TOKYO TOKYO TOKYO!!!

whoa am i excited to be here!

what a totally different place than kyoto. it's nice to be back in a big city!! and this is a BIG city. 28 million people i think?

we went out for the first time this afternoon to the shibuya district and as soon as we got off the train we were in the really famous tokyo intersection. apparenly it is also the biggest crosswalk in the world. the whole thing shuts down for a few minutes while hundreds of people cross. there are lights and screens and music and ads and people and it was crazy and wonderful.


we wandered and then headed towards what is called the champs-elysee of Tokyo. it's lined in trees and full of stores, mostly designer. on our way there we passed by the olympic swim stadium by kenzo tange - a building we've studied for four years. we just happened upon it! cities are amazing like that. but THEN we got to see dior, which was awesome, at least on the outside (the inside was lacking).

but we really went to see the Tod's store by Toyo Ito which was inspired by the trees lining the street - and the Herzog and de Meuron Prada store. The Prada store was AMAZING. I didn't really get any good photographs because it was really dark by the time we got there but..wow. Also REALLY funny because, as we were exploring, my friend Eric got stuck in a dressing room. They are a special feature because they are glass rooms and when you go in you can press a button that instantly fogs up the glass (craziest thing i have ever seen.) anyway, he pressed the button to lock the room, which apparently malfunctions frequently, and he got stuck. prada was not happy with us.

(this is tod's)

it was amazing to see four buildings in one day, four buildings i've only ever seen in pictures (we also saw the tokyo forum when we first arrived).
i am SO EXCITED for MILES!!!! he is going to have an amazing time here, and i'm excited to come back.
it's so beautiful in this curious way.
the people are amazing to watch. the girls are all decked out (teasing hair is big here, as well as black knee socks worn with heels). i am definitely underdressed.

i'm so excited so excited! i'm in tokyo!!!