2006-04-05, Day 5

We got up and got ready, before heading out to Mister Donut for breakfast. Jer got a muffin (green tea and red bean flavor, though reminiscent of bran) and a sweet potato-sesame pie. Both were yummy, though he preferred the muffin. Jess got an almond-frosted donut, which was also quite good (though really sweet). She drank watery orange juice, while he opted for the green Fanta.

As it was raining steadily, we had borrowed excellent umbrellas from our ryokan. We set out for the subway, which we took to Ueno station, just a couple stops away. We got more breakfast at a sandwich and baked goods shop called Andersen. Jer got a BLCT (a BLT with cheese and tons of mayo) and a salad of lettuce, cooked fish and edamame; Jess had finger sandwiches (seafood salad with cucumbers, egg salad with lettuce and tomato, and ham with lettuce, all slathered in mayo) and a delicious apple-cinnamon pastry, and we shared a hot cocoa, which was not sweet.

Thus fortified, we headed out into Ueno Park (known for its cherry trees, which were in bloom and lovely). At the north end we found our goal, the Tokyo National Museum. Despite intending to stop in just for a brief visit, we were there from 11:30 to 5:00, when it closed and they ushered us out. The museum has a phenomenal collection of Japanese art (most of which are designated "national treasures" — the museum seemed quite proud of this). Among the notable displays were: Buddhist sculptures (we were quite taken with their halos), lacquerware (one item was an amazing inlaid saddle), a display of Ainu life that included an embroidered birch-fiber robe (Ainu are indigenous people of northern Japan), swords and armor (though we preferred the displays at Himeji Jo, TNM has a naginata — a Japanese polearm — and a sword with a rosewood scabbard, which was simple but quite lovely), amazing furosode (kimono with long, narrow sleeves), one of which was tie-dyed, and some lovely ceramics.

In the Ainu room, Jer happened upon a German-speaking lady trying to understand the function of a quiver. When he helpfully explained it, she replied "like an umbrella stand". Um, yeah, just like that.

Midway through our visit, we stopped off in the cafe for a bite of lunch. Jer had tempura soba (which was good, but salty, with shrimp tempura in buckwheat-noodle soup), and Jess had cream-of-corn soup and spaghetti bolognese (which, though homemade, tasted scarily like Chef Boyardee). Jer continued to be mystified as to why the Japanese think it's a good idea to put tempura in soup.

Other than the main collection, we also tour TNM's exhibit on Japanese archeology (from 30,000 BC to 1868 AD). It illustrated how tightly Japanese culture was tied to developments in Korea and China, which was very interesting, especially since the displays were annotated from the Japanese point of view. Jess was particularly intrigued by the pre-Buddhist burial rituals. Chieftains were buried with terra cotta houses, servants, weapons, etc.

After we left the museum, we set out on disastrous attempt to have a sit-down snack at Ueno station. We foraged long and hard in search of a place that would serve food for both of us and let us sit down and eat it. We ended up eating a slice of cake, some soggy and yucky rice-nori-random-filling triangles, and a bizarre vending-machined "thé au lait" hot drink on the cold JR train platform. Still, better that than no snack at all. We took the train to Akihabara, and followed the excellent signage to the "Akihabara Electric Town." All of Tokyo is lit up like a low-lying version of Times Square, but we were unprepared for the luminal assault from Akihabara Electric Town. Every surface was covered in blinking lights, and at street level, there is no thematic unification even within a single shop. Jer was particularly taken with a shop that sold nothing but power cables. Jess liked the one that sold the standard array of portable DVD players, cell phones, etc... and perfume!

After wandering around a bit, peering into the LED shop, the thermometer shop and a few other small stalls, we headed into Laox, one of the electronics superstores. In their Home Store, Jer drooled over the wide selection of single-unit washer/driers, we marveled at the dorm fridge-sized dish washers (with a mini rack perfectly sized for Japanese teacups), and we were dazzled by the array of rice cookers. On the 6th floor, we spent some quality time being manhandled by the massage chairs. The one Jess picked was quite enthusiastic, and Jer giggled while she made faces as the chair pounded her back, squeezed her hips and calves, etc. Eventually Jess turned the chair over to him, and Jess took pictures of the funny faces he made!

Jer really wanted to see if there were any fabulous Japanese computers, so we headed into another megastore, Ishimaru. Jer was somewhat impressed by the 24 inch widescreen pivot LCD in portrait mode, and the home entertainment PCs. Jess was only interested in the tiny PCs. We both want a Panasonic CF-R4. It has a 10.4 in screen, a 1.2 GHz processor, a 60 gig hard drive, 512 MB of RAM (expandable up to a gig), and weighs only 1 kilo. It costs ¥200,000 (just under $2,000).

Tearing ourselves away from the tiny computer, we headed back to Ueno. Before we left NYC, Jess had found a recommendation for an eel restaurant, Izuei, and had printed off a coupon for free drinks and a map. After a few false starts we found the restaurant (which has no English sign). The waitresses were dressed in kimono, and the decor was understated but somehow calming. For our free drinks Jer ordered "soda", which turned out to be a delicious clear lemon soda (though Jess was initially afraid it was soda water, which she despises). Jer ordered the Prince Box (a double layer of grilled eel over rice), and Jess got the medium Eel Box (a smaller, single layer version). Both came with Japanese pickles and soup, though the soup was weird-looking and even Jer couldn't bring himself to finish it. The eel, however, was delicious and very fresh — Jess saw one of the chefs walk into the kitchen with a box of live eels!

We took the subway back to Asakusa, where we stopped into the AM PM for some morning snacks (a nori-rice triangle for Jer, a waffle and oj for Jess) and more biz. By then it was late, so we headed back to the ryokan. Jer borrowed the public computer, where he verified that we can, in fact, get a Panasonic CF-R4 mini-computer in the US. Yay! Our minds at ease, we went to sleep.