boys handing out flyers to attract customers, but we wanted to see the "seedy" red-light district. 566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpTkUI28rRQ
...We ended up wandering into deserted streets that were probably prone to Yakuza visits instead LOL. Disappointing... I would've liked to visit a love hotel just for the lols sometime.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtA6K5bktGd
566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj39HtJRIYE
Damn, this is getting lengthy so I'll just list the places we went to!566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQaslFbTF3
566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡktcxDCHkhN
Maidreamin idol cafe! We paid for a performance of Yoasobi's "Idol" by a maid. (very) expensive... taste was good though! 7.5/10.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsPiVYeb6SX
566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZuHcxFYwP7
Mister donut! A self-serve donut chain. It was pokemon themed for this period of time! All donuts were delicious. I had the snorlax, gold-flaked chocolate, and the original donut. 8/10.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2SEKZDTUqJ
566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDXnBK1KDG
Tokyo Skytree! Just a mall with the tower you can go up.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3FCQ2WCBLr
566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvXyqbys1Cn
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We went to the Shibuya crossing! What did we eat again? Ah, right, Ichiran ramen. All these ramen chains are intended for single people, with the barricade between you and the next seat. You don't have to talk, and order by a machine. 8/10.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoEOiwDGowd
566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0LcjJexC27
Some restaurant near the Ebisu station that was honestly fire... 8.5/10.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5MGULiNpb4
566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUiUzI9SBK9
Harajuku street - takeshita? Nothing special, just touristy... AHHHH A popup store of a band I like is gonna be there... but it's too late L566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡufpYgij7yY
566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJujeyqIPU
Extra: Since Sukiyaki outside is expensive af, we had homemade sukiyaki at a friend's house in Japan. Delicious! Raw egg is a thing in Japan, and don't underestimate the power of raw egg on rice... damn... 566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8LjEZUsfoN
Oh yeah, we also went to TeamLab. We accidentally missed two rooms, rip.566Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9FhlqImG0F
and then Add to home screen.