Continued from 2013 Tokyo Trip Day 4: Harajuku
I met up with university kohai and partner-in-crime Boom in Ikebukuro, which was “home” from last year’s Tokyo shenanigans. And yes, Ikebukuro is home to that infamous road, but this trip to the bustling neighborhood was mostly for shopping and a quick bite to eat (we’ll deal with the BL later, much later >:D).
Ikebukuro was once home to the biggest Tokyu Hands store in Tokyo, before it was superceded by the Shibuya superstore. How do I describe Tokyo Hands? It’s basically a store that sells things you never thought you needed or wanted 8D Things like washi tape, erasable ballpoiny pens, and hilarious stickers that say “sukebe”, “fujoshi”, and “hetare”. It’s osm and terrible at the same time.
I was lucky and managed to leave the store without buying anything (for now), because what I was really looking forward to was dinner. We went to what we like to call “our usual place” Negishi. If you’ve read our previous entries, then you know that Negishi is a delicious yakiniku place that serves fantastic meat and endless bowls of rice. NOM NOM NOM.
Sunshine Street (the street leading up to Tokyu Hands) is actually a pretty entertaining place, with plenty of arcades, cinemas, and bars. There are also two notable three notable second-hand shops for folks on a strict budget: Book-Off for second-hand books and CDs, Closet Child for J-rock goods, and Daikokuya for designer bags and watches (MAP).
JPOP Manila 
