Tokyo Drift

here are photos from Tokyo - the final leg of our family holiday.



a view of the Sumida River from our hotel room window during the day:







and at night:







here's the famous intersection near the Shibuya train station:







the world's busiest intersection taken from the warm and familiar comfort of reputedly the world's busiest of Starbucks coffee outlet. so busy, they only have half the standard selection and offer one size for drinks - grande.



we were told that it rarely snows in the city, but it did on the second day we were there. here's a photo of men shovelling snow in front of the main shrine at the Meiji-Jingu Shinto Temple.







welcoming party at Paul Smith, Harajuku:







nice touch. very Paul Smith. we really wanted to take photos of the famous girls of Harajuku, but i guess the snow kept them all indoors.



here's a photo of the market stalls on the approach to the Asakusa Kannon Buddhist Temple







the Japanese people have certain characteristics that are polar opposites: ultra conservative on one side and a seriously whacky streak on the other. here's a fine example of this whackyness i found at the Asakusa markets:







don't ask. i didn't have the guts to enquire what they are. all i can tell you is that they're from this stall that sold candy and snacks:







so i'd assume they're edible and probably sweet. hehehehe...



here is one of my favourite buildings in Tokyo:







its the Asahi Beer Hall, designed by Philippe Starck. more info about this building can be found here.



this is me taken from one of the glass floors up the Tokyo Tower:







if Paris is the home of Louis Vuitton, Tokyo is the land of LV. you'd see lots of men, women and even children carrying or wearing something from Vuitton. in Tokyo, there are 11 LV boutiques - both free-standing and stalls within department stores - compared to the 5 in Paris. of the 11, i was only able to go to 4:



LV Omotesando:






i believe this is the one that started the trend for mega-designer/brand name-stores-as-architectural-destinations all over Tokyo.



LV Namiki-Dori, Ginza:






the pale squares of the façade glow at night. its even got a public street sign:






LV Matsuya Ginza:






located in Tokyo's premiere shopping street, this LV boutique is by far the busiest. it was as if they were having an end-of season sale! this is the only one that carried the newest pieces such as the new Monogram Limelight clutches in gold PM and noir GM:






and the very first Richard Prince for LV bag i've seen - the Monogram Pulp Weekender PM (a.k.a. Spongebob):






there were a few more, but i already got caught using my mobile phone camera.



LV at the Seibu Department Store in Shibuya:






that's a wrap! family holiday is now over. back to the normal routine, which one kinda misses after a while.



previously: Roman Holiday, Paris partie deux, London Calling, Postcards from Shanghai.