西新宿ーWest Shinjuku

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices! 

Today I ventured out in to the high world of West Shinjuku (get it? tall buildings??).After hanging out with friends for a little while wandering around in general (they headed off to see a movie, which I was too cheap to venture to do) I went off on my own! (Somethings in Tokyo, (obviously) are really expensive. Movies, are one of those things. They went to a movie and were going to be paying 1500 円(approx. $18). (Surprisingly, boxed pizza (for some reason this doesn't hold true at restaurants in general), is also really expensive, a normal large Domino's pizza would be something like $30!!))

      Anyways, after we parted ways, I first headed up to the 45th floor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices. You can head up either of the two towers for free, and they even normally have tours (I tried to go on one, but they are only on weekdays so I'll have to come back).

Taiko!

After coming down from the towers, I heard this loud drumming, and being myself, I followed the sound! I had nothing better to do, and it sounded like a good time. Once I got to the noise, I found some kind of Tokyo kids festival that had performances, including taiko, Japanese drumming!! 

The Festival! 

  Finding a mini-festival in the heart of Shinjuku was an experience in itself, it's these types of experiences that a traveler can hope for, the luck of the draw, the moment that presents itself, whether it be a random trail off the beaten path, or the faint sound of a beating taiko drum that pulls you into an adventure and an unforgettable experience.

Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower (the Egg as I like to call it)

View from the government building of the Egg and West Shinjuku

Shinjuku Chuo-Koen 

 After my drumming, I began a bit of a walking tour of West Shinjuku. I went to Shinjuku Chuo-koen, a park behind the government buildings and explored the shrine there.

I visited the shrine and found a cute couple taking wedding pictures!

Unlucky fortunes

The shrine

 After the Shrine and the park, I headed to the Shinjuku NS building, a building that is known for its 110 meter in the air skybridge, glass roof, and the largest clock in the world!

the largest clock in the world apparently. 

The glass ceiling of the NS Building

After venturing around in there a bit,  I hit up Pentax Square to see the photo exhibit and play with fancy cameras. Somehow, I then ended up in this underground walkway tunnel that was connected to a lot of the underground areas of all these big buildings. The tunnel, conveniently, takes you to the Shinjuku station (I learned today that Shinjuku is the second biggest train station in the world, which is not surprising at all, it's like an underground world in there!) So with that convenient timing, and the day coming to a close, I headed on home to rest and prepare for my first day of classes!