Monday (3/17)

This morning I went over to Asakusa to see the famous Kaminarimon (lightning gate) and Sensoji (the temple that's there). There were more foreigners (like me) there than I've seen most other places since I've gotten here. And yes, I do like it better when I'm the only foreigner around. When I'm around other Americans, I feel a small need to apologize for when they act rude, or stupid. Like when a guy is taking a picture of a band while they have a giant sign next to them that has a picture of a camera with an X across it, and it says No Pictures! Anyway, I got some pictures, and walked around the shopping area.









A picture from the bottom looking up at the giant lantern that hangs in Kaminarimon



I found a stand that was selling amazake (sweet sake), but it wasn't close to being as good as what I had at that tea room in Nara. Regardless, I had a couple of cups =)

Then I started to notice a bunch of monjyayaki places around. It's a Tokyo variant of okonomiyaki where the mixture is much more watery, and they carefully mix it together on the range by making a pool out of the more solid bits, and poring the liquid part in the middle. Then once it gets pretty thin, you spread a bit across the grill and then scrape it up with the metal spatula. It was pretty good, but I'd put it below both Hiroshima style okonomiyaki and regular, Osaka style okonomiyaki.

I found a place that was up a flight of stairs (and if you want there to be fewer foreigners, all you have to do is find a place that's not on the ground floor). I think we Americans like to be able to see the inside of a place before we want to go in. So I had the waiter make it for me, since I had no idea what to do, and then I had some Cream Mitsu Mame, which is ice cream, little cubes of a pretty solid gelatine-like substance, and sweet red beans. And now I know the kanji for beans : 豆 (mahmey).

Then I decided to give my JRail pass a workout on one of its final days, and went to Ueno, sat in the park and had a Dr Pepper (and, of course, I had to get a some pictures of a Japanese Dr Pepper can)





The trees in Ueno are starting to blossom, and they were getting ready for the Hana Matsuri (flower festival) that happens in a few weeks.



Then I went to Akihabara and looked around the Yodobashi Camera, and finally came back to Shinjuku and had some ramen and gyoza for a late dinner. Finally, I went and had some coffee at a Mister Donut that stays open until 2 .. but I only stayed until midnight. Now I need to do laundry in the morning, and make a quick trip to Shinagawa to see Sengakuji before I repack all my stuff and get ready to go home =(