We really wanted to go spend a few nights in Tokyo, so we picked arguably the most iconic part of the city, Shibuya. Home to the world’s biggest scramble crossing, Tokyo’s crazy fashion scene, and tons of shopping, we thought it would be a good place to go exploring over the weekend. After getting lost at the Shibuya Station and walking around it what felt like a dozen times, we hit the square and did some exploring before checking into our hotel. (Thankfully even though we couldn’t check in early we were able to store our luggage at the hotel so we didn’t have to walk all over with it.)
Either Jon Jon’s shoes were bothering him or he was just being lazy, but he basically spent the entire trip up there. (we passed on bringing the stroller this trip, the city can be kind of annoying with a stroller) 
His backpack with leash was definitely not necessary because he wouldn’t walk. He still liked it though. 
Of course there’s a Starbucks. And of course we went there. 
I came back in the evening for some busier shots
At its busiest, the Shibuya crossing can have as many as 3,000 people walking through it at once. Thousands cross every minute, and it certainly feels hectic. Even though it is super busy, we still saw people taking professional photos and recording music videos every time the lights turned green. We got some coffee at the Starbucks, mostly as an excuse to sit and watch for a while.
We had a late check-in, so we walked the streets and checked out some stores to pass the time. Of course Jackie wanted to go to the Disney store there. It did look really awesome on the outside, but I didn’t really like it all that much. Very cramped (kind of stressful with two kids who want to grab everything close by), with its three floors requiring a narrow spiral staircase to access. I guess space is at a premium here. Other than Disney, there was a lot of cool architecture to check out.
Palantir is a US big data analytics company specializing in anti-terrorism contracts for the DoD. Weird that there’s one here. 
These trucks were everywhere blasting music. Interesting way to promote your musical artist.
There is also a famous statue at Shibuya Square of an akita dog named Hachiko that is a very popular meetup and photo spot right outside the station. Hachiko was adopted in the early 1920’s by Professor Eizaburo Ueno of Tokyo University, with the two becoming inseparable friends. Hachiko would accompany Professor Ueno every day to Shibuya Station and would then come back in the afternoon to walk his friend home. Unfortunately, Ueno died at Tokyo University in 1925 and so never returned that afternoon. Hachiko would continue to visit the station daily for almost 10 years until his own death. The story of Hachiko, his death, and his loyalty to his master became famous and he was buried next to his owner. The akita breed has become sort of the unofficial mascot of Shibuya. Of course we had to make our own pilgrimage to the statue for some photos.
Jeffrey with his signature pose
We finally checked into the hotel that evening and checked out our new digs. The room was super nice and the view was awesome, but the hotel itself was just a little too hip for its own good. The lobby was on the 4th floor, so you had to take an elevator there, and then another up to the rooms. All of the hotel info in the room was on a tablet that ran really slowly and was just a pain to navigate. The lighting was also weird and hard to find switches for (difficult to put on makeup in the dark!). Oh well, the beds were nice and the views were perfect for a Tokyo weekend. We were overlooking a major train railway, and Jonathan spent literal hours watching the trains go by. That kid knows what he likes.
Hi, Tokyo! 
Tokyo in the morning 
Watching trains in the morning. 
Watching trains in the evening. 
Doutor was our breakfast stop both mornings, probably my faveorite coffee chain I’ve visited in Japan so far. Cheap and delicious! 
Probably looking at more trains.
Our first major stop we had planned in Shibuya was a pig cafe. I think there is a “cafe” for just about any animal, and it’s less a cafe and more an excuse to pet some animals while drinking some cheap coffee. Walking around we saw owl cafes, dog cafes, cat cafes, bird cafes, and more. We checked out the minipigs. We had to walk down some quieter side streets in the morning to get to the cafe, and the neighborhood was really beautiful. Lots of homes, salons, and a few small restaurants. Once we got the cafe, we kicked our shoes off, sat down, and were ambushed by tiny swine. One of the hostesses there spoke native English and was super friendly, so I was asking her all sorts of questions about the pigs. Apparently they take them in as babies, keep them about 6 months or so, and then sell them to families as pets. I’ve yet to meet anyone with a tiny pig as a pet, but I guess they’re out there!
Even though the drinks weren’t that great, we still had a good time there. The pigs were super cute, the staff was very friendly, and the kids really enjoyed themselves.
Jon Jon was ambushed as soon as he sat down. 
He really liked the piggies
We did a bunch more stuff in Tokyo, but that will all have to wait until post number 2. Until then, じゃまた!
BRB, out to Japan – Taylor
Really awesome and amazing!
Love seeing your adventures!! ❤️
So cute!
Palantir is the name of the Lost Seeing Stones from Lord of the Rings. Kind of cool for an analytics company to use it.
Don’t know if Taylor has any cross mil privileges or not; however, if he does look into whether or not it gives you access to the New Sanno Hotel. It’s also in downtown Tokyo and is an Armed Forces Rec Hotel. I’ve stayed there multiple times and found it convenient and very price friendly (at the time anyway)!
Yes, we can stay there! We have heard good things about it as well. The only reason we didn’t stay there for this trip was because it was already booked up haha. We plan to try it next time we plan a trip up there 🙂