Dearest Rachel –
Morning in Tokyo; not our last morning, but the beginning of our last full day here. We’ve no real idea how to get the most out of the day (which probably means we won’t manage to), but we’ll do our best. We have a framework of where we want to go, and have been offered suggestions as to what we might want to see, so we at least have a basic idea to work with.
But first, to get ourselves some breakfast, as we’re now off the hotel’s meal ticket plan.
As usual (despite the issues with directions we dealt with yesterday), we consult with Copilot as to what recommendations it may have for a pleasant Japanese coffeehouse experience. While there’s nowhere that the nation does food ‘bad,’ we’re aware that there are certain ones that are better than others – and we don’t know which ones are which. So, since the chatbot comes across as a friend who knows everything you want to (without being arrogant about it), we ask it for the recommendations we need. We’re suggested to eat in Ikebukuro rather than waiting to get to Shibuya, and for a hearty meal, one of the better places to go is a Nagoya-based place (not that we would be able to tell) called Komeda. It’s a hearty way to start the day; mostly because we order probably more than the typical customer, I’d wager.
The idea was to head from the coffee shop to the JR station, but as we were walking there, Daniel stopped short. “I changed my hoodie,” he said in an alarmed tone, “we have to go back.” At first, I thought he had left his hoodie at the coffee shop (although why would he do that? How would he do that?), but it just turned out that, since he took a bath last night, he was wearing a new hoodie… but that his hotel room key and his Suica card were still in the old hoodie back at the hotel, so we would have to double back.
I made it clear to him that it wasn’t a big deal, even as he apologized profusely for the delay. In fact, as I pointed out, the fact that we had to go back to the hotel meant that we would end up noticing a stand by the front of the hotel listing a regular shuttle schedule to both Haneda and Narita airports. This would be that much less complicated than trying to lug suitcases and backpacks onto the Yamanote Line in order to transfer to the Narita Express.
So I just wanted to make it clear for the record that this detour actually proved more beneficial than all that. And for all the recommendations we’ve been made for today’s wandering about, we’re already scratching off the park around the Meiji shrine, so it’s not as if we shouldn’t have ample time, even with this delay.
The one recommended stop we wouldn’t have been aware of on our own (and wouldn’t have considered due to the cost – but our chatbot claimed it was worth it) was the Shibuya Sky building. Tucked in amongst a cluster of construction barriers (that, by the way, have been up since the last time I was here a couple of years ago; I guess that in some way, cities are the same all over the world in that respect), it’s surprisingly hard to find on the ground. It’s also not that tall, as observation points go – only about 45 stories up. But the real show is what you look down upon; one of the largest cities in the world, with what seems like no end to its buildup no matter which direction you look.
You’ll notice that, as I pass through the art exhibit, I mention how Daniel had already seen it, and was showing it off to me. That’s a story in and of itself; we’d dropped off my selfie stick (which was not allowed on the rooftop observation area) and his water bottles in a locker provided for us, and I told him to go on ahead while I made a quick restroom stop, but when I came out, I couldn’t find him anywhere on the roof. I wasn’t looking at any of the scenery, so focused was I on trying to locate him – and given his height and the distinctive jacket that’s become a trademark of his, you wouldn’t think that would be difficult. But eventually, I gave up and headed back into the building proper to case the souvenir shop and the viewing area underneath the rooftop deck; and that’s where I found him. He hadn’t even realized he could go out and onto the roof. So I showed him where I’d been, and he walked me through where he’d been, and none of my panic about where he had been was committed to film. There wouldn’t have been any point to it, anyway, as he’s a big enough guy and can take care of himself. Still, it was a moment, which is why I’m telling you about it.
On the ground, we take a few side streets and alleyways leading away from the Scramble (I mean, once you’re there, everything leads away from it, but you understand what I mean). Without context, there’s not much to tell about these things, although Daniel pauses specifically to take a photo of a jumbotron announcement of a Cinnamoroll event taking place throughout February and March. Meanwhile, we stumble upon a park which turns out to be a shopping center topped by a park, and check it out.
At this point, we’re starting to get into the afternoon, and we still want to see the sights of Shinjuku and Kabuki-cho, so we wend our way to the JR station to get there. That probably ought to be a separate letter of its own, so I will leave you with this for now, and get on with telling you about that. Keep an eye on us, and we’ll tell you more in a little bit, honey.
Letters to Rachel 