I lied. This is the 2nd to the last post of my Japan trip! I promise Part 7 (my favorite number!) will be the last one. Sorry~

Jj and I took the private railway (the one near Oedo Onsen Monogatari) then transferred to the JR Yamanote line to reach Harajuku. I think it was around 8:30PM already when we arrived in Harajuku, which also meant that Benjo was waiting for us for more than an hour already! Waaaaah! Sorry, Benjo!

It was our first time to operate the ticketing machine for the trains since we had JR passes and we've been riding JR trains the whole time until this night.

Since most of the shops in Harajuku close by 9pm, we were not able to roam around the area. It was actually Jj and I's first time in the area and unfortunately, it was also the last time we went there during our trip. We did not get to see colorful, vibrant Harajuku at daytime so that was a real bummer. Benjo told us that we should dedicate at least a day to explore the place! Also, from the various {closed} shops I saw during our rather short stay there, it seemed like the place caters to teens and young adults. Perfect! Spending a day there is a must when we go back to Japan~

Harajuku at night~ Look at the time! Almost closing time for most shops :/

For late dinner, we stopped by this curry + ramen place in Harajuku. From what I remember, the prices of the meals here are cheaper than the usual.

Yummy curry! Dinner round two for me!

After dinner and Benjo touring us around Harajuku (at that time, he has been staying in Japan for almost 2 weeks already!), we decided to shoot our birthday greeting for one of our college friends, PatGai. With the streets as our background, here's a random screenshot from our birthday video greeting:

Don't we look extremely happy to be in Japan?? LOL But we were really happy ok!

Since the night was young (and so are we!), Jj suggested to drop by Golden Gai at Shinjuku and grab some drinks. Shinjuku is just 2 stations away from Harajuku so we took the JR Yamanote Line and arrived in Shinjuku in less than 15 minutes. 

Golden Gai is a place in Shinjuku which houses over 100 small, quaint bars. I think there are more than 5 narrow alleys here, all filled with endless rows of uniquely-themed drinking places. Based on what I've read, Golden Gai is one of the few places that have survived post-war Japan. Its run-down look gives everyone a glimpse of Old Tokyo, which you can immediately differentiate from modern Tokyo since Golden Gai is actually enclosed by high-rise buildings. Amazing!

Almost every bar has a cover charge that ranges from around ¥500 - ¥1000. We took our time in deciding which bar to enter and in the end, we chose this bar named "Euphoria."

The entrance to Euphoria: ¥500 cover charge then all drinks cost ¥700/bottle

When we entered, there was one Japanese customer and a barista. The bar has a friendly and welcoming atmosphere and it can fit around 5 customers only. We immediately exchanged stories with the barista (whose Japanese name I forgot :/) and Tsubasa, the Japanese customer. Tsubasa and the barista are actually friends and despite the language barrier, the convos were free-flowing and not awkward at all. From occupation, to hometown, to Japanese language lessons in college -- the stories were random yet fun and interesting! Talking to the locals is always a good thing. :)

Convos and drinks with the locals: check! Also, look at how small the bar is!

Past 11pm, we decided to head back to our respective hotels. Benjo went back to their Airbnb accommodation while Jj and I went back to Ikebukuro.

I think this was taken in Shinjuku? Very clean and bright!

Before entering the hotel and despite the cold weather, I suddenly had the urge to eat ice cream! Jj and I went to the Family Mart convenience store near our hotel to satisfy my craving and call it a night. What a long (and fun!) night that was!

I bought this coffee-flavored local ice cream. Coffee-flavored ice cream is my favorite!

DAY 6 (March 14, 2016) | Tokyo Disney Sea, Ichiran Ramen

It was a free day for the tour group and Jj and I only had one plan: spend the day in Tokyo Disney Sea. Well... that plan did not exactly go the way we expected because I encountered some shopping (more on pasalubong, actually) woes in the morning yadda yadda yadda. It's quite a long story and it was entirely my fault -_- I learned my lesson: Be more decisive and take note that most shops in Tokyo open by 10am and close by 9pm... so if I have to buy something, make time for it early on in the trip. 

Anyway, moving on, instead of going to Tokyo Disney Sea as early as 8am to avoid long lines, we went around Ikebukuro 'til lunchtime, had lunch in Ikebukuro as well then took the appropriate trains to Tokyo Disney Sea. It was raining the whole day, thus, the wind was stronger and the temperature was colder as well.

Lotteria burger meal for lunch! The green drink is melon-flavored soda and I miss it so much?? Melon soda is common in Japan and  nope, it doesn't taste like melon at all. It tastes like bubblegum!!

The commute to Tokyo DisneySea took was quite long, taking us more than an one hour to get there. We did not pay for the train rides (cause of our JR passes!) except for the Disney train. We already bought our theme park tickets online to avoid lines at the gate of DisneySea. Either way, there were no long lines at the entrance when we went there... probably because it was raining? Or because it was 2pm already? 

