Japan: Mike explores Tokyo

Being in a foreign country when you can't speak the language is tricky. You can see a storefront and not have a clue what it even is. For example, what is this place trying to sell?

I only started taking pictures later in the day, so unfortunately I can't show you my breakfast at the cheap chain restaurant Sukiya. Please imagine this: white rice, miso soup, pickled vegetables, and natto (fermented soybeans). Here is what natto looks like:

from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Natto_on_rice.jpg

I didn't mind the taste but the stringiness was off-putting because the strands are really hard to break. I felt like they ended up on my chin on every bite, so I kept wiping my face with a napkin.

I was told you can get anything in a vending machine in Japan. I was disappointed to discover that this wasn't true. To me it seems like 97% of the machines are for drinks, 2% are for cigarettes, and 1% are for ice cream treats.

But: they are everywhere. The picture to the left is just some side street and there are four machines there. That's in Akihabara, the neighbourhood for people who like video games, comics and electronics.

As the day went on, I found myself getting used to Japanese writing. I can actually make out a couple of the characters in this sign!

For lunch I went to the mall at Tokyo Station because there are several high quality ramen places there. I didn't feel like waiting in a long line for the most popular one so I just picked one at random.

While eating, I had a nice chat with a young Japanese woman from Osaka. She asked me if I had ever used chopsticks before. This is after she saw me using them. So either I am not as good at chopsticks as I think I am, or she was hoping she had discovered a chopsticks prodigy. She likely wanted to train me up to be a Grandmaster and make a comfortable living as my agent or manager. She was disappointed to learn that I had been using chopsticks for years.

Later in the afternoon I walked through Ueno Park. It's a large park with beautiful trees and this wooden structure which looks nice when it's lit up. A lot of Japan looked nicer in the dark. They've got the night time thing down pat.

The park also has a zoo and the National Museum but I didn't go to either.

If there's one thing a beautiful park needs, it's a large Starbucks. There's a line out the door!

Tokyo must have a fancy coffee scene developing as there are several Californian shops there. The Verve Coffee location list is: Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Tokyo. It's odd seeing it there.

A lot of casual restaurants, especially ramen places, have this system where you pay for your meal at a machine and then hand the ticket over to someone. It's convenient.

Eating in Japan was easy as a solo traveller. A ton of restaurants have bar seating so that you don't have to feel bad about taking up a table in a small place.

This is a temple entrance at night, lit only by the vending machine in the courtyard.

I had a lot of fun on my first day in Tokyo. There are more photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/CUlXxhXo22WepcLj1