Early Monday morning, we took the train over to the Tsukiji market.  Coming by a different route than before, we encountered a temple where businessmen were making offerings.

In mid-morning, some of the tuna were still in recognizable forms, with fishmongers rapidly creating portions with saws and knives.

On this visit, I discovered the reason that some tuna are called yellowfin.  These had a yellow fin smaller than a thumbnail.

From Tsukiji, we walked through the Ginza, and up towards Yurakucho.  We stopped by a pachinko parlour where the machines were as loud in the morning as they are in the evening.

Down the street, the BIC store is one of the larger electronics retailers in town.  The variety of cameras, mobile phones and electronics fills up multiple stories in the Yurakucho building.

The main hall of the Tokyo International Forum was open, dwarfing the few people inside.

Roy was curious about the statue at the north end of the Forum, that I hadn’t noticed before.  It’s Ota Dokan, a monk, and architect of the Edo Castle in the 15th century.

On the Ginza, we stopped by the Nissan showroom.  The model on display wasn’t for export.

The sounds of music drew us in from the Ginza into the Yamaha showroom, where a keyboardist vigourously exercised a variety of computer patches.

A little further along, we stopped for lunch at an old favourite:  Hanamasa Steak, in Ginza 9.  Ordering food by putting coins into a vending machine, and then eating at the counter is a modern (if not economical) Japanese experience.

The group agreed to next visit Asakusa.  Many families paused at the main gate for photographs.

On the shopping street behind the gate, a few women in kimonos stood out from the rest of the visitors.

Behind the street of commerce is the Sensoji Temple.  Inside, tourists mixed with visitors with more spirtual interests.

Beyond the temples, it’s s short walk to the Nishisando Arcade.  We we unsure of its location until we found the gate.

Inside the arcade is the Edo Shitamachi Museum of Traditional Crafts.

Handmade crafts, such as these lanterns, aren’t in the everyday stores in Tokyo.

Our group got smaller, as jet lag set in.  Roy and I were to only two to continue to Shinjuku, eventually having sushi dinner in a restaurant amongst the pubs.

The next day, Roy and I went over to the east side of Tokyo, crossing the Sumida River.

The Ryogoku neighbourhood is off the beaten path for western tourists, with two very large Japanese attractions.  We were early for both.

The mural outside of the Sumo Museum leaves little doubt of the sights for visitors.

For a building about historical times, the Edo-Tokyo Museum is certainly a modern edifice.

Inside the museum are some large installations, such as the Nakamura Theater, as we viewed from upstairs on the Nihonbashi Bridge.

After lunch, we visited the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo.

For an evening experience, Roy and I continued to the Naru Jazz Livehouse.  Gary eventually found us there, after resolving some confusion about which exit of the rail station was near the club.  Mabumi Yamaguchi was an experienced sax player, leading younger yet accomplished sidemen.

For a change of pace on the next day, Yoshi met us, and took us to the Japan Auto Federation head office, where there’s a automobile simulator that we each tried out.  It’s not the same as a real car!

Under the elevated highway of the Inner Circular Route, the canal boats reminded us of water routes through the city.

On the way to lunch, we stopped by Shimizu Cycle, which stocks parts for gearhead enthusiasts.

In Mita, Yoshi guided us to his favourite Korean restaurant for lunch.  Toko had the daily specials on display, although we had already pre-ordered to improve speed.

These trips to Tokyo aren’t all sightseeing.  The researchers actually have meetings, where we spend days at the Ookayama campus, in an invited discussion.

On campus, we walked by some students out juggling, presumably as a way to work off stress.

On this particular visit, the weather was exceptionally clear, so that a view of Mount Fuji was possible.

After two days of invited discussion, the public is invited to attend open lectures in the main building of the Ookayama campus of the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

This year, the lecture room was filled to capacity.

With the main formal activities completed, we had a night at Toko that included dinner …

… and karaoke.

Since international flights generally leave Narita Airport around 5 p.m., there’s a chance for some sightseeing in the morning and afternoon of the last day.  We hadn’t yet seen Harajuku.  Takeshita-dori was full of umbrellas on this grey day.

