Day 13 - Tokyo

Distance Walked : 14.5km

Met up with the group one last time at breakfast before we all said our goodbyes and headed our separate ways.  First stop for me was the Tsukiji Outer Market.  However, since it was a public holiday long weekend half the stalls were shut.  Also, since it was a public holiday long weekend it was heaving with tourists.  It was so crowded I could barely get to see any of the open stalls which was disappointing.  I didn't end up staying very long.

Next stop was Kappabashi Street - kitchen town.  Again, half closed but not nearly as many people so I had a good long browse.  There were several shops selling replica food.  I bought a half eaten rice cracker fridge magnet at one.  Another shop had the cutest silcone tea "bags" for holding loose leaf tea that hung over the edge of your mug.  I was sorely tempted to get one in the shape of a walrus but I don't drink tea!

The shops here are very specialised.  One just sold brushes of all sorts - for make-up, for cleaning, for use in cooking, even horse hair toothbrushes.  Another shop had 5 different gadets for making miso soup from miso paste.

I had lunch (burger & wedges plus iced coffee) here before heading back into the centre of Tokyo.  I wanted to see an exhibition of cat photos at the Misukoshi department store.  This is a very upmarket shop.  I went to the Nihombashi store.  The main store has lions at the entrance (the original one).  An annexe across the road has domestic cats in the same posture.  So cute!

There was a sign in the window about the exhibition.  However, the only part in English was the name of the exhibition.  The rest was in Japanese with just the odd arabic numeral.  I couldn't tell if these were giving the dates of the exhibition, the floor it was on or the entrance fee - assuming there was one.  Not having a clue about what is going on is getting old.  I've been spoilt travelling mostly in Europe.

I eventually found out where it was and had a pleasant hour browsing through all the cat-related items for sale, including flipping through the exhibition catalogue.  I didn't end up going to see the exhibition itself as I was farely sure there was a fee but had no idea how or where to go about paying it.  Instead, I bought two postcards and a calendar.

Next stop was the Imperial Palace East Garden.  This is the site of the old Shogun's palace.  However, it is all gone now and some very ordinary gardens are in its place.  There are some impressive walls and an odd gate or two but nothing like Nijo Castle.  I sat on a bench in the sun and read a book.  My back is killing me using just a shoulder bag rather than a backpack.

Last stop for the day was Uniqlo in Akihabara.  I was curious to see if they sold a broader range of items here in Japan than they do back in Melbourne.  However, the store I went to was smaller!  The maps.me app siad it was the closest but Google Maps later showed me one 10 minutes from my hotel.  

I called it quits and went home, getting back to my hotel around 6:30pm.  I passed a 7-Eleven one street over on my way back.  Again, maps.me had said the closest was a good bit further away.  Must remember to use Google Maps to find things when I have WiFi.  The only advantage of maps.me is that is doesn't use data.  Not the accuracy of its information.

After resting for a bit I tried to convince myself to go out and find myself somewhere reasonably priced (in this neighbourhood!) for dinner that would accept a solo diner on a Saturday night.  I failed and just went to the 7-Eleven instead.  I bought a bowl of cold noodles with toppins & dressing to make into a salad/noodle dish, plus jelly with fruit chunks, roasted chestnuts and rice crackers.  I am now pleasantly full after having spent all of about $10.  It would have been nice to watch trashy TV while I ate but the only English language channel is CNN so I settled for reading trashy books.  I started and abandoned 3 paranormal romances from a Story Bundle collection.