Our Nippon journey: Sun Dec 31 2006 (Day 10)

The entrance to Nishi-Shinjuku Hotel

i think this is a form of Japanese New Year decoration

Breakfast around the corner from the hotel

Only on our final day in Tokyo, did we stroll around Shinjuku despite of staying in the area for already a week.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. There is a city viewing area in this building but unfortunately the doors were closed for the New Year Holiday.

An interesting bike

The Shinjuku sculpture version of the Love by Robert Indiana

The Takashimaya building and its neighbour, the Empire State Building look-a-like, the NTT Docomo building . The Shinjuku station tracks below Takashimaya.

It seems that the Japanese don't mind queueing or maybe they love queueing. There are queues for almost everything and everywhere, even at foodstalls. Below: the queue for Krispy Kreme. There is actually a queue for queue where people are queueing to go on to the main queue. I'm serious

Hotto kouhi break. I just can't get enough of the drink vending machines in Japan

Sun is setting to a new year.

Had a quick dinner at KFC. It was a bit disappointing. Dry and small. The best KFC i've had has got to be the KFCs in Malaysia. You get big, juicy pieces.... like effort is actually put in to prepare it.

More vending machines and drinks

Wandering around Shinjuku

Just like the fruits-on-a-stick in Msia

Near the Kabuki-cho area. There are lots of these eroge bookshops/DVDshops. These shops are usually tight in space and requires a bit of squeezing.

These crepes are quite popular, especially at Harajuku, but we didn't get any in Harajuku because of the queues. There is no queue here so we decided to try one. We ordered by indicating to the girl that we'll point out our choice to her at the window display

So vibrant & lively

Decided to take the train to Shibuya to see if there is any Countdown to 2007 at Shibuya Crossing. It was disappointing as there was no events organised, just crowds cheering to themselves.

Crowds getting high at Hachiko statue

Had ramen in a little eatery somewhere in Shibuya

Police officers were present to control the crowd, just in case...

We stationed here at the Shibuya Crossing to see if anything is going to happen....

into 2007

There was also some plain-clothes office among the crowd. There was one stationed just in front of us, a middle-aged man with an earphone in his ears, surveying.