Enjoyed a refreshing shower and foid/drink in the ANA lounge at NRT.
Now for 4 flights in a row, 3 of them in biz (but not lie flat, ie not real biz class 
You can only see the corner of the basket full of toiletries. Very nice.
Farewell rainbow
Lots of Japanese stopping on the street to snap photos, this appeared as I headed to the subway to go to the airport
Only in Japan part 2
Maid-themed restaurant (shill outside is how all the waitresses are dressed)
AKB48 cafe/gift shop
Google it (The girl band, not the cafe) or I’ll add another post later
AKB means Akihabara, an area well known for electronics and geek/manga culture. The video games in the multi storey Sega gaming building has some crazy complex graphics (I tried to follow someone playing, guess I’m too old for that now).
Cat cafe. Pay extra to hang out with cats while you support your latte. I grabbed this flyer somewhere but forgot to look for it
Putting restaurants under the 4 storey high train tracks. Waste no space.
Toilet seat instructions. Wow, can’t I just flush? Admittedly, the warm seat is a nice feature when it’s cold…
I like this one: Wash your hands in this sink, which drains into the toilet tank. Brilliantly resourceful.
Sights in/near Asakusa
Tokyo Skytree tower, the top is in the clouds so I didn’t bother going up. Allegedly taller than the CN Tower but it didn’t seem like it to me. Also, the base of this tower is wrapped in a 6 storey entertainment complex.
Kaminari-mon Gate at the end of Namakise shopping street, leading to…
Sensoji Temple
With a peekaboo old and new view of Tokyo Skytree.
Nearby was also a nice little sento (public bath) called Jakotsu yu, which has a real onsen (hot spring)
Final half day in Tokyo, raining and humid
Will get some photos up later today
I mention the humidity because I’m drenched before leaving hostel, and I was expecting less humidity compared to Hong Kong and Singapore, which it is outside.
Sushi time
At Tsukiji Sushi Sending near the famous wholesale market (church nigiri set ¥1260/$13 plus tax)
Tasty, but the wasabi seemed weak (I know we north americans use way more wasabi than the Japanese, and I even had to ask for the little ball of green devil, but if it isn’t searing my nostrils…)
Who says you can’t mix sushi and cheese?
Melted with a little kitchen blowtorch…
Only in Japan
Safe scooter parking
Street side fire extinguishers, in a safety capsule
No smoking while walking (on sidewalk)
Smoking corral
Heading out, take 2
Not raining currently, but showers are imminent.
After stepping out and drinking a can of warm milk coffee from a vending machine (¥100/$1) I felt too cold in shorts and a T-shirt despite weather app saying 21C gels like 27C. Ha!
There seems to be a vending machine on each block, with a can/bottle recycle bin next to each one (required by law?)
On a window next to this one was the following sign:
No idea what that means.
Rainy day in Tokyo
Off for a day of poking around the city…
Singapore wrap up
Not too much to say, really.
Basically 2 days hanging out with so-so weather. Though still hot and humid.
Walked around a lot, slept odd hours, revisited some old haunts, took a random LRT (light rail) neighbourhood ride at the end of the NE line (lots of cranes and 17 story residential towers under construction), ate a bunch of tasty inexpensive food (dhosas, mmm) and unfortunately wasn’t able to meet up with a good local friend.
Misc notes:
– prices have gone up in the last year, noticeable on MRT fares and food (my favorite masala dhosa is up to S$2.30/US$1.85 now)
– 2 new subway lines under construction
Singapore Flyer at night from taxi into town (the biggest Ferris wheel in the world, it’s twice as tall as the one in Seattke)
Best masala dhosa
Hanuman, I presume
Little India little up for the upcoming Deepavali festival
Vietnamese seafood noodles and a large Carlsberg (S$5/US$4 and S$6.30/US$5 respectively)
