First full day in Tokyo

It was a sunny day with comfortable temperatures. With a personal tour guide, who first helped us learn how to navigate the comprehensive metro system, we travelled to a northwestern neighborhood, Yanaka. It is a low rise area with active street shops. After wandering through a Buddhist cemetery, we walked through the Yanaka neighborhood, with a few stops to buy small souvenirs. Then we enjoyed a great lunch sitting at a counter facing the chefs. It was fish-based with sashimi and tempura. Then we walked to and toured the historic (former) Kusuo Yasuda house and garden that’s over 100 years’ old. For dinner we went to a restaurant Eric found that specializes in duck. Of the 11 courses we had (prix fixe) two were duck, several were fish, and others vegetables, ending with miso soup, and then watermelon. The restaurant seats 12 customers, has only one seating per evening, and is owned and run by a charming and personable couple who have been doing this for 15 years. The meal ended with the origami folding of a souvenir crane.Read more