The Tokyo Metro Museum in Kasai
Today was my last rest day. Tomorrow, hiking, Thursday, fly home.
I had no plan, so I just scrolled around google maps while having my breakfast coffee. I landed on a train museum. I like train museums. Last year I went to the big one near Omiya and that was great. Today I went to a small one at Kasai, in the East of Tokyo, and it was ok. It is small and cheap, but held my attention for an hour.
The highlight is undoubtedly the spot where you can stick your head through a hole and take an idiotic selfie. Apparently I am too old to play train driver with the school kids, otherwise that might have been the highlight.
After absorbing all the knowledge on offer about the Tokyo metro, I re boarded the Tokyo metro, and saw that it went to Takanodababa, across the other side of town. That is close enough to my hotel, so I went there and walked around and had some lunch. Nothing interesting about that, but I did manage to have a mochi rice ball in syrup with whipped cream sandwich for lunch. Luckily I did not choke on it and die, because that seems to happen with alarming regularity!
This just left a pleasant stroll back to my hotel through Toyama park, which is not in Toyama (I have been to Toyama which is near Kanazawa). I am now relaxing and drinking a lot of water because I think I let myself get dehydrated yesterday. Tomorrow might be one of my shorter remaining hike options, perhaps one without any sliding down sandy and rocky cliffs so that I dont ruin another pair of pants.
Well, rain was forecast. It rained just before dawn. It was not raining now on the streets of Kasai, and soon after, clear blue blinding sky again.
Around Kasai station there is a giant fan, which had Koreans fleeing in terror of fan death.
These are the two full train carriages in the metro museum. The one on the right is a full replica of the first ever subway train to operate in Tokyo.
The inside is the same as the subway car I rode to the museum on, except its pink. Why are they not pink anymore? I scoured for info. All I could find was paragraphs of information on the silver seat fabric they used to use to designate seating for old people and what they reused it as when they phased it out. It is quite weird which bits of the museum had extensive English translations and which did not.
There are not many trains, so here is a bonus shot of the trains they do have. The entry fee to this place is only $2.50.
Japan had elephants? I thought it might have been a translation error, so I quickly searched, and yes, Japan used to have a native elephant species!
I got 9 out of 9.
My head is way too big to fit through the hole.
The school kids in matching colored mullet hats were aggressively preventing me from getting a turn on the train simulator.
Even Rod Stewart is jealous of this model railway. He has been in the news recently because he proudly allowed reporters to see his own awesome model railway he has been building for 50 years.
Red sultana drink? It debuts today, and is available across Tokyo in huge displays such as this. I think its a can of red wine?
Its my old car! In yellow. I wish mine was yellow instead of boring silver, but it is a GT3 MkII club sport just like mine.
Here is one of the alleyways of Takanodababa, a fun place name to say. featuring identically dressed business men.
Takanodababa is a busy place, multiple rail lines go through here.
The walk back towards my hotel was blinding! Japanese roads are very reflective, especially the paint.
Clear Pepsi Max (NEX). Great stuff. Lacking in potassium though.
This is Toyama park. It is just a neighborhood park, but quite large.
My journey back towards my hotel took me through Koreatown again, which was already quite busy in the early afternoon. Thats all for now.
Strolling from Shinjuku to Harajuku to Shibuya
2nd to last night in Japan on this trip, I had no plan. I headed south from Shinjuku, went through Harajuku and ended up in Shibuya. It was not Halloween in Shibuya, but something else was on there, I have no idea what, but a line was looping around the block 3 times.
This is only a short walk, 30 minutes, and you can basically follow one road all the way there. Thats what I did anyway.
Now for some urinal discussion. Apparently in Japan its ok to take your girlfriend with you to the urinal while video conferencing each other, set her down on the shelf in front of the urinal, and keep chatting to her while you urinate. Then you pick her up again and leave without washing your hands. I have seen this happen at least 3 times on this trip. It seems like it would possibly be an arrestable offence in other countries, especially if a girl trotted into the ladies toilets with a guy watching via video conference.
Tomorrow will be the final hike of this trip, on my last day. The weather should be good. As I have alluded to earlier, I have planned a shorter hike, a little closer to town. Almost no chance of running into a bear. This will leave me time tomorrow afternoon to clean my shoes and wipe my electronic devices so that I am not detained by Australian customs on my return.
Right by my hotel, food stalls have set up in the street. Mainly serving octopus balls and twisted potato on a stick. The idea of standing and eating in the street never appeals to me.
Just a random street in Shinjuku. Tonights pics will feature many random pics of streets.
I believe this is called the Togo shrine. Somewhere along the road between Yoyogi and Harajuku. Hand held 1/10 of a second.
The main street through Harajuku. A nice area, lots of places to eat and buy handbags.
Takeshita dori, everyone knows the name is amusing by now. I think this street has gone through a bit of a decline in popularity.
Some people will already know, but you will never see the name Samsung in Japan. All the phones are only branded Galaxy. Here is the Galaxy shop.
I think this was a live radio broadcast. It is all men pressed against the glass. The glass also has a big no photo sign. I took a photo.
I did not take a shot of 'the crossing', so here is a non the crossing photo of Shibuya. It is a different crossing from the crossing.
There was some sort of event occurring that required people to line up around the entire block of the Parco store. The picture does not really capture it, but there were at least a thousand people in a line for something. The only thing advertised on the windows was an Akira drawing art gallery, but that was not due to open until the weekend.
Another shot of the Shibuya streets. It is not Halloween, but look closely and you can see a bald Hare Krishna posing for photos with her ass hanging out of her gown.
OH BOY, MORE RAMEN! Tonights ramen was not red or spicy. To make up for the lack of chilli I got the combo with gyoza. I just throw these into the soup. It is probably bad etiquette to do that.
Last pic tonight, going past the robot cafe disco mardis gras whatever it is restaurant thing. It is the brightest lights in town, not really conveyed well in this photo. It can be seen from space.