Shinjuku

Here’s another story from Tokyo. Before I start, I would like to say, again, that I LOVE this city. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. Now… Shinjuku.

About once a month, Andrew’s hockey team (Nikko IceBucks) host a series of games in Tokyo. I had already gotten a little acquainted with the city while seeing Asakusa. So, for their next games in Tokyo, I decided to go. Thankfully, the other Canadian on the team had a sister who was visiting. She agreed to go with. We were on our way! (Trying our best to navigate the many different train lines to get there.) Finally we made it! And we got to see the team win!

That night, all four of us decided to stay and discover the frenzied energy of Kabukichō. From the minute we stepped on the scene, we knew why it was considered the “red-light” district.

Not being very adventurous, we started the night at Hub Pub, an English pub. At least we knew we’d get meals and drinks we were familiar with. Luckily, we ran into a staff member from the IceBucks and he was able to help us continue with our exploration of the neighborhood. We walked up and down each of the neon lit streets. I had never seen anything like it! I have been to NYC and Las Vegas before and it was similar … But definitely nothing compared to the manic livelyness that was surrounding me. We decided to end the night, with the ever-popular pastime, karaoke. What can I say?

The next day (still a little groggy from the night before) Andrew and I toured the rest of the neighborhood. We spent the day stepping in and out of the many department stores and local eateries. The last stop we made walking around Shinjuku was to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices. What a view! From the top, we could see all of Tokyo and beyond …

For more pictures of Shinjuku check them out  here!