Day 2 Tokyo

Because we changed our tickets multiple times we were able to get an extra day into our trip. This day was day 2; good thing too since this would be JET LAG DAY!!!!!

I hadn't built jet lag into my itinerary, so the extra time turned out to be a bonus.

Only problem with Day 2, the freezing rain and snow...mixes well with a cold.

View from 3rd floor Sapia bldg.



Ignore it we did (that is, all the above) and braved the frigid outdoors. But not before a hardy breakfast buffet at the Marunouchi Hotel restaurant. Oh so good!



Western Style

Japanese Style

Anyhow, the day's plan was to ride the Toei Streetcar Arakawa Line around to Jizo Dori Shopping Street to buy the famous red underwear. But first stop Kappabashi Dori!

We spotted the legendary Kappa

The Kappabashi Dori is quite an interesting street, many blocks of all kitchen stuff. Kitchen stuff for home, kitchen stuff for restaurants, kitchen stuff for whatever the reason and the only place I could find the coolest things of all...plastic food samples! Because of the price for an amazing meal of plastic noodles and the fact we only carried backpacks for luggage, I dared not buy any of the larger items for fear of breakage, but did settle on a mouthwatering piece of bacon and delicious looking chocolate covered strawberry.

 

Even though most the stores were closed and we were walking in the freezing rain, this sure was a fun place to visit.

 

 

Next stop, the streetcar.

 

As I understand, after reading websites about Japan, the Toei Streetcar Line is the last street car running in Tokyo; so we had to go for a ride. Besides it was cheaper than the subway and goes all the way around to the other side of the city. What's not to like...except getting lost!

 

Our streetcar journey began in Minowabashi at the Joyful Minowa Shotengai.

Here we discovered a covered shopping street, but once again almost all the stores were closed. Lucky for me and my worsening cold, the pharmacy was open and I was able to purchase proper medication; thanks to lots of pointing at pictures on boxes, hand gestures and a very patient store clerk.

 

Moving on, we boarded the streetcar to           Jizo Dori Shopping Street.

Armed with my detailed street maps and directions, I was sure I knew what stop to get off at for the shopping street and absolutely sure I knew how to navigate the streets of Tokyo...YEAH RIGHT!

 

Strips of narrow pathways I thought for sure were sidewalks were actually streets for cars to drive on, go figure. So with my interpretation of the maps, we bypassed many "streets" looking for the ones on the map.

I can tell you, bread crumbs would have been handy at that time since we walked in a circle for about an hour. At least the freezing rain stopped and we saw this interesting store front:

 

That's right, a dog sitting on a toilet. Now there's a site!

We followed the sounds of traffic and made our way to the main road, still no sign of the Jizo Dori. Oh well, at least we found the metro and headed back to Tokyo Station.

Somehow I figured how to navigate the metro, subway and streetcar, but couldn't figure out the actual streets!

 

After all that walking and getting lost, we required FOOD. Now the one thing my better half requested was plump, juicy oysters? What?
Well, that is what he asked for and darn it after getting us lost I figured he deserves those oysters.
I read on a few different food sites about an excellent oyster restaurant in Tokyo Station, so we went looking...and looking...and looking. Oh my goodness, Tokyo station is soooo big, we finally found the restaurant but WHOA, talk about expensive. No oyster is worth a brick a gold. And off we went in search of other food. Now, I don't know how any of you are when jet lag sets in, but we get downright cranky and can't agree on anything not even as simple as food when we are hungry.

The cool thing about the major metro stations in Japan, is that they are malls that seem to go on for miles and within these malls there are gigantic department stores. Each department store has a gourmet food floor in the basement, mostly take away and dessert; and then there are two or three or four floors on the top of the store for restaurants.

We passed our time admiring the plastic food models at each and every restaurant until finally, low and behold, OYSTERS! Yes folks that's right, plump juicy oysters at a German Bistro in Japan.

 

As the night wore on (and I swear it had to be about midnight), no really only 7pm, we made the decision to stay awake and walk the station. See below for results! Looked just like the plastic model.

 

 

We did it! We stayed awake until a normal bed time.

 

TIP - Any more trips abroad require a jet lag day at the beginning and the end - lesson learned!

 

Next Stop, Hakone!