Quick update on my Tokyo trip

TOKYO WAS AWESOME! I can’t even begin to explain how amazing our trip was and how much I love that city. I never thought I’d find somewhere I love as much as London but I think I did it!

I have so much to write about and so many photos to post but that will have to wait til I have the time to start writing about our adventures in full. So for now have a few of the highlights:

• We stayed in Shinjuku which is EPIC! It’s at least 10x the size of Brisbane City and is always busy. Or hotel was right by Kabukicho which is the red-light district, the safest/cleanest I’ve ever seen anywhere in the world.
• I shopped til I dropped (almost literally) including the shopping center 109 in Shibuya which had 8 levels of ladies fashion. It was amazing. I got my nails done there and they’re AMAZING! I can’t type very well now as a result but it’s worth it!
• Harajuku was amazing. Not quite what I expected but I loved it all the same. Awesome shops and fashion, tutu’s EVERYWHERE, more people than I have ever seen in my life, queues outside shops headed by security guards etc. Only a few cosplayers though, I was a teeny bit disappointed that it was all hype but I got some cool photos anyway.
• TOKYO DISNEYLAND! Oh man what a day! We spent ELEVEN hours there and I was unable to walk properly by the end of the day/night (still have a limp actually). It’s a lot like the original Disneyland in LA but more over-the-top and the merchandise is to DIE for! I bought so much, including 4 pairs of Minnie Mouse ears XD
• Everything is kawaii (cute). I saw roadworks barriers that were cute animal shapes for crying out loud. I bought so much kawaii stuff, even  am slightly sickened by it. Pink is very popular there too, almost everything has a pink version and often a range of pink options! I was in heaven, let me tell you!
• I saw multi-leveled porn shops, multi-leveled collectible toy shops, found a digital camera that takes photos in 3D, and witnessed maid cafes in Akihabara.
• We are the best food I’ve ever had in my life and all of it was so cheap! I can never go back to an Aussie sushi train again after experiencing the real deal in Japan!

I’ll write more in depth later on. Right now I need to sleep – I got a cold on the last day which has made me feel a little bit crap as well as my bung foot from excess walking (I know, pathetic huh). So here’s a pic of me in a tea cup at Tokyo Disneyland (check out my super-kawaii tiny top hat):

GOING TO NIPPON!

I heart BNE

I know it’s cliched to love the city you live in, bit I don’t think people give enough credit to Brisbane. I know it’s not a huge city with a lot of amazing things constantly going on but it’s beautiful and unique and I am proud to call it my home. It took my living in London and Europe for two and a half years to realise how much I love Brisbane too, before that I thought it was one of the most boring capital cities in the world, let alone Australia. But over the last couple of years it’s started to grow and become this interesting, vibrant city which always has something going on, even if you have to look a bit deeper to find what’s going on exactly.

Lately I’ve been trying to see more of Brisbane and have been shocked by how much I don’t know about the city I’ve lived in for over 15 years. Even just taking walks in areas I haven’t been before has opened my eyes! The other day I walked all the way from my work in Milton, through the city and along the riverside and was so impressed by how beautiful everything was as the sun went down. I had dinner at a restaurant I’ve never noticed before and discovered a walkway I never even knew existed that was just bustling with people at 7pm on a Tuesday evening.

Of course I write this two days before I go on a long-anticipated trip to Tokyo. Well Brisbane, as much as I will love the hell out of Tokyo, I will be happy to return to you afterwards!