Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku, Pizza Hut

I woke up super early the next morning. This is my favorite part of jet lag. I'd love to be a morning person and be able to get up nice and early whenever i wanted and have the whole quiet morning to enjoy, but i am not this way at all. Usually it's all i can do to get up with just enough time to get to where i need to go, even if i don't have to be there till 11 or 12. However, i can stay up till morning rather easily. But for the first part of my trip, i enjoyed waking up bright and early every day without even trying.

For breakfast i had a yogurt i'd got at the convenience store on the way home the night before, and tea. The yogurt was grapefruit flavor, and coconut (i think... natsu de koko?) and had these weird little fruit jellies in it, like what they serve at bubble tea shops...not the tapioca bubbles, but the other fruity jelly things. It was interesting. I left with Yukari and we rode the train together for a little while, then she changed trains to go to work, and i went on to Shinjuku.

It was about 9:00 when i got there, so nothing was open yet. I found a cafe (Tully's, which may be American Chikako thinks but i've only seen it in Japan) and had second breakfast: a latte and an almost croissant that turned out to have a filling of butter or possibly some kind of cheese.





When i finished there i started exploring and discovered that most of the shops didn't open till 11:30. For old time's sake i went into LAWSON and looked around. I bought some gum and one of those cute (but not most delicious ever) Cafe Lattes that come in the little carry-out style cup with a straw.
Soon i stumbled upon a courtyard with a sign that said "Shinjuku Mini Museum," where there was a museum (i guess) with a couple of cats laying on the steps and a lady sweeping nearby, a few temples, a Buddha statue, and a cemetery. I was curious so i went into the cemetery, but didn't stay very long.


After walking a little further, i found Shinjuku Gyoen gardens and went in. It's very beautiful and a nice change from all the city-ness around, and today it was filled with sketching school children. I stopped in the tea house for maccha and a sweet.


By the time i left, the city had started coming to life. I went into a few shops and eventually took the train down to Shibuya and from there walked to Harajuku, where i ate a rice ball from 7-11 for lunch and then had a crepe with strawberries, ice cream and whipped cream. I browsed lots and bought some socks. By 4:00, the not-so-fun aspect of jet lag hit and i felt like i could hardly stand up. I felt like the ground was shaking, but i may have been just dizzy. Or it may have been an earthquake, or perhaps it was just because i was near the train station.

Anyway i stopped in another coffee shop, Doutor, got an iced tea, and wrote illegibly in my notebook. I took the train back to Shinjuku without any real purpose -- just because i would have to eventually anyway -- and right after i got there Yukari called me and said she was finished working. So i headed home the rest of the way. I arrived before she did so i waited at the station, browsing in the underground mall (i bought a phone strap and some earrings), and eventually just sitting by the fountain.


When she got there she wanted to stop at a nearby cake shop for dessert. She got one with chestnut and i got a chocolate chiffon cake (didn't i?), which we took home for later. Then we ordered pizza!!! We got the Gorgeous 4 from Pizza Hut, which had sausage links in the crust, and four different topping themes. The only ones i can remember specifically is "Italian," and the one with corn and mayonnaise. I think one had eggplant too. It was very good although i got very full, and before we could eat dessert i fell asleep on my suitcase.