Ah Ya Shibuya // Japan

Wow things have been out of control on my side of the computer screen so I'm so sorry for the delay in this post! But basically, we just got into mischief when we hit up Shibuya - the trendy/young district full of Harijuku inspired sights.

First thing's first though - put this on....perfect.

Getting off the train, we flooded out with the masses into the throbbing crowds moving across Shibuya's main intersection.

Eyes wide and jaws low to the ground, we goggled at pretty much everything we saw. Mindlessly, we wandered through the fluorescent jungle of materialism. 

Shops were inescapable. Stockings, piercing jewelry, and 6+ inch platform heels galore.

Walking up quite an appetite, we stumbled into this gem of a restaurant.

Kamukura.

Basically, you 'vending machine style' order your food.
Yup, you heard me.

A "vending machine" squats outside the restaurant beaconing passerbys to make a pit stop.
You choose which dish you'd like to eat, pay the machine and - just as you would guess - go inside to eat up your order.

You hand your order tickets that you received outside to the waiters/chefs and they put them on your respective seat.

Within minutes, your hot bowl of Japanese delight awaits to bombard your taste buds with uniqueness and food glory.

The flavors are incredibly simple but all the more delicious. There's something about broth, noodles and a bit of greens & protein that will always be spot on.

Like any plumped little child, we each tottered our way out of the restaurant with "Domo arigato!"s being thrown around behind us and popped us back out onto Shibuya's streets.
Delighted with everything we saw, bought and ate, we made our way back to the central intersection and made our way home.

While I would have loved to have explored more temples, this trip to Japan was still fascinating. The people could not have been friendlier and more accommodating. I very much look forward to taking the bullet train over to Kyoto the next time I'm in Japan to get a better sense of the country's rich cultural origins, but until then, Tokyo has absolutely swept me off my feet. Must have been Japanese in another life because I could without a doubt eat sushi and ramen for every meal...let alone channel my inner-self out in the most zen gardens every day.

Until next time Japan, domo arigato!