Asakusa, Ginza, and Shibuya

We headed for Asakusa in the morning, which was close to our hotel. I was determined to get a decent map from the tourist information center. Asakusa has Tokyo's most famous shrine, but since we were going to Kyoto, we skipped this one, instead opting to wander around the market. As it turns out, I'm a total sucker for Japanese souvenirs. They are all so cute, and many have cats on them! The maneki neko, or lucky cat, was ubiquitous. There were also a lot of rabbits, since this is the year of the rabbit.

From Asakusa, we went to Ginza to see—well, eat from—the Tsukiji fish market. My doctor told me I could eat sushi from reputable places, so we went to a famous restaurant that provides sushi from the fish market. Japanese sushi is, of course, amazing, and has ruined all other sushi for me. The proprietor, probably pleased that we ordered the expensive stuff instead of the lunch special, which was only written in Japanese, gave me a stuffed bear for the baby. We walked past the massive market, stopping to see a turtle in the dirty river. I guess he eats the leftovers from the market. We enjoyed a peaceful walk through the park, which used to be a pleasure garden for Japanese nobles. It was right on Tokyo bay. Afterwards, we walked to the Sony Museum, where we played with the latest electronics. It was a little underwhelming, but I did find a camera that turned photos into anime. We visited a Japanese toy store and marveled at the robot toys. I bought a bizarre looking stuffed toy for the baby.

We spent the evening in Shibuya, which looked like the center of Japanese nightlife. The subway station was packed with people. We shoved our way towards the Hachiko statue, which honors a loyal dog who waited for his owner at the train station every day, even after the man died. Hachiko is now apparently a popular meeting place. We pushed our way out of the crowd and crossed the famous crossing. We managed to find a place in a nearby mall where we could watch the tide of humanity that flooded the crossing every couple of minutes. We had dinner in the mall—always a good place to find a meal—and headed home.

A food joint outside of our hotel

Vending machine restaurants.  Select a food item, pay, and bring the ticket inside for food.

Asakusa

Subway station

Me in the park

Bobby barely clears the torii gates

Ginza

An arcade full of claw cranes

Hachiko, surrounded by bored looking young people

Shibuya crossing