Travel diary
Shiny Japan 2005
Day two - August 08

This was the Ochanomizu, Kanda, Jinbocho, Suidobashi day which where all around the same area. As far as I know there's a women's college in Ochanomizu (that I didn't notice when I was there) and Jinbocho is known for its 2nd hand book stores all over where you mostly get what you want if you look long enough for it. Suidobashi (literally "Channel bridge") seems to have a theme park as shown on the picture.


After a quite sleepless night in my friend's living room (I seem to have overslept a minor earthquake) and having a wonderful generous breakfast with my friend's little usually lively but in front of strangers shy nephews I got back to the place that should have gotten a hotel room for me for my 12 days.


Thanks to my friend in Tokyo who called the hotel back the night before to fix the hotel troubles I finally got my vacant room for the rest of my Tokyo stay. There was a misunderstanding because I originally booked a room for a Taiwan friend too who was going to stay for only 4 nights and had to cut short her vacation to 3. That's when all the trouble began... what the hotel employee possibly thought was: I decided to stay 4 nights only and my friend cancels her whole trip (which was bluntly nonsense). The English level in this matter was maybe fairly too high for them.

Anyway, everything seemed to be fine, I let my luggage stored at the front and headed to Ochanomizu. Since I had no precise plan what to do I went to the Mizuno Store to buy some baseball lucky charm stuff for my cousin. He begged me to get some for him... I wonder if he has gotten it by now from the other friend I booked the hotel for too. I walked and walked, got hungry, got into a small chain-like restaurant and ordered a 500 Yen rice with beef. Maybe it was the hot weather but I guess it was the food that wasn't that appealing that I couldn't eat that much. But hey, what can you expect for 500 Yen in TOKYO?? Right, nothing... I told myself not to cry for the cheap and good food in Taiwan because there is nothing I can do about it. The rest of the day was not really exciting. Walked to Suidobashi, took some photos, walked back to Jinbocho, bought a book "How to speak Osaka dialect" and rushed back to the hotel because my rucksack was so heavy (haven't checked in yet) and I didn't have any energy to walk on. The flight and the stay in Taiwan was tiresome and I knew it was time for a nap in my hotel room.


In the evening I explored the surroundings of Minamisenju and visited the nearby 7-Eleven. 200 Yen for a 1,5 litre bottle of mineral water was tough. But before you die you buy it... that's what most people think at least. After a while in Europe you will miss those Konbinis. Even though it is relatively expensive, it's great. 24h open, reasonable food. Supermarket in Austria: mostly open till 7 pm, Satudays till 5 pm, closed Sundays and not much choice.

Most interesting in the vicinity was maybe the market in Minowa but I forgot my camera. Crap.
That's how my 2nd day ended. With a dark sky...