Into the Unknown

Another rainy day as per forecast. Tokyo Skytree remained covered by a light veil of white. Over breakfast we planned what time we were going to catch Frozen 2, otherwise known in Japan as "Anna and the Snow Queen 2." There was a local cinema nearby in Parco Ya Shopping Mall.

From last night's news we knew that today was Labor Thanksgiving Day. I secretly wished we could run into some kids giving gratitude cards to a policeman so I could capture it on camera, but unfortunately it was just a rainy day.

My sister and I checked to see if Tante Marie Patisserie was open for her belated birthday cake but alas, its opening hours have been affected by the public holiday. We left our host's clear umbrella by the door to let it drip while we quickly went upstairs to fetch Mom and Dad. When we got back down, the umbrella was gone. Granted we have been too complacent, but we never thought such thievery exists here. Later on our host said not to worry about the umbrella and he did not make us pay for it.

Unfortunately the cinema had no online booking facility. So the 3pm session was already fully booked when we got there just after lunch time. We selected the 6:30pm session instead.

We decided to just relax in this mall and not get wet anymore. My sister thought of a great way to ensure that she can get her hands on some Morozoff cheesecake before it sells out--to buy some now! And so off she went, and since the store was just downstairs she returned with the sweet bounty in a jiffy.

There were some restaurants just a floor below. After conducting a visual survey, my sister and I decided to replicate our "cook your own beef patty" experience three years ago. We settled in Hokkaido Kuro Maru, while Mom and Dad had lunch in Toriryouri Teppanyaki Kashiwa. Our restaurant must be good as people queued up for it. Soon, my sister and I thoroughly enjoyed our flavourful beef patty with a side of chicken in cream sauce and with rice and salad.

After being filled, we checked the department store downstairs to pass the time. Dad and I saw fashionable and functional warm jackets that cost a fortune and we just smiled at the price tags. Mom had excitedly found a bag that she can use for her upcoming high school reunion. It had the perfect colour to match their motif. It was lightweight too despite looking quite sturdy. My sister found a very warm infinity shawl that will definitely prove its worth on her return to the Great White North.

Uniqlo Ueno was close by, but we still had to use the umbrellas to get there. The store was packed. Here we found more warmers.

We took a shortcut across a seafood shop to avoid going through the rain and were surprised by the variety of their offerings, from fish to mollusks.

We came back in plenty of time for the movie. We were still full from our big late lunch so we skipped the snacks bar.

The cinema was impressive and super comfortable. The screen size was almost like an IMAX theatre. Also, the spaces between the rows of seats were strategically planned - even if you slouched, you would not see the heads of the people in front of you. And we even noticed umbrella holders behind the seats.

It was delightful to see the character growth in Elsa and Anna and the rest of the gang. The songs were memorable too.

After the film, we opted to pass by 7-Eleven to get dinner. My sister got herself Neapolitan pasta, whereas I had Yakisoba, Dad had some pork with soup and noodles and Mom had a rice and fish dish. Finally, we completed our meal with some cheesecake that survived all the traveling.

Outside, the Skytree continued to beam transcendent light, each flash momentary, but beautiful. Like our trip, almost coming to an end.Read more