This past week has seemed more like a month in terms of unique experiences, but I’ll admit I was looking forward to seeing my friends the most on this trip. We were scheduled to meet up in the Minato Ward’s Tokyo station, which is the most expansive metro station by far (side note: I’ve now been to every ward in Tokyo). To kill some time, I checked out the in-station art gallery featuring a classic tortured-soul painter from the early 20th century. Gotta be honest, I couldn’t see the influences the cue cards claimed in each portrait but I’m just Philistine after all. No photos were allowed inside so you’ll have to imagine what they looked like from the advertising.
We stowed luggage in coin lockers and headed out for one of Japan’s staple commodity: conveyor belt sushi (also called rotation sushi). This place actually had a customized track for specific orders made on a table’s tablet as well as the lazy river style of options anyone could choose as dishes passed by on a track. I can now cross “shark” off the list of animals I haven’t consumed – not too bad considering my deep fear of the predator that hasn’t had to evolve since the Permian extinction.
Jen split off to collect her pre-race materials while Ryan and I checked out Sunshine City, a multilevel mall with two destinations for weebs: the Pokémon Center and the One Piece Mugiwara Store. Both were packed with the Saturday crowds; the line to the register in the former wound around the interior walls until a worker with a signpost delineated the starting point (it actually moved along fairly quickly). The One Piece store had a different method of traffic flow: keeping people in the actual store to a minimum with the line wrapping around the outside (this one on the other hand took an hour to get in).
We regrouped and collected our luggage to meet the host of our last AirBnB: the Zenhouse. I’ll admit I was uneasy to meet the host as they specifically wanted to drive us from the station to the house, but it turns out this was due to their unfailing hospitality. I’m glad to be wrong on this one; the locale and personnel couldn’t be more welcoming. I even got the tatami mat room!
This morning is the marathon, so expect some photos of the race at different locations. Go Jen!
Ice's Travels 