6th day - Ikebukuro part 2 ~ Observatory in sunshine city!

Hey everyone - ready to hear about part 2 of the Trip to Ikebukuro?

Well, after deciding not to go to Namja Town we thought we would go and have a look at the observatory.

Observatory ticket

We paid 700 yen (£4.44) to get into the observatory - there was a slightly cheaper ticket available but this one included a drink which was good.

Before we bought our tickets we were directed into a lift from the first floor up to the observatory by a guide Speaking in the usual fast and difficult-to-comprehend Keigo (polite speech) as we got into the lift, we didn't catch what she was saying.
The lift started to go up when suddenly the lights cut off. It seemed that what we failed to understand was that the lift itself had a display.

The ceiling of the lift

The door of the lift

We were still slightly reeling from the shock of the lights suddenly going off but were still able to admire the display. Atmospheric music began to play while the lift turned into a pretty light show. It was really cool but I wish I could have understood the warning we were probably given as with my past fears of lifts it was rather shocking!

The observatory had amazing views. You could go around in a circle to you could see a 360 degree view!

You can see the Tokyo Skytree in the left of this picture

You can see Mt. Fuji very faintly in the right of this picture!

The observatory had such amazing views that I took tonnes of photos, above are only a handful of them.
It was rather odd because they also had an exhibit on Brazillian carnivals going on in the observatory so you could here carnival music and the cacophonous noises of kids playing with the selection of carnival instruments that were on display.

After we had our fill of the views we went to the cafe and had our free drink and a snack.

I chose Calpis for my drink - Calpis is another milk-based drink (contains lactic acid). The taste is difficult to explain, it is has a kind of sweet tasting lemon-yogurty flavour. It might not sound too appetizing but it is one of my favorites. We were all a bit peckish so we each ordered a plate of takoyaki - squid balls - to fill our stomachs.

After the meal we had a few more peeks at the view then headed back to Tokyu Hands to pick up our stamps.

After collecting my stamp I had to leave as I needed to attend an orientation for my dorm - Waseda seems to love orientations! Amy and Zoe walked with me back to the station from which I made the rest of the journey home.

It was my first time traveling in Japan on my own so I was really pleased with myself that I managed to get to my dormitory all in one peace - even though I had to ask the station attendant which exit was best to leave out of resulting in me having to walk back to the other end of the platform. I was especially pleased as I did this all without any GPS - I still had not got a Japanese phone yet.

I made it back in time for my orientation so all in all a successful day!

I only wish I hadn't had to get back for the orientation as I missed out some cool things that Amy and Zoe did in Ikebukuro.

Well, see you later!