Kawaii Tokyo

Today we explored the kawaii or cute side of Tokyo.

After a sleep in, we caught the train to Harijuku, about 30 minutes away. This area is known for being a bit alternative and trendy.

When Ella and I were here about 10 days ago, we came across a hedgehog cafe, that I said I'd bring both the kids back to. Today was the day. 

The place we visited had baby hedgehogs,  chinchillas, squirrels, otters and rabbits. We had 30 mins to feed and cuddle as many as we could, minus the otters and squirrels, which are too vicious.
The chinchillas were amazingly soft and the hedgehogs were gorgeous. It was a really amazing experience to hold them. The animals were really well looked after and seemed very healthy. It wasn't busy either, so there weren't too many other people there. Ella and Angus really enjoyed it.

After our cuddles and hot drink, we went in search of the famous rainbow cheese sandwich! This was something I had read about that I knew the kids would love! We lined up for our toastie, not knowing if it would taste horrible or not. We were pleasantly surprised that it tasted delicious and cheesy and looked awesome too. Win win!

Next was a look around Kiddyland, a 4 storey toy shop, and the Onitsuka Tiger shoe shop for mum and dad. We forgot passports for the tax free shopping and discount so will go back again tomorrow to do some actual buying.

By the time we'd wandered the shops, we felt like some nature, so walked to the nearby Meiji Shrine. Despite there being hundreds of people, it was actually quite relaxing. Nice to escape the concrete and have some nature.

After a busy day walking 16km we went to another local izakaya for dinner. Angus was desperate for gyoza, so we found somewhere that served them. We also had a range of other small dishes to share, including chicken gizzards and pig heart steak. Delicious!

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