東京: Tokyo, the eastern metropolis!

I slept really well last night on my cushy futon mattress and woke up early this morning to fuel up on a great breakfast of breads from the bakery (curry bread), ham and egg sandwiches that mom made, and some hot tea.

Afterwards, we hopped on the quick Tsukuba Express (TX) train to spend the day in Tokyo's eastern neighborhoods.

Ian is being a good Japanese citizen and wearing a mask to prevent the rest of us from catching his slight cold. For those who are unfamiliar, people often wear masks in Japan either to protect other people from catching their cold, or to protect themselves from others. It's not looked at as weird at all - in fact, it's quite considerate when you think about it.

Just down the street from the apartment, the entrance to the Tsukuba Express 

Artwork inside the station 

Our first stop was a street called Kappabashi-dori which is known for its many kitchen and restaurant supply stores. Yes, an entire street (quite long) with all kinds of uniquely Japanese kitchen items imaginable (and cheap too!)

Wood lacquered bowls

 Traditional wooden container for presenting cooked rice nicely at the dinner table

Chic coffee shop

Huuuuge Tokyo Sky Tree tower (at the moment, tallest in the world)

Chicken Karaage (fried chicken skewer) for a snack on our way to Sensoji temple

Sensoji Temple...

Dad reading Ian's omikuji (fortune) ... good news!

Shake the cylinder, pull out a stick with a number written on it, and then find the drawer with the number you drew

I got a bad fortune. It's not the end of the world, though ... simply fold it and tie the bad fortune up in the temple to leave it behind

Sensoji Temple

Taking a drink from the temple fountain 

Wafting the good-luck incense smoke over your body

huge lantern at the temple gate

There were a million bites to eat on the street leading all the way up to the temple ... here we are enjoying sweet red bean ("azuki") ice cream made with the best cream from Hokkaido (Japan's northernmost main island)

A traditional Japanese treat known as "taiyaki" ... basically sweet red bean paste inside of a "waffle" type exterior (usually in the shape of a fish)

Then, it's the Yamanote subway line of the Tokyo Metro to the Ueno neighborhood

Ueno, Tokyo 

 Ameyoko-cho ... well-known shopping area with lots of street vendors in a bunch of alleyways. Loud, sensory overload, but always really fun!

Crowded Ameyoko-cho

Another snack ... chinese pan fried dumplings with pork and soup inside 

Spicy noodle soup and chinese garlic chives inside of another flat dumpling

 Of course, the world's best vending machines absolutely everywhere around town. Both hot and cold beverages always ready, and for the ultimate convenience, you can actually tap your Suica (metro subway) pass to the black round sensor in the bottom left, and use it to pay for your beverage!

This is the Suica card used for the trains ... it can also be used to pay for things at vending machines, convenience stores, and many other places. So convenient.

 Then, we hopped on the metro over to Akihabara ... "electric town" as it's known locally, since this is THE place to be for the latest in cutting-edge electronics!

Japan will forever hold the #1 rank for most frequent, efficient, and impeccably clean public transit system in the world (at least, in my book!). Just look how many metro trains are taking off in a span of 30 seconds at this one platform alone:

Ian noted later in the day while on the train, "It amazes me how on this entire train there is not a single obese person". While slowly Japan is seeing more overweight people, it's nothing in comparison with the rest of the world. It simply comes down to a good diet, and a lifestyle which involves walking everywhere and taking public transportation. It's not some huge mystery at all.

Finally, took the Tsukuba Express train back home and rested a bit before an incredible Korean barbecue dinner at Toraji near home:

All the fixings 

Bimbimbap ... red-hot stone bowl with rice, pickles, seaweed, and mushrooms with a raw egg ... mix it all up and let the heat from the bowl cook everything together

mixed and cooked bimbimbap :) yummm

Sitting in front of that charcoal grill can get pretty warm, so we cooled off with an icy cold, refreshing noodle soup

And for dessert, almond pudding!

I am dead tired today ... Tokyo takes a lot of energy! But we definitely enjoyed the dozens of bites we had today and an incredible dinner. I am still always amazed every time I see how many people Japan's incredible train network moves on a minute-by-minute basis.

Tomorrow it will probably rain, so we will sleep in and take it easy... catching up on some studying and laundry before our departure to the beautiful northern countryside to see the grandparents on Sunday. I am really looking forward to it. If there's one thing I enjoyed in my visits to Japan growing up, it was always the balance between the intense energy of Tokyo, and the beautiful tranquility of the Japanese countryside in the north. We'll be on the bullet train blasting off soon and I am hoping for snow, especially when we will be soaking in our onsen (hot spring)!

Oh, I hear the beeping ... my bath is ready!