Day Three in Tokyo

So, today I went to Ueno to see the National Museum, since I hadn't put in any serious museum time on the trip, and the collection is supposed to be fantastic. Plus, I saw that it was going to be cloudy today and maybe rain. Anyway, it worked out nicely. The museum was very good, and even though I was pretty tired of reading descriptions of artwork by the end, it was still a worthwhile trip. I also hit the Shinjuku History Museum, which was cute, but clearly more interesting to people who had relatives who lived in prewar Shinjuku, as the recreated homes and shops, and the evocative collection of photographs, would have meant a lot more. They have some great Japanese toys, though, mainly falling along the lines of the impossible to solve geometric puzzles (e.g. putting down a set of pieces to fill a particular space, or trying to untangle a rope/metal hoop combination). I walked around the Ameya-Yokocho Arcade, which was fun but would have been even better if I was looking for something, because it was the first place in Tokyo where I saw some really good deals. Before hopping onto the subway again, I stopped in a great toy store (Yamashiroyo) which let me pick up a bunch of anime stuff. Finally, I rode two more stops towards Asakusa (getting off at Tawaramachi) to walk through Kappabashi-Dori (the Restaurant Supply City). It was awesome. If you ever need something for your kitchen and find yourself in Toyko, you have to check this place out. They have literally everything a restaurant owner needs to run his/her store, from chairs to uniforms to order slips to signs to knives to plates to fake food. I picked up a nice piece of fake food as a gift, though I think I paid top dollar by going in (entirely by accident) the fanciest of the fake food stores first.

At that point it was already after 5 pm, so I headed back to my hotel, and chilled out for an hour before heading out for dinner in Akasaka (so stay within walking distance of my hotel). (I'd had lunch at Samarat, an Indian restaurant where I got a 1000 yen lunch plates including the largest piece of naan I've ever seen.) My objective was first Jangara Ramen, but there were not English words anywhere on the storefront or on the displayed menu, so I decided not to risk it (even though I was looking forward to a filling meal for less than 1000 yen). So I went for my backup, Sushi-sei, which was a five minute walk away, and when I got there, there was a little bit of English on the exterior signage, so I went in. The waitress who seated at the sushi bar spoke fluent, unaccented English and handed me the English ala carte menu. The prices were very reasonable, the sushi excellent, and I always like watching the chefs in action. The place was packed, so there was a lot of activity, and it was generally all around fun. Plus, it only cost 2500 yen with a beer, which is pretty good for a filling (12 pieces of nigiri) sushi meal. I then got an excellent chocolate croissant from a nearby coffee shop, went back to my hotel, and walked around the garden while I ate my dessert. Overall, it was pretty satisfying day.