It was raining the next morning but the city seemed to suit it. I looked out over the subway tracks near the Ueno Station and wondered how many times that view had been used in gritty Japanese detective movies.
It was hard to keep my small camera in my pocket (the only one I wanted to take out in the rain) but I showed an unusual restraint. I was afraid of running out of battery. We got lost for a little while and wandered in what looked to be an area that was stuck in the 1950's.
I had been interested in Suiseki (the art of rock display) at one point in my life and enjoyed sights like this ...
We went to the Tokyo National Museum and browsed. They allowed photographs. Some of the first images we saw were these Buddhist Deities.
The illustrations of plants and animals were from the 14th Century, about a hundred years before Durer (they made me think of him) and were delicate and beautiful.
It was a great way to spend a couple of hours on a rainy day.
We had eaten dinner the night before with an old friend from Winnipeg, Doug, and had arranged to meet him outside the museum. We walked through the park ...
... and into the Ueno shopping district, a very busy area full of stalls selling anything you might want to get cheap.
We had lunch in a great little Ramen restaurant and took the subway to Doug's part of town. I talked him into standing for a portrait. Thanks Doug.
He went to his apartment while Angela and I went to a movie (Elysium - not nearly as good as District 9 but not altogether terrible). We had popcorn with soy sauce and butter (I am not a fan) but were impressed with the patrons who, almost all, sat through the credits, like Ange and I like to do, until the house lights came on.
We met Doug after the movie and wandered around the narrow streets of his area ...
eventually finding an Italian restaurant he liked (good cheap wine), had a good fusion meal, then made our way back to Ikebukoro and bed.