Tokyo Holiday

As I was working on Christmas Day this year (but we had a Christmas Party on Boxing Day, so it still very much felt Christmas-y at work) I knew I wanted to have a good holiday after. So from the 28th to the 30th I visited Tokyo! I knew the district I wanted to see most was Akihabara so I booked a hotel there and booked the Shinkansen too; it gets extremely busy around the end of year, as lots of people visit relatives or return to their family house before/at New Year. For a reserved seat (you can buy unreserved which is cheaper then a reserved ticket but you might have to stand if the train is busy) it was around £100 (20,000 yen) for a return trip. Considering the speed, comfort and good service of the shinkansen I thought it was worth it! The service is miles better than the British Rail system anyday, and you can get a view of Mount Fuji on the way!

I caught a glimpse of Mt Fuji on the shinkansen!

On my first day I explored a bit before checking in to my hotel. I arrived at Tokyo Station around lunchtime, it was definitely the busiest place I have been in Japan so far! People were flowing everywhere like water, and there were lots of foreigners too. I took the train to Akihabara and the first thing I saw when exiting the station was a huge Sega arcade complex!

I played some machines there then visited a Maid Cafe to relax for a bit. The staff were cute in every sense of the word! From their uniforms to the way they spoke and acted, it was adorable. Then I got some very cute food as well! They also put on a little show, and got the customers to join in too, it was very fun! It was a unique experience, I definitely recommend it!

I won the Samurai Cat at the Sega arcade :3

After browsing more I retired to my hotel. I booked a 2 night stay with the APA Hotel in Akihabara. I chose them mainly because it was a great-looking hotel but not too expensive, and also a 10-min walk to Akihabara station. It was an excellent stay with lots of nice amenities, a comfy bed and polite staff.

The next day I went to the Ikebukuro district to visit the Pokemon Centre. There are a few in Tokyo but this one is the new Mega Centre (it was celebrating its 1 year anniversary when I visited) and it had lots of great things! 

The biggest Pikachu I've ever seen! 

In the same building as the Pokemon Centre (the 'Sunshine Prince' building, a massive shopping centre) there was also advertising for the 'Tokyo Sunshine Aquarium'. It wasn't until I got in an elevator after visiting the Pokemon Centre, that I realised the aquarium is on the rooftop of the shopping centre! I got a ticket and it was amazing, there were huge pools and tanks inside and a big open-air bit outside too (though it was very cold!)

On the 3rd day I explored the area around Tokyo Station before heading home. I found the Godzilla statue in the central business district. I only knew of it because it was on a map I got at the station; I expected a huge building-sized statue but sadly, it's just a smallish 'commemorative' type statue. Still worth seeing, though!  

In short, I had a wonderful time in Tokyo and can't wait to go back! It's busy, full of anime/games and nerdy stuff, and great food! It's everything I expected when I came to Japan and more!