Woke up early and took a long walk to Ueno Park. One thing we have noticed in Japan is the attention to detail. Above is the perfect example. In the U.S. there would be one guy sweeping in a park...in Japan there is 15. A few to sweep, a few to hold the bags and a few to stand in reflective clothing and watch. Note the bamboo brooms.
Part of Toshogu shrine...The park has 5 museums, a zoo and a huge pond blanketed in lotus leaves. We took a run through it the next day. Japanese are "new" to running and LOVE it. Tokyo marathon is only recently open to the public. When we passed a runner he seemed delighted and gave a sign of comradery.
We then headed to Ameyoko Arcade-a lively outdoor shopping market. Saw all kinds of fun things. Not sure what they all were...but fun!
Did a Lonely Planet walking tour of Kagurazaka, which is known for it's cobbled alleys, expat-run French cafes and bars. It is a challenge finding anything in Japan....as the street signs are in Japanese. In fact, Lonely Planet doesn't even label the streets on their maps. So we go "5 streets up, a right...go around a curve and pray that it's there!" We had ramen for lunch in a non-english menu/speaking place. Did the point at a picture thing. Mine was HOT with a red chili oil and mystery meat....but delicious.
Met my childhood friend Mark and his girlfriend Noriko for the evening. Had drinks and appetizers on the deck of their 9th floor apartment overlooking the city skyline. Their apartment is considered quite large at 700 sq feet. Mark said that most "single" people live in about 300 sq feet. Afterwards we went to the most amazing restaurant for dinner. Above is the menu (thank goodness for our Japanese speaking hosts!) You crawl in through a tiny door.
We started with sashimi (on the black plate) and moved to grilled vegetables and seafood. The chef prepares everything on a grill in front of you. It was soooo fresh and delicious.
Here is the chef, grilling away with a burst of fire. At one point they celebrated someone's birthday...turned off all the lights and the entire room sang Happy Birthday in English. Very entertaining, especially for Dean who had left the room and came crawling through the tiny door in the middle of it all!
The night started with champagne, white wine...then moved to beer, sake, and shochu (a distilled grain liquor). Here we are sipping our sake. It is served chilled with a wooden container to catch the overspill. It was all delicious...until the next morning's hangover.
We caught the midnight train....last one. It was unbelievable. Japanese work HARD. Most work until 8pm-midnight every night. So when Friday night hits, they go out BIG. There were numerous business men passed out on the train. Everyone races to get the last train, as taxi's are expensive...or you party until 5am (next train). So it is mayhem! Kampai! (Cheers!)
Woke up early and took a long walk to Ueno Park. One thing we have noticed in Japan is the attention to detail. Above is the perfect example. In the U.S. there would be one guy sweeping in a park...in Japan there is 15. A few to sweep, a few to hold the bags and a few to stand in reflective clothing and watch. Note the bamboo brooms.
Part of Toshogu shrine...The park has 5 museums, a zoo and a huge pond blanketed in lotus leaves. We took a run through it the next day. Japanese are "new" to running and LOVE it. Tokyo marathon is only recently open to the public. When we passed a runner he seemed delighted and gave a sign of comradery.
We then headed to Ameyoko Arcade-a lively outdoor shopping market. Saw all kinds of fun things. Not sure what they all were...but fun!
Did a Lonely Planet walking tour of Kagurazaka, which is known for it's cobbled alleys, expat-run French cafes and bars. It is a challenge finding anything in Japan....as the street signs are in Japanese. In fact, Lonely Planet doesn't even label the streets on their maps. So we go "5 streets up, a right...go around a curve and pray that it's there!" We had ramen for lunch in a non-english menu/speaking place. Did the point at a picture thing. Mine was HOT with a red chili oil and mystery meat....but delicious.
Met my childhood friend Mark and his girlfriend Noriko for the evening. Had drinks and appetizers on the deck of their 9th floor apartment overlooking the city skyline. Their apartment is considered quite large at 700 sq feet. Mark said that most "single" people live in about 300 sq feet. Afterwards we went to the most amazing restaurant for dinner. Above is the menu (thank goodness for our Japanese speaking hosts!) You crawl in through a tiny door.
We started with sashimi (on the black plate) and moved to grilled vegetables and seafood. The chef prepares everything on a grill in front of you. It was soooo fresh and delicious.
Here is the chef, grilling away with a burst of fire. At one point they celebrated someone's birthday...turned off all the lights and the entire room sang Happy Birthday in English. Very entertaining, especially for Dean who had left the room and came crawling through the tiny door in the middle of it all!
The night started with champagne, white wine...then moved to beer, sake, and shochu (a distilled grain liquor). Here we are sipping our sake. It is served chilled with a wooden container to catch the overspill. It was all delicious...until the next morning's hangover.
We caught the midnight train....last one. It was unbelievable. Japanese work HARD. Most work until 8pm-midnight every night. So when Friday night hits, they go out BIG. There were numerous business men passed out on the train. Everyone races to get the last train, as taxi's are expensive...or you party until 5am (next train). So it is mayhem! Kampai! (Cheers!)
No comments:
Post a Comment