Cherry Blossoms At Shinjuku Gyoen Park

I visited Shinjuku Gyoen Park without expecting to see cherry blossoms there because I have expected they have all fallen off already. But to my surprise, there were these different kind of sakura that were in full bloom on the day of when I decided to go to Shinjuku Gyoen Park and I was so lucky and fortunate to be able to see them.

Although I have to say it was the worst weather to see them that day as well due to this huge wind storm in Tokyo. The wind was SO STRONG that it was blowing everything off the ground. There was also several times when the wind was blowing all the petals off the sakura trees creating this "raining sakura" view that you'd see in Japanese anime, dramas, and movies and it was such a beautiful and romantic view. If only the wind was not so strong and blowing everything at my face (including all the sand and dust on the ground) that I had to close my eyes each time to prevent becoming blind. (-___-")

However, I do like how these selfies turned out with the wind blowing and messing up my hair creating this messy but natural kind of candid shot portrait. 

This type of sakura is called "yae-zakura" 八重桜 a double-layer type of sakura which is famous for its beauty and strength and also has more than 5 petals that is different from the common pale pink Somei Yoshino that are much more delicate and has a shorter life span. Yae-zakura also bloom around mid April to late April as well. To be honest, I like these sakura more because they are soooooooo pink, soft and fluffy!! 🌸🌸🌸

Review: Tokyu Stay Nishi Shinjuku Hotel

In this post I'll be doing a review of the hotel I stayed at during my Tokyo trip. I know it took me quite awhile to get to it but I wanted to do a very detailed and informative hotel review as possible. I did a a lot of research when I was looking for hotels and as well as finding one in a relevantly convenient area (close to the station) and close to all the places I want to visit and in the end I settled with a hotel located in the west Shinjuku area. I also thought about renting a place with airbnb but it was my first trip ever to Japan and I'm not familiar with the city at all so I was kind of scared to use air bnb. Also, I'd have difficulty finding a location to meet the person and because I was traveling alone, I didn't want to be carrying my luggage around the city. So I picked a hotel that has a airport limousine bus service that would take me to the hotel directly from the airport and avoid all the hassle of taking the train and carrying my luggage. The airport limo bus doesn't drop me off directly at the hotel I was staying at but it dropped me off at a hotel very close by (Hilton Tokyo Hotel) which was about a 5 minute walk from the Tokyu Stay hotel. 

I didn't get a chance to take any good pictures of the front lobby and entrance area of the hotel so I took these pictures from their official website. The overall design is pretty simple and clean and there is a small computer area for guests to use and as well as a area for eating breakfast in the morning. You can choose to book a hotel package plan with a breakfast meal served or buy a breakfast voucher to use for one time only. I didn't choose the breakfast package plan as I would hate to wake up extra early in the morning and be ready at a certain time just so I can eat breakfast before it ends. And since I knew there was a 711 nearby the hotel, I just buy onigiri and sandwiches at 711 for breakfast everyday. 

Japan Idols Ad Spotting

So while in Tokyo, there was a game that I liked playing which was "idols ad spotting" where I try to capture pictures of any advertisements I see with Japanese idols. I definitely saw more ads than this but sometimes it was hard for me to take a photo with the busy crowd of people in the subways and all. But I have to say the person I saw the most advertisements was Kimura Takuya. He was almost at every station and corner of Tokyo!

You see what I mean with Kimura Takuya? He's everywhere! Most of the times it's just the repeated ads but at different places in Tokyo. 

Doctor-X drama. Apparently there was a season 3 which I didn't know of. I thought it was just a drama special or a movie. 

Nino from Arashi advertising for some herb band-aid or something, not exactly sure what it is, lol.

Yuka advertising for Toshiba!

If I have not mistaken, I believe that's Aya Ueto advertising for Mitsuya cider water.

Beat Takeshi! A famous actor and comedian in Japan. He starred in the movie Battle Royale as the teacher. 

Saw this ad for the anime 地獄先生 (Hell Teacher Nube) with a drama version on the train. I remember this anime when I was a kid.

Keiko Kitagawa advertisement for citizen watch. 

