Japan Day 13: Tokyo

Isn’t Little Nap just the best name for a coffee shop? Or maybe I love it so much because I’m ready for a long nap myself at this point. Either way, that’s where we started our day. Lydia and Michael had ice cream for breakfast and were absolutely delighted. The rest of us enjoyed delicious lattes and cakes.

We ate in this park designed for kids to simply explore creatively. They could dig, splash in water, play with ropes, hammer things, or even ride a unicycle. It was fascinating—an experience that would never pass safety standards in the United States.

The day had its frustrating moments. Jim had a flare up of plantar fasciitis and couldn’t join us. We got to the shopping neighborhood before the cute stores were open. There were discussions about whether we stay and wait for things to open, or head to the next thing on the list. We did finally find a couple of stores we loved: one that had handmade ceramics from Japanese artists at good prices, and a department store called Hands where all of us found something to buy.

And we find a cute place to eat Ramen and Gyoza for lunch. 😋

After lunch, Matt, Lydia, and I headed to the Ginza neighborhood to shop. It’s basically Tokyo’s version of Rodeo Drive—Cartier, Rolex, Hermès, Dior—the whole lineup. But because it was Black Friday, the streets and stores were absolutely packed. The metro was packed. Everything was packed. It felt like we could barely move. By the time we finally fought our way into the department store we’d been trying to reach, it was already time to turn around and go home…On the crowded subway. It was exhausting.

Matt and Brenna went out to dinner while we stayed home with the children, ate 7-Eleven food, and watched a movie. 7-Eleven here is amazing—there’s one on nearly every corned r, and it’s full of delicious and creative convenience foods: hot buns stuffed with pizza toppings, make-your-own smoothies, interesting salads, and yummy desserts. And with the same card the kids use for buses and trains, they can buy their own 7-Eleven treats. They love the independence. I wish we had these on every corner back home.