Tokyo Motoring

Reading: Does the December Elle count as reading?
Listening: "Friday, I'm In Love," The Cure

Saturday, October 27
We arrived in Tokyo early on the Evil Bus. I eased away my snarlies with delicious espresso (and breakfast) at an Illy Cafe tucked into the back of the station.

Coffee art.

After buying the tickets for our return home, we caught a train for the Tokyo Motor Show, which was actually held in Chiba (Prefecture). Along the way, we passed a gargantuan IKEA, which tempted me to empty my wallet on beautiful Swedish goods. We rode on past. As we exited the station, the cold rain, blown against our poorly protected bodies by strong winds, actually made me thankful to enter the warmly lit interior of the car halls, despite my heavy lack of enthusiasm.

We spent the day--9:30 am through 6:30 pm--at the show, wandering through the car displays, with Chris snapping shots of nearly every display. The occasional pretty car caught my eye, but I was more intrigued by the human, rather than mechanical, goings-on.

For the wealthy, the motor show functions as an auto mini mall. The man at right speaks with the sales associate about purchasing this gorgeous Ferrari.

Aside from the outrageously wealthy, the other noticeable human feature at these events is the women. And not "regular" women, mind you, but beautiful, slim women with perfect manicures and makeup who pose beside the display models and distribute informational pamphlets. Many of the photo-snapping men weren't there for the cars. As I stood with Chris, I looked through the camera viewfinders of the surrounding men. Few viewfinders were focused on the cars.

I was quite likely the only woman at the show not clad in high heels. No matter though, as I required comfort in roaming the spacious halls.

This (concept) car is squishy. And cute.

This word translates as "Passion." I laughed that nearly every company represented listed "Passion" somewhere in their motto.

Chris won an online lottery which allowed him to sit in the new Nissan GT-R--the star of the show--for a grand minute. The GT-R "guards" granted me permission to enter the private room to take his picture.

GT-R.

I prefer this car. Can you see the robot friend at the front? He talks! Parallel parking is a breeze with the rotating wheels. If only this concept car were a reality.

We left the show to even worse weather, and the packed train was not only late, but was moving at a crawl due to strong winds. What should have been a thirty minute ride stretched into an hour. We escaped at the nearest station and caught the subway to our hotel.

We stayed at our much loved Hotel Hokke Club Nihombashi and found hot dinners at a family restaurant in the area. Back in our room, I indulged in the complementary bath salts before quickly falling asleep.

Sunday, October 28
We woke up early for a hotel breakfast of assorted breads before checking out. Next stop, Ueno. A day in Ueno Park would be my reward for being a good and patient Kristine at the Motor Show.

An Ueno-version advertisement for Soup Stock Tokyo, one of my favorite Japanese food chains.

Ueno consists of an assortment of museums (art/history/science) surrounding the park. I wanted to visit this Chagall exhibit, but alas, no time.

We first explored Ameyokocho, an alleyway selling fruit, clothes, and candy for cheap. The shopkeepers advertised their wares in strange, gravely shouts. Chris mentioned that earlier in the week, a man had been shot--yakuza involvement. Our experience was mellow; no yakuza and no candy.

The famous statue of Saigo Takamori in Ueno Park. Don't let his mild-mannered appearance fool you. This guy could've kicked your ass.

Ueno Zoo. わくわく！

Even as an animal lover, I love zoos. I'm sad to see such beautiful creatures trapped in cages, yet I'm still happy to encounter them.

The pandas are the star attraction, but they have the worst living conditions. Cold tile floors and no greenery. A crowd pushed past the window, flashing pictures as the ineffective zoo worker shouted not to do either.

Grunt. Chris doing a darn good gorilla impression.

Dholes are adorable and can make many shrieks and cries.

Chris and I will be this sea lion family one day.

I don't know what this animal is, but he was enjoying a nap in a zoo tree.

A pregnant goat. (Her head is on the opposite end.) Poor girl. Everyone kept rubbing her bump.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Lucky I'll be home soon. Or this turkey would be dinner.

Foxy.

We took awhile at the zoo, which is quite large, but we eventually left the animals for the Tokyo National Museum. The main building overlooks a breezy, tree-lined walkway populated that day by a small kebab booth and a crew of skateboarders.

The main complex was a little dull, though it included a wide range of artifacts, such as a beautiful kimono collection. The archaeological displays were presented in much more modern style. Before leaving, we investigated the museum gift shop, where I bought a book on Japanese art.

We ate dinner at a "Western food" restaurant in Ueno Station. My meal included a dessert of cool vanilla pudding and "ice monaka," a thin sugar wafer (cat-shaped) atop a scoop of azuki ice cream.

Full with curry and ginger pork, we returned to Tokyo Station, where we bought the usual Tokyo Banana souvenirs for our co-workers and caught the Shinkansen home.

Going home in comfort. No Evil Bus this time!

Goodbye Tokyo. We'll see you next month!