Japan 2019: teamLab Borderless & Harajuku

[Film] teamLab Borderless, Tokyo, Japan, Canon SXL, Colorplus 200

First morning in Tokyo! Seeing and experiencing this metropolis in broad daylight has a different vibe than its evening counterpart. I loved how everyone was sober on the train (had a few memorable encounters with drunkards during the night) and the beautiful autumnal foliage along the streets that gave colour to the monochromatic concrete jungle landscape.

Another reason why taking the train on a morning weekday was such a blessing: got to look at those pepper-grey haired ojiisan-s on their way to work, with features similar to present day Kōji Yakusho and Tatsuya Nakadai, walking around in long coats, scarf around neck, carrying their briefcases, and smiling at me when they noticed my "heart eyes" directed to them.

As for the guys in Tokyo, I was expecting them to look somewhat like Snow Trail's Toshiro Mifune but I haven't met any that had the slightest resemblance. Disappointed.

First stop of the day, teamLab Borderless, a digital art exhibition that has been dominating the IG timeline this season. I was super duper excited because I really love art exhibitions and what more with digital technology incorporated. I'm all for that futuristic sh*t!

In my opinion, it's not only an Instagram-able location, but also a great place to stimulate the senses and the mind. My photos do not do this place any justice AT ALL because most of the exhibits and displays were moving and presenting the stories behind it. I easily spent close to 4 hours here, which of course consisted of photo-taking, interactive activities, and queueing up for some of the exhibits.

[Phone] teamLab Borderless, Tokyo, Japan

Just at this interactive center itself, I've spent an hour or more, colouring as much as I could so that my animals could swim on the floor and walls of the place (watch it HERE) I also participated in the En Tea House Genka-Tei (extra charges) where you order a green tea of your choice, sit inside the dark room with everyone else, and watch flowers blooming out of your tea! Once you move your cup, the flowers will all turn into petals and will start blooming again when you've set the cup back on the table.

The next destination was to DiverCity Tokyo Plaza for food and for the Unicorn Gundam exhibit. The weather was great for walking and I really enjoyed my time doing so. There were so many things to look at along the way. I highly recommend using your legs to get around places even if its a 20-30 minutes walk because its worth it.

[Film] Tokyo, Japan, Canon SXL, Colorplus 200

A friend once told me that the natural light varies at different parts of the world. In Malaysia particularly, the harshness of the sunlight makes photos taken outdoors look dirty and dark. To achieve soft lighting, it's probably best to shoot in the morning at 8AM. He also told me numerous times on how he loves the natural light in Japan and obviously I couldn't imagine nor understand what he meant until this trip.

Take out your cameras any time of the day and you can get a really nice shot of yourself standing in any spot of the street. I'm just going to drop these film photos taken around 4PM Tokyo time till 6PM. From the sunset shadows in Koto to purple skies in Harajuku, man, it's been awhile since I actually liked what I took on film. Here you go:

[Film] Gundam, Tokyo, Japan, Canon SXL, Colorplus 200

The next destination was supposed to be Meiji Shrine but it was closing time when we arrived. With the extra spare time, we shopped around Harajuku while walking towards Tokyu Plaza Omotesando. After an entire day of walking, we finally got the time to chill at the really nice rooftop Starbucks of the plaza. We also kept ourselves busy by trying to get a glimpse of Hannah Quinlivan posing for the gram here before heading to Takeshita Street to shop.

I was anticipating to see some crazy stuff on the streets of Takeshita but there weren't anyone who dressed or acted out of the ordinary that night. It could also be that my level of acceptance is pretty high so a person walking in bikini under this freezing temperature wouldn't faze me at all. However, I did see a Christmas tree huddled together with some humans at the sidewalk. That was the best for the night!

I think I passed out the moment I got to bed that night. It was such a fun day for me because everywhere and everything that I saw and experienced was so fulfilling, especially the sunset view during my evening walk to the train station that gave me so much feels.

It was a full day in the city and I enjoyed every bit of it. After today, I was even more convinced that I was destined to be a city girl. And there were shiba inus everywhere! On the streets, products, statues, lamp posts, everything! I bought some bath bombs just because the packaging had a cute shiba inu standing on Mount Fuji, and there goes my money!

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[ Next part of my Japan trip, coming soon. ]

Japan 2019: Drizzling Tokyo & Mount Fuji Viewing

Photos were taken on film camera and by phone. Film photos were taken on the Canon SXL with Kodak Colorplus 200.

A water bearer that travels the world through Google Streets when curious and occasionally capture life's moments with analogue cameras. Drives a car named Marco Polo and talks to plants and animals on a daily basis.

Japan 2019: teamLab Borderless & Harajuku

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