Osaka, the last day

Today was the last day of being in Osaka. We checked out, left the big suitcase with the front desk and went out to look at the last day of the big Golden Week sales. Today was a shopping day for omiyage and for souvenirs for friends. I also wanted to check out some electronics.
We got there at 10 am and found out we were still too early. Everything in the area opens at 11 am. So we went into a Mr. Donut and wasted some time with a donut and some water.
We started wandering around at 11 am and many shops were still not open. We looked at Japanese anime stores and random electronic goods. Though there were some decent deals for very old stuff, most electronics were still very expensive.
After we moved onto the big main shopping area of Osaka again. We looked at some stores where we had been two days before but now there were less people. We ended up going into America Town and it was funny to see Japanese people trying to look North American even though we would never wear such clothes. We ate some decent Indian curry for lunch.
Then we slowly made our way back to the hotel. We picked up our suitcase and took the train to Kyoto. The last leg of our trip! Nooooo.... It's going by so fast!
The hotel in Kyoto is really nice, it's called the Costa del Sol, and despite it's name is a Japanese style hotel, similar to a ryokan but more modern.

Shinjuku sightseeing

SHINJUKU is one of the busiest places in Japan, especially once the sun drops below the horizon. It's one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It's a major commercial and administrative center, housing the busiest train station in the world, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the central administration of government of Tokyo.

The heart of Shinjuku is Shinjuku Station. Surrounding the station are department stores, many specialist electronic and camera shops, cinemas, restaurants, fast food joints and game centers. Many international hotels are also located here. Due to the fact that Shinjuku has the highest percent of foreigners and foreign nationals living in any place in Japan, much of the area has European and north american stores and food places such as the, very much in demand, Krispy Kreme doughnuts. The clock displaying the waiting time outside was always set to at least a half hour, and once we saw it up to an hour and a half.


One of the biggest chains of electronic stores is in Shinjuku, called Yodobashi. There are 5 stores around the area each with a specialty.


Of the many famous districts surrounding Shinjuku is Kabukichō, A red-light district well-known for bars, restaurants and with massage parlors, and other sexual commerce shops. It is located to the northeast of Shinjuku. True to the Japanese style, a walk in the neighbourhood made it both obvious and not, that this is a red light district. Small shops and grocery stores as well as game centers took center stage in visibility, but a quick look at the small (and sometimes not so small) signs showed the real nature of the neighbourhood. There are stories of tourists wandering around inside the district without ever knowing they were there.

Shinjuku is also the district which boasts many of the highest skyscrapers in Tokyo, including the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, KDDI Building and Park Tower. Some of the buildings are truly incredible works of art. Such as this building.





Shinjuku Station sees an estimated 3.64 million passengers pass through each day, making it the busiest station in the world. It houses interchanges to three subway lines and three privately owned commuter lines, as well as several train lines.



A few videos of Shinjuku we took. Still pictures just don't seem to capture the bustling activity of the biggest beehive of entertainment in Tokyo.