Saturday 12 October 2013

~ T O K Y O ~

The Pin
Just from doing a simple Google Image search (how good is that function though!?) I found that these are the Reversible Destiny Houses in Mitaka, Tokyo.
Here's a bit of information from Wikipedia about them.
They were made in memory of Helen Keller and these lofts make up a nine-unit multiple dwelling. It was the first completed example of procedural architecture put to residential use. Through its construction, the Reversible Destiny Lofts – Mitaka invite optimistic and constructive action to help residents live long and ample lives.
How cool is that!? You can find more information on the website.

So, how to get to Mitaka?
It's a suburb of Tokyo, and you can get the train from either Tokyo Station, which takes just over 30 minuts, or from Shinjuku which is only a 15 minute journey.



How to get to Tokyo?
Flights are expensive, but going that far around the world was always going to be.
Cheapest flights I could find are in January and to go for a decent amount of time would  cost £564, with a crazy long stopover making the total transit time 30 hours!
That's flying from LHR to Tokyo Narita, stopping over in Munich.

Although I would love to fly with the Hello Kitty plane there! I could take that from Taipei to Tokyo!




I have a friend who lives in Osaka and she has said I can come to visit her, so I must make the most of that whilst she's there...I was kind of hoping to go to Japan after I graduate, but maybe I shouldn't wait that long- although it's less than 2 years now!

In second year I did an outside course on Japanese culture. My specialist topic assigned to me was Japanese leisure culture and there's so much to it!
Shopping is a massive deal and I really want to visit Shibuya 109 which is basically a giant shopping centre.
 You have to go whilst you're young I think though because otherwise you'd feel highly out of place. Although I guess in Japan I'll look out of place everywhere as a taller than average mixed race girl.

I'm excited!

Friday 11 October 2013

Poor effort

My blogging efforts have been poor recently. I think I've been lackikng inspiration. However, I'm going to have a fresh approach.
Next week I am going to Iceland to see the Northern Lights. This is something I've wanted to do for years. Thus I am excited. However, I don't want to be sad once I've been there because then what will I look forward to, but instead set my sights on how practically I'm going to see all the places in the world I want to visit.
I have a pinterest board called I just want to see the world and I'm going to work through that as a start and look at how I would get to these places and what I'd do and see. It currently has 82 pins and is ever increasing.I'm going to start from the first thing I pinned- Tokyo. Next post it will be there.
I've just been watching singing parrots on youtube.
I want a bird now. SO MUCH.