Tokyo, Our Last Full Day

It was cloudy but didn't rain, though it was predicted.  We had fun doing our shopping.  We decided to catch the opening of the Mitsukoshi Department Store at 10:00.  They make an announcement, followed by doors open and about 5 minutes of bowing as one walks among the displays.   To reach the store in time, we took the subway to the Nihombashi Bridge, getting a repeat look at the official endpoin of the Nakasendo Trail.  We also saw the Edo Bridge.  Both were originally wooden with the graceful arch.  They are both now flat, concrete and underneath a modern expressway, whose foundation arise from the waters in the former moat.

At Mitsukoshi, we viewed the food displays on the basement floors and then went up to the "crafts" floor.  We also walked through watches, comprised of the famous brand names priced up to and over 10 million yen ($81,000).  Crafts turned out to be needlepoint, kniting, beads and the like.  Betsy bought a crewel and embroidery kit for a Christmas decoration.  It seems odd that a place with Shinto and Buddhist religions celebrate Christmas.  The shops have put up their Christmas decorations already.  But, they liked halloween, too.

We next went in search for the true Ginza and found it.  The band on my fancy hiking and mountain climbing watch started failing early on this trip and whle duct tape worked for a while, the end was near.  So, we stopped into a watch shop, first to ask about replacement bands (none available for my sized watch) and second, to see if a replacement watch might be available.  There was a small dsiplay of altimeter watches by Sieko.  I am bringing one home.  It is solar powered and never needs a battery replacement.  

We next went to S. Watanabe, specialist in wood cut prints.  We found a nice print of a sunset over an historic post town, like we visited on the Nakasendo Trail, and are bringing home, too.

Our last purchase were 3 "anpan," billed as Japan's national sweet - round buns stuffed with red bean paste.  We enjoyed 2 regular ones and one with fig-walnut paste in Hibiya Park with lemon tea as a break from shopping.  We walked back to our hotel via the US Embassy.

We got a new room in the hotel (because I booked it separately since the tour package ended this morning).  We have an Artist Room, which means it has painted walls.  We have a bamboo-themed room.  A free saki comes with the room, which we are enjoying as I write this.

Later, we went out to find dinner and happened upon a wine bar.  We each had a glass of wine and shared ratatouille and seafood paella.  We walked back to the hotel passing by the start of the main street of the Ginza.  It was lit with a vertical signs, which advertise what is on each floor of each building.  We re-packed for our long travel day tomorrow.