Day 6: Harajuku & Ochanomizu

Harajuku: Part 2. Again, my arms were laden with shopping bags, but I managed to snap a few pictures. For being a Monday, Takeshita-dori was packed!

I got there a little before noon and right at the entrance of Takeshita-dori there's a 24-hour McDonalds. I've been seeing posters all over Tokyo for something called the "California Burger" at "マック" (Makku), what they call McDonalds for short. I've tried KFC and T.G.i.Fridays in Japan, but not McDonalds.

What we call "value meals", they call "sets" or "セット" (setto). I got to admit that I was pretty disappointed by the burger. It had a beef patty, lettuce, tomato, white cheese, a tangy BBQ sauce on a wholewheat bun. For all that, it was pretty bland. Apparently, there's also a Texas burger and according to a poster inside the restaurant, it's "coming back soon!!". The fries were on par with what we have here, though.

Though the food wasn't that great, the people watching made up for it. I've never seen so many giggling and chatty teenage Japanese girls in one spot. And here and there in this crowded dining space were middle aged business men in their pinstriped suits totally not blending in.

For all of Harajuku's uniqueness, there's also some familiar stores to be found like Claire's. I couldn't believe it. There it was, jammed in with all the other shops. That and the GAP I could do without, but I suppose to the locals these are charming snippets of American fashion.


I checked out LaForet and it turned out to be pretty pricey and upscale for being in Harajuku. I didn't spend a lot of time inside as the price tags were not very welcoming.

Having bought all I could carry, I went back to rest my sore feet at the hotel for a few. It was getting late, so I decided to head over to the origami kaikan in Ochanomizu before it closed.



The Ochanomizu JR Station is right on the Kanda river. The origami kaikan is a short walk from the station by cutting through the Tokyo Medical and Dental University's campus.



I simply adore this place. The staff here are so friendly and if you have ever done origami, they are so pleased to hear that. Every month, they feature a project and have it on display in the 1st floor gallery and the projects from the previous month are on the 2nd floor gallery. This month was samurai helmets.

I told the lady that I enjoy origami as a hobby and told her I like to make kusudama. She smiled from ear to ear and told me to check out the 2nd floor. So I headed up to find that kusudama were the previous month's feature!


The exhibits, staff and merchandise here never disappoint me. The 3rd floor has a very impressive shop. They must have miles of paper. There's 2 rooms full of handmade washi, kits they they've made up for different projects, glue, display boards, etc.


As I was browsing, a dozen or so older ladies came down from the 5th floor classroom after just taking some lessons. They were so lively and fun to watch - kind of like the loquacious girls in Makku earlier.

The 4th floor is a workshop where you are free to check out and watch the artisans make paper.

This gentlemen was taking the black hanging pieces of washi made earlier and brushing a design on them and then hanging them to dry on the other side of the workshop. So, even if origami really isn't your thing, you can go check out this interesting process for free!

Next post: my last full day in Japan!

おりがみ！Origami!

With less than month to go before I leave for Tokyo, I'm trying to pick topics that I know I will revisit more specifically once I am there. Today is origami! It's certainly not all that unfamiliar or quirky, but it is certainly uniquely Japanese especially since it seamlessly blends the old and the new. For example, there exists Hello Kitty paper and origami Pikachu patterns. (I wonder if folding a thousand cranes out of Pokemon paper will tear a rift in the space-time continuum?)

I enjoy the art of origami because it is so versatile. (Good quality) paper can be very forgiving and easy to work with. Also, the limited use of glue and scissors does not violate any sacred origami code and isn't considered "cheating". Origami is also not limited to paper, as you can see above.

I made this project with a kit I purchased from the Origami Kaikan in Tokyo. Earlier during my trip, I asked if there was anything like a craft store nearby and one of the tour guides modestly said there's an origami store right around the corner from our hotel. "Store" was quite an understatement. It turned out to be a "cultural treasure" established in 1859 and was originally a store for dyeing and manufacturing "washi" papers.

So, not only was it the most amazing store with everything I had been searching for (in terms of origami supplies) but also impressive galleries, classrooms and workshops. The shopkeepers were incredibly nice and thrilled that there were westerners who enjoyed origami (and spoke some Japanese). There was also an elderly man there who was more than willing to sit with us, make small talk all while folding origami tigers and roses for us without even looking down once. He joyfully handed them over to my friend and me as gifts in mid-sentence.

Unfortunately, that was my final day in Japan and my flight left later on that day. I could have easily spent an entire day there. I'll be sure to devote more time to my visit next time!