Nakano

We made it by train to our apartment in Nakano. Jorma had set us up with eSims from Airalo before we left CA so we had cellular data when we hit the ground. We were able to navigate the train easily and got to our Air BnB. We had some hiccups getting into our apartment, the digital check in process wasn't working, we had to restart the tablet to complete. Also had an issue opening the door once we got our key out of the lock box. While we were in the exterior entry trying to get in we were extremely hot, there is no AC and the temperature was about 90 degrees with high humidity. But we persisted and finally made it into our space.
Once in we unpacked into the clean and well appointed but very small space. We knew it was going to be an adjustment here with the small living spaces.

We ventured out about 19:15 to find some food and stop into a Family Mart. We were both excited to try food from a convenience store but the downside to that was that we would have to bring the food back to the small accommodation to eat. We instead chose to try to find a small sushi restaurant. Walked around for about 20 minutes and ended up at Zamurai restaurant which was just across the street from our apartment. While we were doing fairly well with Google translate, this establishment offered us a handwritten menu on a white board. Lining up our choices with the handwritten sign became a challenge. I finally said 'Omokase'? A gentleman patron sitting close by spoke English and helped us negotiate chef's choice sushi for a set price. Of course it was an amazing experience and we got to try many wonderful things that we would not have otherwise known to try. I loved the gentleman behind the bar who carefully made us all the wonderful food. He had a serious but kind face. The small establishment was cozy and clean but unfortunately was quite smoky inside, it seemed there was no venting in the small kitchen. Jorma and I had watering eyes almost the whole time while eating our yummy sushi. It was a more expensive dinner that we were hoping for but the experience was unforgettable. It WAS our first night in Tokyo so I feel like we can justify it.Læs mere