Doodling around, but the tea is good

Friday started off with a phenomenal udon place right across the street from our hotel. We walked in not sure what the Japanese eat for breakfast, but since all the suits were going in and coming out we figured it would pass. I have never had such good tempura before, even though I only realized after we paid that the most important part of crispy tempura was dipping it in a bowl of noodles with bonito flakes.

Still, it was good enough to be legendary. We'll give it another shot tomorrow morning.

Street photography was the name of the game even though some of the local authorities weren't too impressed with me and my desire to sit there and shoot people. However Derin was right on the mark about the police not wanting to raise a scene when they don't know how to communicate with you. At Shiodome the officer came up to us to ask what we were doing, but heard us talking and then backed away. This goes against my nature and I do feel bad, but there's no way to toughen up your skin without poking it a few times with a sharp stick.

After getting lost in a few business districts we accidentally wandered into Ginza and shopped at the Japanese version of H&M. It's unfair that stores will have wonderful things in display on the mannequins but do not actually carry half of them in store. Also, maps on the street constantly change orientation. I understand that this is to make it easier to reference what you are looking at in real life but I am used to "North" being equivalent to "Up."

Lunch was with the crowd at a swank restaurant somewhere on the 27th floor of some building. Like last night, since Sachiko was leading the food just appeared on its own and kept appearing. There was duck, mochi, salmon, sake, beer, rare steak, vegetables, microgreens... I don't even remember (hence I take a gazillion macro photos with the point and shoot), and it all fades into a satisfied blur after the second cup of cold sake. The food here is excellent. The company, when we have it, is even better.

The Japanese women wear the best boots in the business. They are also very thin-skinned in terms of climate: it's about 67F here in the afternoon and they are bundled in shawls, coast, gloves and scarves while I sweat in a tank top. I cannot even describe the number of suits I've seen in any 5-minute period. And despite how large and developed the city is, it's clean, very quiet and orderly. I cannot make heads or tails of this place and although I usually relish being away from home, I miss our little house in suburbia.

Trav shooting street photos at Tameike-sanno station:



Tomorrow is the Big Day. Two more days in Tokyo before we skip for Kyoto and I realize all the things I wanted to see and missed.