Random wandering through Tokyo

July 13 -- I didn't much of today recovering from Mongolia.  It was so nice to sleep in a comfortable bed, so I slept in.

I had a late breakfast at Starbucks and used their wifi. It's interesting. I didn't miss internet in Mongolia, but here in Tokyo, I do. Everyone is so connected with their smartphones, I feel like I'm missing something. And the irony is it's harder to find free wifi here than in Ulaanbaatar!  At Starbucks, I actually had to ask another customer to help me get wifi. Apparently, you need to go through a registration procedure that requires the Internet before you can access the internet... Catch-22, eh?

I took the subway up to Yanaka in the northeast of Tokyo. The subway is so much easier nite than when I last was here. There are signs in English now! It makes it easy to get around since the subway system is very extensive. I even saw the people pushers later on -- conductors with batons to push people into the cars when it's crowded.

It took me a bit of wandering and asking strangers who knew very little English before I found Yanaka street. It was a quiet waking street with small food and specialty shops. It had a rural feel without the hustle and bustle of downtown Tokyo.  I was a little late so most of the restaurants had already closed for lunch. So I embed up at an Indian restaurant. I was the only one there but the food was good. The owner was from Northern India and had lived in Tennessee. Go figure.

It's do humid here I decided to head back for a shower.  Some observations... People don't tend to wear sunglasses. Lots of bikers on the sidewalks. Bicycles aren't locked locked up often when left. People don't make eye contact -- I think Japanese have perfected the technique of looking at you without looking at you...