This day's (Tuesday) weather was really nice-- sunny, but not too hot..a perfect day for walking!
I needed to do two things on this day: pick up my Thai visa and meet a friend for a coffee.
I felt very hungover from chatting with a friend until 3am the previous day, so I was a little late getting started. (laugh) First up, my brunch: cold soba! Yummy!!
...and gobo salad.
My Japanese friend, Mさん has promised to teach me how to make this. I ♡ gobo. It's really healthy for you too -- full of fiber! Hm..I am not sure how to translate "gobo". I hope my Japanese readers will help.
I headed out to Tokyo station. Tokyo has been practicing "energy saving" due to the Fukushima problem, so many lights in the station were out...
Walkway inside Tokyo Station:
While walking through the station, I came across something really cool -- a bike garage. You can ride your bike here, park it, take a shower, change your clothes, have your own locker, etc for a monthly fee. I thought this was a great service.
Poster:
I wanted to explore two areas: Marunouchi Oazo and (Shin) Marunouchi building. These are new and really beautiful. Check out the lobby of the Marunouchi building/shopping complex!
Wowでしょう？
I explored each floor but found something very unique to Japan -- a 箸 (chopsticks) shop!
Inside the shop...all chopsticks!!
I love eating with chopsticks; I think they are both beautiful and healthy, as they force you to eat at a slower pace. I am not a fan of metal things in my mouth, so the taste of the wood is really pleasing. (Does that sound too strange? Really, the feeling of wood in my mouth is something that I like. Hm. Maybe that is a little strange. I don't eat trees though. ^_^)
I found many unusual and cute chopsticks.
Trains....
Pirate?
Very expensive chopsticks. The price says: $130! I think they are meant as a wedding gift...
...and these little guys are for resting your chopsticks on. There was a huge selection, but of course, I liked the kitties best. ^_^
Chopstick holders...
After this fun shop, I wanted to go to a bookstore. I love reading and Japan is the best country for finding books on every topic. Japanese people really love reading. You will often find a bookstore on every corner and people are always inside, enjoying the large selection. I think that is why Japanese people are so smart -- they read a lot of books. ^_^ An old friend told me once, "There is even a weekly magazine in Japan for Bass fishing! Every week!" Wow. o_O
I went to Maruzen, which is a popular bookstore chain. At the top of the escalator, was a huge display of paper crafts. So cute!
After the bookstore, I had to meet my friend. She and I have similar backgrounds, so it was good to talk with her about those experiences. I waited for her at the Marunouchi Hotel. The lobby looked out over a rooftop garden. Again, Tokyo surprised me with all it's greenery. For such a large city, it is very well designed and full of nature, I think.
The rooftop garden of the hotel:
Are you enjoying Tokyo so far too? ^_^
To get to Tokyo Station: take the Tokyo Metro or JR Yamanote line to...Tokyo Station! Marunouchi area is in front of the station; English/ Korean / Chinese maps are available from the station staff or inside the Marunouchi building. Maruzen is located in Oazo B1 (follow the signs). Company website HERE. (日本語／English). Another famous bookstore chain in Japan, which has multi-lingual books, is Kinokuniya. Site HERE (日本語). Marunouchi Hotel has an entrance elevator from the Ozao building B2. Hotel website is HERE.
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