Wow, looking at my phone I covered a lot of ground today! Lots of photos, so let's get started!
After typing up the previous day's blog I got ready and headed outside. I seem to be waking up around 5, but was able to get back to sleep for a bit longer, take my time in the morning, and then head out by 10am. That's when everything starts to open in Japan anyway.
Today's plan was to start out just wandering Ueno Park. It is a very large park (think Central Park, but a little smaller) and Sunday was the perfect day to go to it!
I started out entering the park near my hotel, on the opposite side of the pond. I had seen stalls and a Christmas tree and there are a few stalls and a small Christmas Market that is set up there. Not all the stalls were open and nothing was grabbing me, so I wandered on, taking me wherever it looked interesting. Up some steps I saw the roof of a temple and found the oldest structure in Ueno Park: Kiyomizu Kannon-do. It was small, but a nice temple, and I was able to get a goshuin for the first time in years there, so that was nice! (Just now realizing I didn't take any photos here! Opps. Oh well, I was enjoying the moment.)
So some sort of event was going on in Ueno Park, near the Museum. I was drawn to the sounds of music and the smells of good food, and there were tons of food stalls and people dressed up in bright, colorful outfits that was like if Sparkle Motion took on a traditional Japanese theme. And pretty much, that's what it was, as group after group went up on a stage and did a dance routine and waved giant banners and flags. It was really fun! Good beats! :)
Apparently, though, this was not a dance festival, this was just some entertainment to watch and listen to while you ate delicious food from the stalls. For this was the Shitamachi High Calorie Festival! LOL, the website (translation) boasts: "Gather, Calories! The Immoral Gourmet Festival has arrived in Ueno Park , with high-calorie food as the main attraction, helping you stock up on calories for the cold season !" Eat delicious food so I can stay warm for the upcoming winter?? Don't have to ask me twice!! I only ate two things but they were DELICIOUS:
A tornado potato
Grilled pork skewers
I'm making myself hungry all over again just posting this! The nice lady at the grilled meat stall liked my hair and said the color really "popped"! There were tables to stand at so you could eat your food and watch the dancers.
Nearby I took a little sit at the Reflecting Pond (it's not a pool) to finish my drink (Calpis, of course) and see where I wanted to go next.
Since my feet were still fresh and the day still young, I decided to walk a little further north where the International Library of Children's Literature was. I've always been interested and now I finally had time to go! It's a big, marble and stone building of three floors with a Children's room, a World Literature room with popular children's books from all over the world, a Story Time room (which was closed), a Teen Research room (their nonfiction categorization is not the same as our Dewey), an event room with a really pretty glassed-in balcony among the trees (there was a craft time going on where the kids could make a tissue paper mosaic leaf), and then a historical museum with original books and illustrations of children's literature throughout the years and around the world. It was all very lovely (and quiet!) and I love that they have this!
THIS is a Japanese Large-billed crow. Often confused with ravens
\He had a friend!
A better picture of the pretty wings on the Oriental Turtle Dove
And I was lucky that the cemetery leads right to a train station! I had just enough time to go back to the hotel and rest my poor feet, but first I had some dinner at a soba shop which only had tall stools (my tummy was happy with the choice, but my feet were not), and also get lost in the station trying to find the Keisei line which would take me much closer to the hotel than the Yamanote line would. Alas, I couldn't figure it out and ended up just taking the Yamanote line to Ueno, but it was the line that dropped me off near the Park exit rather than the Shinobazu gate which is closer. I had done a complete circle from the start of my day at Ueno Park! My feet were grateful for the hour rest when I finally made it back to the hotel.
Then it was time for the only reservation I had made for this trip: a cycling tour of Tokyo! Cycling Holiday Tokyo offers tours of Tokyo on e-bikes and the tour guide, Jenny, spoke English and was able to talk about the many different spots around downtown/mid-town Toyko, especially the illumated Christmas light spots!! There were so many! And she knew all of the coolest places for the best photos. I got to see places I never really had a chance or need to go to (because I'm poor, why would I be in Ginza or Roppongi LOL). I was the only person on the tour as the other couple who had signed up had canceled. That was fine though, Jenny and I had a great time seeing the sights (when I wasn't busy trying not to run into people or cars) and walking around little plazas looking at the lights and talking about things we do in America vs Japan (KFC or ham for Christmas, visiting Japan or Vietnam because the currency is weaker and things are cheaper, our favorite foods, etc). I would not want to try and ride a bike by myself in Japan and I have no idea how Jenny knew when to drive in the street, in the bike lane, or on the sidewalks (I know they have signs). E-bikes are a life saver and made going up hills super easy! They also went super fast! I hadn't ridden a bike in decades until that point, and while "it's like riding a bike", my balance was still not the greatest nor my agility. Yet in the end I had a great time, saw some amazing sights and parts of Tokyo I'd never seen before, and I did not hit anyone, nor did anyone hit me! Yay!! Jenny also took lots of pictures and shared them with me!! Time for a photo dump!
This tree was inside the main post office, Kitte Marunouchi, right by Tokyo Station!
Jenny treated me to her favorite taiyaki place. She was happy to learn I like adzuki beans!
Santa-san also likes to sing karaoke!
This train is over 100 years old and was one of the first routes out of Tokyo from Shimbashi to Yokohama
A fun pose and photo op place Jenny wanted to try because she saw it on IG
There were two girls behind us in line that cracked us up, saying they were going to photo-bomb us and each picture would have half their face and when you put the pictures together it would form their whole face! LOLOLOL
Jenny said the tofu restaurant behind me is very yummy! She recommends it!
There were so many expensive cars in Roppongi Hills, it was crazy!
You can see Tokyo Tower and the lights!
It was a very popular spot with many police directing foot and car traffic
A Christmas market tucked away inside the Roppongi Hills Arena
A fun look over Roppongi to Tokyo Tower. I felt like I was in a CLAMP anime!
This photo-op spot was super popular, and a group of young girls were all dressed up and helped us take a photo! Jenny said we should hire them to teach us all the tricks to posing and lighting!
Jenny said that next time I'm back in Japan to bring Jeff with me and we'll take this photo together! Missing my lovely husband!
Does the sorting hat fit over bike helmets?
Akasaka is the location of a very big Harry Potter experience museum, shops and cafes!
Jenny and I in front of the Harry Potter tree!
Marunouchi near Tokyo Station
There were so many wedding photos being taken! All the women looked so cold in their bare shoulders!
When we made it back to the Cycling Holiday HQ, Jenny gave me the cutest little parting gift of a hand towel wrapped up very cutely! I promised her I would be back again and this time with my husband! I really really recommend their tours, she really was an awesome guide and so funny!
My angry feet fought me the whole trip home, but I was able to hobble into bed and promptly fall asleep. What a great day it was!
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