Japan 2009: Tokyo Day 1 - Tsukiji & Ginza Part 2

Toy Park!

Mary found a shop on our map called "Tokyo Toy Park" and we had a great time exploring the 5 floors of fun! The first floor was mostly goofy gag gifts and weird toys. Mary found a banana protector and a hamburger bento box. There was also a robot dog and a lot of weird candies, stamps, stic

kers, and nicknacks. The second floor was packed with toys for young kids, the third was full of plushies, the fourth was full of dolls and figures, and the fifth had puzzles, video games and accessories, and some manga collectibles. There were also some really excellent dartboards, chinese checker sets, and an alice in wonderland chess set!! I bought an anime puzzle, a cute bento box and travel flatware set (it can be assembled to be fork, spoon, or chopsticks!).

After the Ginza shopping adventure, we headed to Kyobashi to an East Indian restaurant Steve had in his guidebook. We weren't quite sure where to find it, however, and decided to stop and ask for directio

ns in a grocery along the way. Aside note: for people who haven't travelled in Japan before, there are no street addresses and many intersections are unmarked. This makes getting around to specific locations very difficult. Instead of including an address on a business card, you find a map on the back, with very little text. The primary reference points are famous landmarks or subway/rail stations. It's fascinating to me and I love it, but it does make getting around a bit rough for foreigners and people unfamiliar with the city. It's a bit like trying to feel your way around in the dark - it's slow going but possible as long as you keep a solid reference point. Good thing there are pleanty of maps!

The restaurant was packed, and the hostess sat us in the very back corner and then proceeded to mostly forget about us. We tried the set meals that had samples of several dishes (there was a vegetarian version! yay!!) and it was pretty spicy. The food was good but the service was pretty bad. Still, we had a good time. We were all pretty tired at this point, and I think everyone's feet were in quite a lot of pain. We hobbled back to the hotel, and passed out quickly. I haven't slept as quickly or as well in a long time, so even though I wear myself out every day I still feel pretty good!