Fitful night’s sleep. Got up around 0930 to fix coffee and breakfast. Slow start…Aki not here to chivvy us along. Got going eventually and headed for the Hamarikyu Gardens. Hot work walking from the train station to the gardens…we had intended to end the garden walk at the pier and jump aboard the water bus, but the pier was closed. We paid to get into the gardens, which are built around several ornamental ponds, which are fed from the adjoining estuary, making the ponds tidal. Beautifully laid out and landscaped.
We walked southward afterward to a new pier head, and bought water bus tickets to Asakusa. Had an hour’s wait so bought some lunch items in a nearby store and sat out in the sun awaiting our boat’s arrival. The river ride took 45 minutes, which we spent above deck watching the city go by, eventually disembarking at Asakusa, where we made for the temple Sensoji…
...a C7th edifice with adjacent pagoda, and a renowned row of some 100 little Edo era shops which line the route from the famous Kaminarimon Gate and it’s giant paper lantern, to the temple at the northern end. The place was heaving! We pushed and shuffled our way down it and sought temporary refuge in the tourist information centre, climbing to the 8th floor viewing platform. Decided to cut our losses and head for Meguro to meet up with Aki and Izumi…got a Gonzales line subway train to Kansa, then made our way to the Yamanote Line…met Aki outside Meguro station. Izumi was in the nearby Tully’s Coffee house and we repaired thence for a cold drink.
From there we walked to our dinner venue, a little tonkatsu joint, and wedged ourselves onto a small table for four…the food was good, the pork cutlets being very tender. Flagged down a cab on the main drag to despatch us to the Gigabar, where we hooked up with Aki’s cousins Mariko and Takako, and one of her old Kajima workmates.
Aside from one other gentleman, who got up to play guitar with the house band, we were the only ones in there this evening. I persuaded Mariko to accompany me and the band for a rendition of Heart of Gold, followed by Country Honk…bit messy, but good fun.
Izumi insisted I get up and do another later, so I obliged with a rendition of Jumpin’ Jack Flash, by which time my voice was failing! Parted company with our friends outside the club and hailed a cab back to Shinagawa…fell into bed exhausted!
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