Shibuya, Harajuku and Shinjuku

On our third day in Japan, we left our accommodation in Asakusa and caught the train to drop off our luggage at our next hotel which was the Hiyori Hotel Maihama (near Tokyo Disneyland). 

The train stations were never really that far away from where we are staying, and I don't mind walking through the streets with our luggage. 

Unfortunately, the trains were often very full, and we felt bad taking up lots of space with our luggage. We didn't end up forwarding any luggage on this trip as it was just too hard because we were staying in Airbnbs rather than hotels (except for at Disneyland).   We ended up splitting up between train carriages after a couple of trips, as we realised it would be easier with our suitcases. 

We dropped off our suitcases at our hotel and then caught the train into Shibuya so that Melissa could see Shibuya Crossing and everything in central Tokyo. 

We paid for a drink at the Magnet store so that we could go up to their lookout. 

Inside people from all around the world had written notes and hung it on the wall. 

We all spent a bit of time looking around Shibuya before meeting back up again, so we could walk together to Harajuku and Shinjuku. 

The Nike store is so cool and all I could think about was how much Aaron would've loved it. 

We went to Takeshita Street which we knew would be hectic, but we also wanted Melissa to experience it and I was keen to get some crepes. 

We are very wary of the touts there (very big African men, who try to lure you into their shops) as the boys were lured in last time and we've heard lots of stories about them. We avoided them as soon as we saw them. 

We always find the different drinks so fascinating. Apparently, this Pepsi has a high amount of caffeine in it - more than a regular Pepsi. 

We ended off the day at Shinjuku which always has lots of people out and about, drinking on the streets.  I don't mind visiting there, but wouldn't want to stay there. 

The boys and Melissa had fun trying on glasses in the Blue Elephant store. 

We all ended up getting different things for dinner. Kobe and I found a place where you could just order food on the iPad which we loved. 

We then jumped back on the train for the big trip back to our hotel at Disneyland. It wasn't quite as close to the one we stayed at on our first trip, but we still loved it. They had a shuttle bus which we could get to the Disney monorail. They had a little station in the foyer where you could choose a couple of little treats every night like face masks, or bath bombs. 

Every evening they had free dashi chazuke from 9:30 pm - 11:00 pm which is a rice soup. It was for when people were coming back from Disneyland or DisneySea. It was fun to put on your own toppings on top of the rice and broth and it was really yummy. They also had free drinks every night. 

We had joining rooms in this hotel, and we loved that they supplied us with Japanese pyjamas and slippers.  We were tired after a long day but were ready for a big day at Disneyland the next day.