Shimokitazawa.

Wow! This area rocks my socks! The layout is very similar to Harajuku but the less focused on ugly el-cheapo clothes and more on homeware stuff and 2nd hand stores. It has a really cool and laid back atmosphere, and Michelle had informed me that at night it gets transformed into clubs and other after dark activites. She said this quite neutrally so I couldn't gauge if it was 'Kings Cross special' or just special, like Special K. Anyway, it's heaps better than Daikanyama.
I am so in love with these really cute stone figurines of an elephant with a red ball on its back or a dog with a blue scarf. It comes in 3 different sizes too! I know it's not very practical but it's so...not...practical. Argh. Since coming to Japan I feel like I have this really annoying cow on my shoulder who controls everything I want to buy and if she says no my hand won't even go near the wallet! What a controlling tightarse! I've tested it on food and suprisingly she doesn't make a sound at all, so I guess she's a greedy controlling tightarse pig.
We got hungry so we stopped for a bite in the area:
I had set meal of fried chicken on a bed of salad (I needed vegetables!). I paid about 720 yen for it. I actually took the photo without eating it first! I had to mention it because it was so unusual :P The chicken was done perfectly - it wasn't too oily and salty, and the greens were fresh, which I'm glad for (they weren't stingy at all!) I never eat the pickled stuff though. Kind of aaaack.Michelle had pork with daikon pulp and salad underneath. Her dish was less flavour intensive but it was still very sweet and juicy. (She ate all the pickles) Michelle was wearing a green top with a gold vest that day - such patriotism! Should be applauded for wearing her pride on her sleeves. She also told me to watch out for American beef because it might be still infected with BSE. Hahah! Well, too late. I've bought and consumed US beef when I made that pumpkin dish. No wonder they had this sticker that said BSE tested in kanji. I should have known that there was an ulterior motive as to why it was so cheap! Oh! Let me enlighten you further on the Japanese mentality: Alot of restaurants here use Aussie beef because it's safer, like Yoshinoya. Anyway, Yoshinoya will periodically have a special US beef rice only for a day and apparently Japs will start lining up for them at midnight just so they have US beef as opposed to Aussie beef. I am told that the cows are different. Well duhhh! One may have mad cow disease and the other one doesn't! Can you imagine it? People going mad for the chance to get mad cow. It can only happen in Japan!
I think this one is meant to be Cut Hair. But I guess skinning is also a possiblity. Or, does it mean they'll cut your hair and you have to play an obliging hide and seek with them afterwards? So if they can't find you, you get the haircut for free? (because you're so 'well hidden' back at home already?) On second thoughts, could it be that they cut your hair and then hide because the cut was so bad you might want to skin them alive? Oh the complexities of the Engrish language...

We then bumped into the local International Food store and popped in there to see what they had. Oh they had Tim Tams!! Almost double the price back home...we scored cups of coffee - it was really sweet. I think Japanese coffee are the only coffee I can drink...but I can feel my teeth rot on immediate contact with it hahah. I think that bug man from MIB would be satisfied too.

They sold Berri juice! Came in the 2L bottle. Can't believe a bottle of apple and blackcurrant juice with a tacky Made in Australia would make me feel so excited that I took a picture of it (I didn't put it up coz its a waste of space) Well, actually I was thinking why on earth would they import Berri juice out of all the other things they could have imported from Australia??

Hahahah! I have nothing to add. Isn't this cool? I love it, the words, the packaging, all!