Day 3: Shibuya and Harajuku

I'm back in the U.S. Home sweet home. Here is the first of several installments from my trip to Japan. Days 1 and 2 were spent in transit. I flew JAL and stayed in Shinjuku. I was mildly jetlagged and woke up on Day 3 around 6am. I headed straight to Shibuya, which I'd heard was one of Tokyo's bumping neighborhoods, and arrived before the shops opened at 10am. I watched from the Starbucks at Hachiko Crossing as people headed to work and children to school.

Folks heading to work. A shot of Hachiko Crossing in Shibuya.

Kids flocking to Takeshita Dori after school, a popular pedestrian lane in Harajuku.

One of the two torii (entrance gate) to Meiji Shrine (shinto). Made from 1,700 year old Japanese cypress trees.

Meiji Shrine.

Afternoon rush hour at Shinjuku Station, Japan's busiest commuter station.