The Day Before the Wedding

I can’t wait to tell you all about the wedding yesterday, but it is probably a good idea for me to write about our day before, so I don’t forget the details (this blog is as much for me as it is for you dear reader) and to show you more of the wonderful sites of Tokyo. So here goes . . .

Don and I headed out on our own to find some breakfast an explore more of the Asakusa area before meeting up with the kids. We seem to have landed in the small town part of the big city, and we couldn’t be happier about it.

This guy was having his morning coffee outside a Norwegian waffle place – I said excuse me (yes – in Japanese) and he actually looked at me and nodded that it was ok to take a photo, before he arranged himself and posed with his sword for me.

Our day was off to a great start! We also had some waffles . . .

Duly fortified, we headed back into the temple area and from there to the Tokyo Skytree, which rises like a beacon and can be seen from everywhere. Here are some of the sights along the way.

We took a stairway down from the road and walked the tranquil path that follows the river. There were some cherry blossoms just starting, and planters full of happy little pansies.

At some point, we weren’t completely sure where we were (but surprisingly not too concerned (thank you Google Maps). We struck out in what we thought was probably the right direction and actually made it back to and recognized our little shopping area near the hotel. Look at us – winging it in Tokyo!!

That last photo has pretty terrible glare, but it is from a wig store. These next photos are of a guy making soft, filled cookies the old fashioned way – in cast iron moulds and over hot pipes, it was mesmerizing.

Then it was back to our hotel for a much needed nap before our family dinner to meet Ayami’s whole family for the first time. We were all a bit anxious about it, but we needn’t have been. They are lovely people, with the most beautiful and charming little kids, and Ayami had even arranged for an interpreter for us, though there was lots of laughter and we found many other ways to communicate as the evening progressed.

So that’s it for the night before the wedding – all is well, and all is well . . .