We're in the Disney train! And my pimple decided to show up on the middle of my forehead lol

Entering the nautical-themed amusement park, the place is really magical. Tokyo DisneySea is the only one of its kind in the whole world that was why we chose to go here (instead of Tokyo Disneyland). We grabbed a map when we entered but only found out later on that we got the Japanese version lol. By this time, the rains and winds got heavier but that did not stop us from exploring the place!

After riding 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and exploring most of the parts of the theme park, Jj and I got some overpriced churros and hot chocolate (what did ya expect) to counter the cold! It was quite effective! We had to pay ¥1500 for that, though lol.

Our last photo in DisneySea, taken by a kind staff in Tokyo DisneySea. Still smiling even though we were freezing lol! We also bought the cinnamon popcorn because it smelled so good! It tasted normal, though haha. And yes, take a look at how dark the sky is! 

With our bodies cold and our feet dying of tiredness, we commuted by train back to the hotel. We reached the hotel at around 6pm and we rested for a while. We needed to energize ourselves because we still had to do some last-minute shopping and exploring since it was our last night in Japan!

At around 7:30PM, Jj and I went to Ikebukuro to buy Papa's running shoes. We went to the various shoe stores around Ikebukuro (mostly ABC-Mart stores). In the end, we settled for this small shoe store near Sunshine City Plaza because it had more Asics designs. We honestly had a hard time looking for the exact style Papa wanted and Papa was not online as well since he was driving home. I had to send the photos of the available rubber shoes to my youngest brother via FB messenger, call my youngest brother via FB messenger, ask him to describe the photos of the rubber shoes to Papa via phone call, etc. It was a complicated process! The shop closes at 9pm and by 9pm, there was no decision yet. The staff of the shoe store were preparing to close the shop already and I had to apologize for delaying their closing time by a few minutes. Good thing Papa decided a couple of minutes past 9pm! It would be embarrassing if I made them wait just to end up not buying anything *eek*. The staff of the store stayed accommodating as well despite all the delays I caused. Anyway, the pair of shoes we purchased fit Papa perfectly and it was cheaper as well! The latest design for that model for a less expensive price? Good deal!

After the whole shopping fiasco, Jj and I were more than hungry. Even though we wanted to just eat somewhere near and rest our tired feet (we've been walking all day and the rains haven't stopped yet!), our hearts were telling us to go to Ichiran Ramen since everyone was raving about it! So what did we do? We took the train to Shibuya and had some Ichiran Ramen for dinner. Making most of our last night in Japan, definitely!

Before going to Ichiran Ramen, we stopped by Tower Records Shibuya first (a few shops away from the famous ramen restaurant) because it was my goal to buy GOT7's latest Japanese album there! I always see GOT7 Japan advertising the release of GOT7's Japanese albums and asking IGOT7s to buy it in Tower Records so actually getting to do that is a huge deal for me! AND I DID THAT! I really did buy their Moriagatte Yo album in Tower Records Shibuya and I was so happy!  /fangirl/ Thank you Jj for tolerating me hehe.

Proof of purchase LOL my 7 boys~

After GOT7 fangirling and getting amazed by the 9-storey high Tower Records store, we were off to Ichiran Ramen, finally! There was a queue but not as long as what we've expected. They said that the queue would usually occupy the streets (it was that long!) but when we got there, there were only around 3-5 groups of people in front of us. Then again, 10pm was way past dinnertime already! 

Whe you enter the restaurant, there is a vending machine where you'll choose the toppings you'll include in your ramen, etc. You'll also pay through that machine and a slip of paper that contains your order will come out. When seated, you'll just give the slip of paper to the cook then he'll prepare it for you. COOL!

That metallic thing is the faucet for your drinking water

My order! With extra nori, meat and mushroom. I just copied Jj's order and I didn't know he ordered that much lol. I ate everything though, #noshame!

In my opinion, Ichiran Ramen is worth the hype! The ramen tasted good and it was very filling. I'm actually craving for some now!! It was the perfect way to end such a cold and tiring day~ 

We finished eating by 11pm. Jj and I basically spent our first night in Japan in Shibuya then spent our last night in Japan in the same place. Amazing! Too bad Nica wasn't able to follow us in Shibuya :(

Since it was late already and we were extremely tired as well, Jj and I went back to the hotel. The total number of steps we took for this day alone were around 20,000+ steps!

A cold, tiring yet fulfilling free day, wouldn't have spent it another way :) 

P.S. Please forgive me for the lack of DisneySea photos. I found it difficult to capture shots since my hands were freezing, I was wearing gloves (not meant for cellphone usage lol) the whole time!