Ueno, Nippori and Ginza.

We start each day with a very good flat white coffee, Australian style, at the Byron Bay Cafe, just a short walk from our hotel here in Hamamatsucho. This morning we were heading to a new part of Tokyo for us: Ueno Park, site of a number of major museums and Japan's most popular city park. Once we got there we headed first to the Asian Gallery, but fairly quickly decided we'd devote our museum energies today for a thorough look at the monumental Tokyo National Museum, just next door to the Asian Gallery.

Established in 1872 the Tokyo National Museum has a very grand entrance and beautifully crafted interiors.

We spent a couple of hours here - really enjoying the range of exhibits, but especially the Samurai paraphernalia (armour, swords, costumes etc), beautiful textiles (kimonos) and decorative arts (pottery), tea ceremony artefacts and lots of scroll paintings. There were many ancient objects too, speaking to Japan's ancient past.

I loved seeing the Netsuke collections - especially the contemporary netsuke collection belonging to Prince Takamado (who died in 2002 aged 47).

We loved this very Japanese touch outside the museum - a "locker area for umbrellas" all neatly coded and locked for visitors.

After nearly two hours looking at the collection we enjoyed a quiet matcha tea moment in the museum's outdoor cafe.

The historic gardens adjacent to the Museum are interesting too........

A large water feature .....

Historic tea houses (some of them are hundreds of years old having been moved here over the past century) .......

After our extended time at the Museum our next goal was to find Nippori Fabric Town, the famous centre of all Tokyo's sewing and craft supplies. We decided to walk there from Ueno Park -about a 30 minute walk through the quiet suburban streets of this part of town.

In this photo Rob has captured me walking through a Nippori "red light area" we think?? There were a number of small hotels with short stay rentals advertised (like one hour) and with pictures of very pretty girls on the billboards - though all very clean and neat of course being Japan.

This house looked a bit seedy - but not in THAT way however!

We found Fabric Town eventually - yay for me!

We enjoyed a late lunch together at another cute little suburban diner in Fabric Town and afterwards I spent an hour of so exploring a couple of shops (but especially Tomato Selection Kan), while Rob went for a bit of a wander. He enjoys exploring the streets of Tokyo and taking arty photos.

It was getting close to 4.00pm before we boarded the train back to Tokyo Station. Our goal was to find the wonderful sweet shop we'd discovered in Ginza back in 2016 (with Maxie) as we had a powerful urge to enjoy some high quality Daifuku for our after dinner treat tonight.

Walking south west from Tokyo Station we eventually got to the high end "high street" of this rather opulent part of Tokyo - Harumi-Dori Avenue in Ginza...... 

...... and down the avenue a block or two and there we find it - the quite unassuming but wonderful little Ginza Akebono (which has been on this same site for 63 years apparently)

People were queuing today for strawberry filled daifuku - a Spring specialty.

They were beyond scrumptious!!!! We also bought some of our fave mame daifuku mochi cakes filled with red bean paste and whole red beans.... a feast!

We walked back to our hotel from there, admiring the extravagant Ginza architecture along the way.....

This is the best (value) little hotel in Hamamatsucho.... so close to wonderful rail transport anywhere in Tokyo - so well maintained, so roomy by Tokyo standards, so clean and quiet and only $200AUD a night - it's such a great place to stay!

This is roomy by Tokyo standards(and nicely minimal)!

A day in Tokyo

We really achieved quite the miracle meet up in Tokyo this morning. We'd arranged via WhatsApp (via Google Translate) to meet up with our dear friend Haruko's brother Shin and his partner Kyoko at Tsukishimo Station at 11am. We were going to have lunch at one of the monjayaki restaurants that this area of Tokyo is famous for. We don't speak Japanese and Shin and Kyoko don't speak English, so we knew it was going to be an "interesting" meetup as well as fun.

Despite Rob's best efforts his phone's global roaming isn't working in Tokyo(??) so we were left to find Tsukishimo Station (about 3 and a 1/2 klms from our hotel) without using GoogleMaps and without the full benefit of online Google Translate either.

Despite all this, walking to Tsukishimo was very interesting. We skirted around Hama Rikyu gardens and over a bridge over a branch of the Sumida River to get there - so all very varied, but all so quiet and laid back in this oh so busy city.

It felt quite miraculous to eventually meet up with Shin and Kyoko as we'd planned at the station. We greeted each other like old friends and shared our respective greetings (them in English and us in Japanese) - and after that we had to rely on Google Translate for everything.

Shin is an enthusiastic and skilful monjayaki cook. It made for a fun lunch. Monjayaki is actually a perfect accompaniment to Japanese beer and great for audience participation. This version had cod roe and tiny rice cakes in it.

Followed by a Kansai version of Okonomiyaki (with pork) - also delicious!

I thought Shin was taking a picture of his Okonomiyaki - but he sneaked in a picture of us instead!

This was how everyone else was doing it!

The obligatory pics outside the restaurant on Tsukashima's famous Monja "eat street"

From Tsukashima we took a taxi to the amazing Sumida Hokusai Museum in the Ryogoku district of Tokyo. Built in 2016 the museum is dedicated to the artist Hokusai who was born in this district and who spent most of his long life here.  The building itself is a work of art, in its own right.

I thought I knew a fair bit about the work of Hokusai, but to see so much of his work so well curated, and to see so much of it depicting the local scenery (albeit that of Tokyo (and Mt Fuji) around 200 years ago) was a rare treat. 

The woodblock printing process was so well explained too .....

That famous wave print - its iconic!

Hokusai was such a prolific artist - thousands of beautiful drawings filling hundreds of books over his 90+ years of living. What a treat to see some of them.....

We caught the subway then to Kameido Tenjin Shrine in Tokyo's Koto Ward. Built in 1661 the shrine is a place of worship for the Shinto god of learning. The temple was VERY crowded today - being the last day of Golden Week, a Japanese holiday when the wisteria  is is full bloom. Five days ago the wisteria blossoms were at their peak. Unfortunately they were past their peak today, but the crowds were heavier than ever. We did not even attempt to get close to the shrine itself as the lines were too long.

As an interesting aside Kyoko reminded me that Utagawa Hiroshige, another famous Japanese artist of the same era as Hokusai produced many beautiful woodblock prints - views of the Tenjin Shrine at Kameido (and specifically of that red bridge).

Of course this was well before the grounds of the temple also framed a beautiful view of Tokyo's nearby Skytree Tower.

Walking the streets around the temple was very interesting too.

We walked past this open parkland area facing Hokusai-Dori Avenue; unusual to find open space like this in built up Tokyo - and very crowded with families having picnics on this holiday afternoon.

Shin and Kyoko came with us back to Hamamatsucho - just to make sure we were managing the train system ok - they are so caring and generous in looking out for us! We enjoyed a coffee together before saying goodbye - until the next time we meet up - maybe in Australia?? (fingers crossed!)

Walking back to the hotel we're always intrigued by these character filled old buildings behind the modern hotels and corporate buildings of Hamamatsucho!

Dinner last night was at a local small udon noodle "Tokyo Diner" type of place. We loved it - especially the tofu, Wagyu beef sushi and sardine appetizers, and the turnip? tempura garnishing each bowl of udon noodles.

And we cannot walk past our local Dorayaki suppliers for dessert .....