Another day, another breakfast involving red beans. I thought it was going to be a teacake with raisins but I was sadly mistaken. We ate our breakfast in Ueno Park. In Japan they love pandas. Nowhere more so than in Ueno. I have no idea why because there definitely aren't any roaming the streets!
The park is really nice; it's full of temples and shrines and flowers and stuff.
There is also a good selection of attractive manhole covers.
I thought this sign was funny because I didn't understand why anyone would want to have a kareoke party early in the morning.
Turns out it is referring to Hanami, which is viewing the cherry blossom in the spring. So it is a sensible sign after all. As for this one...
On the way from the park to the market we passed the local rocket launcher:
Ameyoko is a kind of market area. You can buy pretty much anything, from octopus...
...to shoes...
...to Michael Jackson masks.
When the weirdness got too much, we decided to go to Akihabara for a bit of normality. Oh no wait...
Akihabara is not normal by any stretch of the imagination. It is geek paradise. There are game shops, manga shops, toy shops (for grown ups) etc. It is the main electronics area of the city but as I am not really that into technology, I focussed on the other things there. One of the things I wanted to do the most in Japan was go to a Maid Cafe.
When I saw them roaming the streets of Akihabara promoting their respective cafes, I changed my mind. While they are not prostitutes, it still seemed a little sleazy and demeaning to me. But let's move on before I get into a rant on women's rights. As I am sure everyone is aware, Manga is MASSIVE in Japan. I read somewhere that comics are three times more popular with Japanese adults than they are with children in America. Manga women all look very similar (and very little like the actual women of Japan!). The majority are very beautiful, but some are downright hideous:
Advertising is a massive industry in Japan. Looking at this poster, what do you want to buy more? The hat or the drink? I know what I would choose.
After lunch we went to Ginza to look round the shops while they were actually open. First stop was the Sony Centre.
I thought that I would not really like it much and that Boyo would be much more interested than me but I was wrong. It was brilliant! I fell in love with a camera that is yet to be released in English, watched 3D TV and even bought something (only headphones, nothing too advanced, sadly). The souvenir shops of Asakusa were beckoning, so we headed back for a bit of shopping.
Oh, and an ice cream too. Mine was plum. Yum yum yum.
One place that was massively hyped up by my Japan Expert was Odaiba, particularly for the view of the Rainbow Bridge at night. Whilst waiting for the sun to set we feasted on Yaki Soba.
I bet you didn't know the Statue of Liberty was actually in Tokyo. I wonder if she looks this manly in New York.
Dolls are tres tres popular in Japan.
As it started to get dark we claimed a good spot for photographing the Rainbow Bridge all lit up. The view was pretty sweet.
In fact, it was probably one of my favourite views from the whole trip. I am quite pleased with my pictures, especially considering that I took them balanced on a fence, and I do not have the steadiest of hands.
Now, here is the sad thing: we waited for hours to see the bridge light up. Literally HOURS. And it just didn't happen. I was a bit heartbroken. Luckily I came across this amusing sign in the toilets at the station to cheer me up.
Is letting your baby fall off a table and/or forgetting it a genuine concern for Japanese parents?!
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