Elbert and I met up with Bob and Christine in Asakusa, where they had rented
kimonos.
Senso-ji, Asakusa: Christine asked some nice tourists if she could take a
picture with them.Nearby: fried rice, gyoza, and gyoza okonomiyaki for lunch.
We returned the hired kimonos and then spent the rest of the day enjoying
Asakusa.
Fuglen Coffee, Asakusa: good coffee at a decent price (by Tokyo standards),
so why not come here again.We wanted to split the tasting set (drip, aeropress and espresso) between
three of us but the maximum allowable was two people. I found it a bit silly
because the cafe wasn't that busy anyway. We bought a cappuccino so I guess
they got the result they were after. Elbert had a chai
latte.Rox Dome, Asakusa: the ball is hard to hit even at 70km/h. We also tried 90
and 110.They give a great visual aid for when the ball is coming out; the pitcher
on the screen winds up and then the ball comes out of his "hand" which lines
up exactly with where the hole in the wall is.Don Quijote: Asakusa: Bob and Christine did some tax free gift shopping for
food and alcohol. I think this is meant to say "new collection". I also
bought a small tomato amazake and it tasted great. I saved the 300mL bottle
since it fits so well in my bag.
We followed Bob and Christine along to their nearby hotel, where they repacked
their shopping into their suitcases in the lobby.
Tooyama Tonkatsu, Asakusa: good pickles.This was alright. The timing of your meals, daily schedule, and sleep
really affects your appetite. I could barely finish this and I took forever,
whereas Christine did it easily. But I never had trouble eating the kaiseki
meals in the last few days.
After eating we did some more shopping at Asakusa, although we didn’t buy
anything.
Asakusa: we stumbled across this parade which mainly featured old ladies
doing some coordinated movements to music. Kawaii.The view from the back.
Asakusa station, Asakusa: we walked back to the hotel, picked up the bags,
then said our goodbyes 😔. Bob and Christine were flying out that
night.
Asakusa-dori Ave, Asakusa: a quick detour to a nearby bridge to look out
over the Sumida River.What is that turd looking thing? EDIT: I've been told that it's the Asahi
Building.Shimbashi station, Shimbashi: this feels scarier than if there were no
barriers there at all.
We got home at 2055. It felt like a long day and I was quite drained, probably
due to lack of good sleep too. Elbert was so dead that he slept before me,
at 2330.
I'd stupidly bought grapes and tomatoes before going on the roadtrip, and
even though I left them in the fridge, they were starting to show their age.
The grape and tomato skin was no longer firm and supple. I also understand
now why these grapes were cheap, they're just balls of
skin!