SMAP food! I got to try some at the convenience store and it was pretty good!

ARTNIA SQUARE ENIX

I was very excited to visit Artnia Square Enix after reading about it from one of my favourite bloggers, Tricia Gosingtian. Artnia Square Enix is a cafe and store that sells Final Fantasy merchandises as well as food related to the game. It is definitely a must visit for all the Final Fantasy fans out there!

It is located in the business district in Shinjuku. I actually got lost for a bit finding my way there when I had some trouble riding the right train to get there but I eventually found my way!

It was actually near Halloween at the time when I visited the place during October so the whole cafe and store had decorations up for Halloween. They also had Finaly Fantasy music playing at the cafe which was very suiting for the Halloween mood too! 

Shinjuku Station & Shinjuku West

So I haven't properly showed any pictures of what I actually took in Japan! It's because I've been too lazy to go through the 2000+ pictures on my phone and camera. And to be honest I'm not quite satisfied with some of the pictures I took. While going through all my pictures, I realized I hardly took any "street snap" photos when I was in Tokyo which I had planned in mind to do. 

But sometimes I just get so mesmerized in the moment that I'm in Japan, a place that I have been dreaming and wanting to go for half my lifetime that I kind of forget about everything else. My eyes and mind is so focused on looking at the smallest details on the street, the people, the sky and all the surrounding environment that I don't even remember to take out my camera/phone to snap pictures. And also because Tokyo is quite a fast pace city that there are people everywhere you go and time is gold. It was hard to stop and take pictures in a busy area such as inside a train station or even on the street as a tourist because there are sooooooo many people walking and moving from all directions and you don't want to be in the way. 

But as a person who was visiting the city for the first time in her life, I just want to capture every moment possible and I failed to do so. =( Good thing I don't plan on visiting Tokyo just once in a lifetime so whatever I didn't get to do or take pictures of, I'll definitely keep it in mind to do so on my next trip! =)

So in this post, I'd like to share with you some street snaps (that I remember to take) of the outside of Shinjuku station and the Shinjuku west area which was where I stayed at for the most part of my trip in Tokyo.

This is the famous Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower モード学園コクーンタワ near the Shinjuku station. I don't know exactly what it is but I suppose the structure and architectural design is pretty cool. It really does look like a cocoon and I guess that's why it is named the cocoon tower, lol. I basically used this tower as a landmark to guide me back to the hotel at night when I come out from the Shinjuku station. If I see this tower then I know I took the right exit because there are over 200+ exits located inside the Shinjuku station you can easily get lost if you took the wrong exit. XD If you would like to know more about this tower, you can find out more here. 

And the famous LOVE sign structure located in west Shinjuku. I pass by this love sign every morning in my commute walk from the hotel to the Shinjuku station. There are ALWAYS people taking pictures in front of it day and night. I waited forever to take a clear shot of this sign without all the people in it, lol. Apparently this love sign was featured in some Japanese dramas and movies including the famous GTO drama has filmed a scene here too. 

This is what surrounds the outside of Shinjuku station. So many department stores! 

And the LUMINE EST mall located on the east side of Shinjuku. There are actually 3 malls located near Shinjuku station. Lumine 1, Lumine 2 and Lumine EST. I love this mall better than the Shibuya 109 mall. I only wish I had spend more time shopping at this mall. I wish I could show you the inside of the mall too but well taking pictures inside a mall isn't really acceptable in Japan. -___- Japan, why are you so strict on photo rules?! We tourists only want to help promote your country even more! 

Overall I really like the Shinjuku area. I am glad I have made the decision to choose a hotel in this area because there is soooooo much to see in Shinjuku. I wished I had explore the area more but I was tight on time and had too many other places to go to. There are 3 malls conveniently located right outside of the Shinjuku station and so many other department stores nearby including HALC, Odakyu, UNIQLO, Don Quijote, Yodobashi Camera, Kinokuniya Bookstore and so much more. I definitely want to stay in the Shinjuku area again in my next future trips to Tokyo. 

I also recorded a mini short video of the Shinjuku area that I have posted on my instagram account that you can WATCH HERE.