Nakano Days 2 and 3

We spent the last two days exploring neighborhoods around Shinjuku and Shibuya. Lots of walking. It is mostly flat here. Day 2 the weather was a little cooler, in the mid seventies. Yesterday it heated back up again but was mostly cloudy. Always humid. Day 2 was Friday, we went up to the Tokyo Tower observatory, unbelievable views of the largest city in the world. Walking around and seeing different architecture, different foods.

All the eating establishments with signs and menus outside that we cannot understand. We stopped several times at Family Mart, and 7-11 for snacks and drinks. We went to a food hall on Friday evening for dinner. It was fairly easy to navigate. Saturday morning we were stupid Americans and went to Eggslut for breakfast. It was pricey and mostly disappointing. And also not good for keeping my cholesterol in check. We left the apartment at about 9 am and walked all day until about 6:30 pm. We also stopped into a foot and body reflexology establishment and each got 30 minutes of foot and 30 minutes of body reflexology. My feet are bruised from the pressure. Not sure I would do that again. Massage would be my preference.

We stopped into the apartment before heading out to find some dinner. I immediately stripped and got into a cold shower. It felt amazing. Relaxed for about 30 minutes and then went to find a soba tempura place in our neighborhood. We had a similar experience to our first night at the sushi restaurant. In this neighborhood it seems, they do not cater to English speaking tourists. They did not have an English menu available. We were able to communicate that we wanted a combo soba/tempura set. I got some yummy cold sake and Jorma got a beer. It was a tiny neighborhood restaurant with 3 tables and 2 seats at the counter looking into the kitchen which is where we were seated. Always interesting to watch them prepare our food. Our bill was about $40 USD which was a little over our budget but not expensive compared to CA and it was worth it! Food was very good and the adventure was awesome. One of the patrons was intrigued by us being there and came to talk to us right as our food was presented. He asked us where we were from and how we ended up at that restaurant. Jorma explained that we were staying in this neighborhood. He told us in broken but impressive English that we had chosen a wonderful, special restaurant that makes its own buckwheat noodles. He helped us by explaining how to dip the noodles in the sauce. He had a huge smile and was very friendly!

Overall I am intrigued and overwhelmed by Tokyo. I am curious about the fact that they use English characters very much. For example: all their beers are labeled in English, many of the building names are in English characters, some eating establishments are English names (I'm Donut?). But that doesn't mean that they will automatically speak English with us even though I am convinced that many of them know more than they let on.Leggi altro