Toodling Around in Tokyo

After all the excitement of preparing for and enjoying the wedding we were all understandably exhausted! The following day was just for wandering, napping, and shopping. All easily done in and around our hotel in the Asakusa district.

We found the little coffee shop that makes these amazing latte art pieces on your coffee. Unfortunately we couldn’t get in and the wait was prohibitive, so I’m just going to post these adorable photos of what might have been.

Later in the day the kids joined us in our room before dinner. Ayami’s niece came along to see her second favourite Canadian – Santa Claus – and enjoyed sitting on the bed watching the first day of the sumo festival.

I think Don has a new fan

Yesterday we had reservations for an experience at TeamLab Planets. The experience has nothing to do with any planets that we could tell, but it was amazing and fresh and we all enjoyed all of the art installations and experiences. In the soft black hole room, the floor and walls were of some kind of memory foam. Think ball room idea for adults, with no balls. I managed to flop into the welcoming softness and then couldn’t seem to move in a forward motion. We haven’t laughed that hard for a long time. I think the kids took a movie of me trying to swim in the memory foam. We need a giant beanbag of that stuff out on the deck to lounge in.

Here are some of the other rooms.

After that, we headed to a restaurant Ayami wanted us to try – specializing n Hawaiian hamburgers!! The view was great – one of the Statue of Liberty replicas in front of the Rainbow Bridge.

From there we walked to see the Imperial Castle. On the only day of the week it is closed up tight. Oops.

Shopping Day!! Believe it or not, I didn’t buy anything, but I had a wonderful time poking around the shops.

Many of the Japanese ladies (and probably some foreigners) are wearing kimonos – beautiful kimonos are everywhere!

Not to mention shoes and hair things,

I couldn’t resist a Panda Parfait in a kitty cup

I am literally in a photographer’s heaven. Then I get a text from David, which is spending the morning with Don while I go shopping. “Where are you? Do you want to meet up for lunch?” Shopping time is over – the guys have found me.

We walk around a bit to find the perfect place for lunch and settle on a little place with outside seating. The three kimonoed girls at the next table went into hysterics over Don’s mask. It’s a bit hit here in Japan, especially when he pulls it down and shows that it is actually his face on it.

Then Don showed off his impressive chopstick stills with the French fries.

David ordered something he was sure we would like. . .

But someone was not a fan (me neither).

But overall, it was a great day and we all had fun doing things we enjoyed. I have a blister under one of my toes and Don’s knee hurts, but we are having a wonderful time. Tomorrow is our last day in Tokyo and then we are off to discover all that Kyoto has to offer.

The sights of Tokyo have been amazing – everywhere you look there are beautiful things and unusual signs. Have I mentioned the Groin Groin Cafe?

And I will leave you with this little guy – this is Tokyo in a nutshell: