A tour of the Hakone prefecture makes for a perfect balance to the concrete jungle of Tokyo. However, there is always some more shopping that needs to be done. Arriving back from Hakone in the early evening, the day will be crowned by a visit to Ginza, famous for being a trendy hotspot. The downtown area with shops founded over a hundred years ago is brimming with department stores and luxury boutiques lining the route from Nihonbashi to Ginza. Here one can find less common high-end goods, such as Maybach branded sunglasses. It's a long-established tradition to shop and stroll while the road is closed to traffic. Those wanting to get their hands on the fabled Onituska Tiger shoes will find a galore of boutiques here. One of which is selling only limited-edition issues, while another one sells only the Nippon Made labelled sneakers. However, as Ginza is a shopping heaven, these shops tend to be overcrowded. Outlets of this shoe brand, as well as Uniqlo for example, can be found in other parts of town as well, offering the same ranges, sans the tour groups competing for the wares.
Have to say, the Cafe 75 by Onitsuka Tiger was a disappointment. The basement was cramped with dozens of people grabbing shoes, totally stressed staff (cos of the sheer volumes of shoppers) and the cafe was closed. Wait. What? The Cafe is supposed to be be the main gig, no? Naturally, both Jacqueline and I ended up with new Onitsuka Tiger shoes, which we purchased in Shinjuku, where the experience was a calmer, nicer one.
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