JamieOD's Photobucket Tokyo Trip album media

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:21:17 MDT

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First thing done after landing, get drinks from the vending machine.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:21:12 MDT

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I only bought the can because of its shape.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:21:07 MDT

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After getting the train from Narita airport we arrived at Shinjuku station. This was the first sight to greet us on the outside.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:21:03 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:20:58 MDT

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The hotel room. Tiny, but still bigger than my bedroom so it was no hassle.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:20:54 MDT

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The view from the room.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:20:49 MDT

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Gotta love it when the Japanese try to spell in English.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:20:43 MDT

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Surprised to find a hint in reception that we were not the first ever Irish visitors the hotel had.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:20:38 MDT

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One of the receptionists.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:20:33 MDT

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Me in the Orix Buffalos baseball jersey. Note that I owned some Japanese baseball jerseys long before heading off to Japan. New York Yankees were already taken by the knackers.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:20:26 MDT

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Best restaurant menu ever.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:20:15 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:20:07 MDT

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This was at the entrance of a museum for fire engines.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:20:00 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:19:54 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:19:49 MDT

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The Pokémon Centre in Minato.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:19:43 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:19:39 MDT

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The packed train heading back to Shinjuku. To say we stood out would be an understatement.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:19:32 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:19:26 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:19:21 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:19:16 MDT

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Dermot reading through the latest Shonen Jump. Thanks to the internet he already read the fully translated Bleach chapter earlier that morning.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:19:10 MDT

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The other side of the hotel room.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:19:06 MDT

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The shower area.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:19:01 MDT

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This graffit is found on the closed door of a small book shop around the corner on the main street. The character is Sunshine from Kinnikuman.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:18:56 MDT

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Engrish at its best.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:18:50 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:18:44 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:18:39 MDT

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An epic view of Shinjuku.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:18:34 MDT

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Cure characters are used to promote everything.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:18:27 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:18:23 MDT

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Found a bunch of shrines and small temples, many are snuggled up against the modern skyscrapers and apartments.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:18:17 MDT

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Probably the cutest stall outside a restaurant we've seen on holiday.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:18:11 MDT

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From the staircase outside the hotel.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:18:02 MDT

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I'm not sure if Dermot's posing angered any of the higher powers.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:17:56 MDT

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Probably did. Eh, maybe not.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:17:51 MDT

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I think this creature was called a shisa.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:17:45 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:17:40 MDT

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Behold Akihabra, the nerd capital of the world!

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:17:34 MDT

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She handed out flyers advertising a maid cafe. Needless to say Dermot and I went there three times during our stay (he probably went more, snuck over when he got the chance).

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:17:28 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:17:20 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:17:14 MDT

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There were several maid cafes around Akihabra, including one that was devil themed. Unfortunately we did not find that one.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:17:08 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:17:03 MDT

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Game shops, comic shops, electronic shops. Just wall to wall otaku life.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:16:57 MDT

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One of the "UFO Catchers", aka the claw machines. The figures here are from the manga Ikki Tousen. It's sexy fighting schoolgirls mixed with Romance Of The Three Kingdoms.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:16:51 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:16:45 MDT

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I'll be honest, I have no freaking idea if there was a person under this or if it was a robot.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:16:39 MDT

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Now to the haven of geeks, the arcades! Here we see the wild pack over at Street Fighter 4. I beat the game in one go with Sagat. Then I got thrashed repeatedly by an E. Honda expert with an A+ ranking.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:16:33 MDT

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Gaming tournaments are very common in the arcades. Unlike back home where instead of playoffs in Dr. Quirkeys you have skangers coughing up phlem all over the cabinets.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:16:27 MDT

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Long row of Gundam gamers.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:16:21 MDT

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We took a break from the games and settled down at an open concert area. Sometimes it gets packed, other times there is barely anyone around.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:16:15 MDT

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Dermot was able to draw a picture of the girl on the left during her performance. He gave it to her afterwards.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:16:08 MDT

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And this was his reward. She was overjoyed, he got a hug and the other two were visibly jealous.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:16:02 MDT

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The pair of dolls second from the left, I bought for my grandparents. Instantly reminded me of them.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:15:56 MDT

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Behold the entrance to the Tokyo Dome City!

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:15:50 MDT

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Suidobashi, outside of Tokyo Dome.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:15:45 MDT

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Dermot's kimono. He has not taken it off since. Seriously.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:15:40 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:15:35 MDT

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May look like a tree, but it's actually a fire hydrant.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:15:25 MDT

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See, told you so.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:15:11 MDT

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Demrot, being so kind to animals and stuff, couldn't help but enter the shop just to pet the dog. He probably bought an umbrella too. Can't remember.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:15:03 MDT

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Just proof to my parents that I was eating in Tokyo.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:14:58 MDT

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To the left is Marcus, originally from Cork, who we met at the hotel. He helped us a lot about some of the directions to places and Tokyo in general.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:14:52 MDT

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Every dog has his day. Today's the day and that's the dog.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:14:46 MDT

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Now that's a marketing slogan.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:14:40 MDT

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You'll never find good warning signs like this one in Dublin.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:14:35 MDT

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Jimbocho, the book district. Raining. Wet books outside some of the shops.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:14:28 MDT

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Cheered me up.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:14:20 MDT

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American baseball shop. Mainly sold bats, gloves and other equipment.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:14:14 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:14:08 MDT

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A Pachinko machine for Kinnikuman. Pachinko is some sort of pinball slot machine thingy. Remember those things where you tried to shoot a steel ball into one of the plastic cups in the machine? Kind of like that.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:13:57 MDT

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The Complete Antonio Inoki collection on DVD. Too much even for me.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:13:51 MDT

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Best of Great Muta, Best of the original Tiger Mask (x2), and a collection of the most memoral gaijin (foreigners) to appear in New Japan.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:13:44 MDT

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Games Workshop in Jimbocho.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:13:38 MDT

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I think the guy on the right is Italian, emigrated to Japan a few years ago.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:13:33 MDT

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Jimbocho at night, taken from the second floor of a McDonalds.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:13:26 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:13:20 MDT

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Drunk businessman. He looked at Dermot as if he was Godzilla. Totally different to the more diginified behavior Japanese people show during the day.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:13:15 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:13:10 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:13:05 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:13:00 MDT

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Drinking coffee (like a Boss!).

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:12:53 MDT

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This was where we ate most of the time. We never learned the name of the branch so we just called it "that place".

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:12:47 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:12:42 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:12:37 MDT

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Dermot making more friends, this time at a Subway round the corner from the hotel. Everyone was impressed by his Japanese.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:12:31 MDT

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Kimono shop, where Dermot bought one for a friend. His own was purchased in a Duty Free.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:12:25 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:12:20 MDT

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This is how busy the Pokémon Centre gets at weekends.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:12:14 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:12:09 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:12:02 MDT

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Harajuku Bridge, where all the Gothic Lolita fashion gets put on display.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:11:58 MDT

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Harajuku Girls.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:11:52 MDT

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Another pair of Harajuku Girls.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:11:47 MDT

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Fact: "Harajuku Girls" by Gwen Stefani was the most played song on Dermot's MP3 player while in Japan.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:11:41 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:11:36 MDT

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I'm happy with how this picture turned out.

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:11:30 MDT

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JamieOD — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:11:25 MDT

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