Mmm... the bed is so nice

Just couldn't get up from this bed

The plan was to wake up at 4am, jog to the train station and hit the Tsukiji Fish Market for the 5 o'clock fish auction. That was the plan... at 10:50 I opened my eyes thinking early morning, get a lot of things done and then I saw the clock. I mean seriously... I haven't slept for 11 hours since the 90's. In fact I don't ever remember sleeping that long. Damn bed! Under no circumstances will I ever allow Kris to buy one like that for our house. If she did, she would never ever leave it.

Senso-ji, the Buddhist temple in Asakusa

A quick midday shower and we were out of the hotel after noon on the way to Senso-ji aka, The Canon Temple in Asakusa. Very touristy, very crowded and very commercialized. Let's get real, the road to the temple from the metro station is called the "souvenir lane". What do you expect is sold there? Toilet brushes and wheel covers? The temple is beautiful though and has a nice garden surrounding it. A nice place to relax and unwind after, or before, a long day.

Now who's the Japanese tourist?

For 300 yen, it's a steal!

Sightseeing has two wonderful side effects. One: if you do enough of it, you lose your fat rolls and two: it makes you hungry. Looking for a place to eat nearby was easy because the streets were just swarming with inexpensive food stalls. This time we opted for a gyoza restaurant. Kris likes pierogi as do I, and these were fresh made and really inexpensive. Our two companion diners were very curious about two big snowflakes visiting Japan and after sharing with them that we just came from Poland, they seemed to feel sorry that it is so cold there. Apparently they were not informed of the 30 plus degree temperatures in summer, which I tried to explain to them in a mixture of Japanese and English: "Sanju degrees. Tottemo hot desu". Japanese is coming back to me every day, but I seem to be missing about 75% of my vocabulary.

Japanese Eiffel Tower

A Japanese garden on top of an overpass? Why not!

Bellies full it was time to check out the Tokyo Tower, just from the outside. I never really get the point of going somewhere and just seeing the outside, but no matter. I've seen the view from the top of it last time in Tokyo. It's just as ugly as the French one, a big pile of twisted metal, albeit as the Japanese are proud to point out: theirs is just a few meters taller than the Eiffel Tower. Heading towards the Roppongi Hills we discovered a little oasis of tranquility in the middle of the city in the form of a Shinto shrine. After a quick break it was onto the best lookout point in Tokyo. The weather still sucked, the overcast skies make for horrible photos, no blue sky available. But there is one of the nicest smoking decks in Tokyo here and the views are great, even if it doesn't show in pictures.

Shibuya square where Scarlett saw a dinosaur in the movie

Following the "Lost in Translation" path, we headed to Shibuya next to see Tokyo's equivalent of Times Square. Now it gets a bit different here as people, especially the women, get very stylish. Off we go with the skirt suit for women and a two piece black and white for men. Now we got sexy dresses and skirts and high heels galore. Ok, there are still plenty of sarariman and oh-erus (aka. salary man and office lady: white on black with a tired look) around, but at least you get to see something different too.

Are you sure there's no seafood here?

Evening rolling around we realized we were on just one meal today, but fortunately Shibuya abounds in restaurants. We opted for 280 yen, a chain with everything there costing 280 yen plus tax (294 total). Kind of a Japanese tapas, small plate kind of restaurant, but I was in the mood for a beer and a bite. Granted, the beer was watered down horse piss, and there was a cover charge of 294 per person, but nonetheless it was a very enjoyable experience. Kris was batting 3 for 4, this being the third meal she really liked. True, pan fried noodles are not that adventurous, but surprisingly she scarfed the edamame (steamed soy beans) like they were chocolate. There is hope for you yet hon!

Back to hotel I had to make use of the swimming pool at least once. Half an hour before closing and still everyone welcomes you with a bow and a smile. And I had the pool all to myself. Tomorrow morning a trip to Tsukiji fish market.