Tokyo Part 5: Ikebukuro and Harajuku

After Shibuya, I went to Ikebukuro.

I was amused by the mannequins in the window display of Uniqlo.

I looked at a few stores in Sunshine City, including this store:

I had never known how to read that name. Apparently it's S I 2 C, or Esu Ai Tsuu Shii as pronounced in Japanese. It has a lot of cute, reasonably priced clothes.

I saw a nice red skirt, but decided to think about it and go back and get it the next day if I hadn't spent much money elsewhere.

Then I went to Harajuku to eat at the Pom Pom Purin cafe, but it was already full for the day. I wasn't really that hungry yet anyway, so I just shopped around a bit.

I really like Harajuku in the evening. It was still a bit crowded when I first arrived, but later it was not. A lot of stores close at 8 so by 7 it was really nice. Usually I don't mind crowds too much, but the stores in Harajuku are so small so they really get cramped. To me it has a somewhat peaceful feeling later in the day.

I got some really cute socks! Strawberries and cherries! :)

I didn't eat those pancakes, but they looked really good. I think I'll try making that sometime soon.

Then I went back to Shibuya to eat dinner at Ichiran Ramen. I also spent a bit of time in Tsutaya looking at magazines and listening to music.

Next I went back to Ikebukuro and went to Wankara, which is a solo karaoke place.

First I had to sign up for a membership card. The membership is card is 300 yen, but then you get 300 yen off of headphone rental so it's basically free. Though you can also bring your own headphones.

It was a lot of fun! I'm not good at singing, but I think I actually improved a tiny bit while I was there. With the headphones I was really able to hear my voice more clearly which helped I think.

The price was 500 yen per half hour and it included the drink bar. I was so excited to see three different types of Fanta: melon, apple, and lemon. I mixed melon Fanta and lemon Fanta and it was really good!

I would definitely go back, but I don't know if I will be going to Tokyo by myself again between now and when I go back to America.

Here is their website: Wankara Karaoke

It's only in Japanese, but if you click "Ship List" at the top, you can see maps of the different locations.