Breaking news...Tokyo is crowded!

One of the most exciting aspects about the first days of the new year are the plethora of sales most stores have including the expensive boutiques. Since this was my first New years in Tokyo, I had to see what the hype was about. I experienced Black Friday in the states numerous times, so I knew how to deal with crowds.. at least I thought I did. I went to Isetan Men's (Popular department store) in Shinjuku and saw some awesome sales however everyone and their grandmother saw them too. I literally felt like I was shopping inside a train during rush hour... and you know rush hour in Tokyo is no joke. If I wasn't being stepped on while looking through the clothes on display, I was shoulder to shoulder trying to navigate through the aisles. There was even a waiting line to use the escalators. It was crazy!

As I mentioned in my previous entry, visiting a shrine during New Years is a tradition for most. I really wanted to check out the very famous Meijijingu near Harajuku. Since this is one of the popular shrines in Japan, I anticipated the peak of the crowds to occur during the first two days of the New Year, so I strategically went on the 3rd day and at an off time. Unfortunately, like my shopping experience, the place was packed like a can of sardines.



I felt like I was at a "Put your favorite band's name here" concert. It was insane! Actually walking through Takeshita Dori in Harajuku earlier in the day was more insane. I'm hoping to get a few extra days off sometime this month since I had to work during the holidays so I can hopefully take a trip out of Tokyo. I definitely want to go somewhere in the countryside where I won't have to battle these crowds!