Making it Up As I Go

Today we explored Shimo Kitazawa, a little area a bit northwest ( I think?) of Shibuya, where Bruce works.  It’s an awesome neighborhood, filled with little stores and restaurants. The girls got tired of exploring before B and I did, so we’ll have to go back again at another time. Here are some of the things we found.

For those who like New Order:

For those who like comics:

For those who aren’t terrified of life sized, bunny headed manikins. (Tiny calls them bunnykins.)

For those of you wondering if the youth of Japan ever dress like Russians.

A cute little lunch place.

A tiny shrine in front of a restaurant.

I’m strongly tempted to get my hair done the dark blue in that second photo on the top…

A little taste of Santa Cruz in Tokyo.

I do not think that word means what you think it means. This is a clothes store.

The Doctor could shop here.

Cute girl dressed up to go shopping.

Two crazy girls.

This hair salon is called Dude. That makes me happy. 

This hair salon has Spider-man in front of it. And naked babies. I don’t know why. But it also makes me happy.

And this one has a welcoming alien.

I am completely enraptured with this shrine, and it’s because that altar is crooked.  The imperfection is perfection.

This huge tengu mask was inside a building on the same lot as the shrine.  (I took the picture through a window, hence the reflection.) We think it’s a mikoshi, or moveable shrine, that is paraded through the streets during festivals, but we’re not sure. Either way, it’s awesome.

This is possibly my favorite piece of Tokyo graffiti, and I will probably use it as the cover for the book about our experience in Japan that I eventually write.

Although this one is pretty awesome too.