J A P A N6

Hello Kitty was everywhere!!!!! I did get slightly over excited when I saw the cartoon characters I loved as a kiddie!

Rikugien Gardens was another favourite place I got to visit during my trip. As you can see from my pictures it is breathtakingly beautiful, like a little heaven on earth.

Me and my cousin Marcus in the picture booth’s in Akihabara Electric Town, Tokyo. You can personalise your pictures into a kawaii (cute) or anime style. This really is so much fun and you have about 30 seconds to do it in!!

The shopping in Japan is OMG amazing!!! (I had to buy an extra suitcase – a huge one!) Every item of clothing is individual with so much detail. My favourite places to shop were Harajuku, 109 Department store, Shibuya and Ginza. The Shibuya crossing (above) is crazy to see, baring in mind this picture was taken at a quiet time – apparently this is where our Oxford Street crossing originated from.

I visiting a buddhist Temple in Gion Kyoto, the Geisha district and Japan’s former Capital City. I did try and take a snap of a Geisha but she hobbled away from me in her wooden Geta sandals!  In this temple I felt a kind of genuine, spiritual happiness that I’ve never experienced before.  

I visited Japan for the first time in January 2011 and being half Japanese it was a very special time for me. It was an amazing to experience my own culture and learn about myself. I adored the detail and effort put into EVERYTHING in Japan, whether it was a temple roof, a shop display or a bag of sweets.

Goodbye Japan… See you in 2012 X