Japan Day 14: Small Explorations

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Our hotel lay a little off the tourist path in the area of Kitashinawaga, on a quiet little street busy with bicycles and foot traffic. Rather than race off to yet another busy tourist area we set off on foot instead, towards the canals and Tennozu Island.




Tennozu Island had coffee shops which hadn't opened yet, and several large creative arts spaces and buildings where vans had parked and people ran around importantly with cables, speakers, and the usual back of stage accoutrements for shows. We walked along the boardwalk beside the river, one of us seemingly having forgotten his qualms about tsunamis. As we wandered along the Tokyo Monorail rumbled past on its way from Haneda airport toward the city. Now I'd caught the monorail when I came to town and had already waxed lyrical about the beautiful midnight views as it tracked beside the river where lights from the buildings glittered in the dark water.

It's not a bright idea to carry on about a monorail to an engineer when you're standing beside a monorail station and he's just worked out that he can use his JR Rail pass, for which he's already paid, on the monorail. Before I could say 'boo' we were on our way to Haneda Airport where we didn't quite ride to the very end on account of the non-consecutive terminal numbering fooling us that we had done just that when we were in reality one stop short. No matter. We caught the monorail on its way back and scored a seat right up the front where we could see all the action.

Watching the driver at work.

Daytime, so no reflections.

Here comes another train. The thrills!

Below, the park. Above, the city.

Keritaki Garden was just across the railway line from the monorail terminus, begging to be explored. We wandered around enjoying the well groomed trees and garden views from little hillocks. Fat turtles sat on rocks enjoying the hazy sunshine while fat carp swam lazily in the water.



A single tree wore its full blossom dress while the rest hovered in the wings, popping out the odd flower and dragging out anticipation for as long as possible.


The quiet of the garden was lovely after the hustle of the railway station. 



Eventually we had to leave the park and head home for a break before going out to explore the Togoshi Ginza shopping area and forage for some dinner.


Togishi had its priorities right: the street was closed to cars every evening allowing pedestrians and bicycles to wander at will.  Wander they did, probably to the frustration of bicycle commuters, often with one or two children on board, who just wanted to get home. Trains, however, still had right of way. 




We found dinner at a little curry restaurant, Roger coping manfully with the low price of wine.

Then we caught the train home, and called it a day.

Chopstick competence update: unchanged, the curry was served with a spoon and fork, not a chopstick in sight.

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