Nearby, the Togo Shrine was closed to visitors, but we could see a wedding party through the gate.

Design Festa Gallery is a regualar “starving artists” stop for me.

In the west galleries, one wall is shared by multiple artists, each section marketed off with yellow tape.

The display of cards would be more portable as gifts.

The east gallery is newer, and less populated.

Some artists were still setting up.  Power tools were in play.

Etsuko came to meet us in Harajuku.  She hadn’t tried the fast food takoyaki before, so we sampled a shared order.

Eight days after we had arrived, we were back to Narita for the plane home.  There’s always a lot to see on our visits to Tokyo.

[See the album of 5 webphotos of Shibaura (with a slideshow option)]

[See the album of 27 webphotos of Tsukiji (with a slideshow option)]

[See the album of 24 webphotos Ginza Yurakucho (with a slideshow option)]

[See the album of 49 webphotos of Asakusa (with a slideshow option)]

[See the album of 5 webphotos of Shinjuku (with a slideshow option)]

[See the album of 43 webphotos Ryoguku EdoMuseum (with a slideshow option)]

[See the album of 15 webphotos of Contemporary Art Tokyo (with a slideshow option)]

[See the album of 4 webphotos of Naru (with a slideshow option)]

[See the album of 24 webphotos of JapanAutoFed MitaToko(with a slideshow option)]

[See the album of 28 webphotos of TitTech SSME invited (with a slideshow option)]

[See the album of 16 webphotos of Titech Ookayama (with a slideshow option)]

[See the album of 13 webphotos of the TiTech Symposium (with a slideshow option)]

[See the album of 10 webphotos of Toko karaoke (with a slideshow option)]

[See the album of 28 webphotos of Harajuku (with a slideshow option)]

A short ride on the Keio New Line saved us some walking to Tokyo Opera City. Gary and I looked over the plaza from the mezzanine level while Jennifer and Marja fought jet leg with some caffeine.

We played with the toys at the NTT InterCommunications Center.

Walking west, we crossed under a major freeway and through an urban residential neighbourhood. We didn’t see any kids out, but playground equipment in the park suggests they live nearby.

On foot, approaching the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, we saw the sculptures in the moat.

It’s free ride up to the observatory floor. Looking southeast, the shopping malls of Shinjuku beckon.

Looking southwest, the skyscrapers subside into lower buildings.

We just had a few minutes to wait for the next elevator car down.

In pursuit of an authentic Tokyo experience, we walked by a lot of fast food restaurants, and decided on a robata in an alley beside the railway tracks. We didn’t quite understand the menu — even in English — and had a great meal ordering a wide variety of small dishes.

We didn’t choose the more exotic (and explicit) menu at the bar next door.

To complete the evening, we strolled through the nightclub area in Shinjuku. I again saw the men dressed in dresses sweeping the street, and they’re still a mystery.

I had visited Shinjuku with Diana last August, and it’s still fun. It’s one of the busiest areas in Tokyo, and there’s lots of people out for the nightlife.

Looking north and east at dusk, the distance from the Shinjuku district to the harbour was too great to see any water.

From the east of the observatory, the lights in the Shinjuku shopping and entertainment district were just starting to come on.

Walking from the Metropolitan Government building to central Shinjuku took 20 or 30 minutes. By that point, the sun had set. The area is a destination for shopping in the evening.

There also a large choice of restaurants in Shinjuku. Western chains are well represented. Some features of the area were, however, a mystery. The tall person in the yellow jumper in the middle of the photo may be a cross-dresser.

We then encountered a small squad of people in yellow jumpers. We’re not sure why they were carrying brooms and sweeping. They didn’t seem to be working hard at cleaning, so maybe they were using the task as an excuse for loitering around the nightlife.

Shinjuku attracts young adults at night to movie theatres. Some big screen ads lit up the area.

On the back streets, Diana and I wandered around the love hotels. On our visit to Japan, we were free of other family members in our accommodations, but high real estate prices in Tokyo may make the love hotels a reasonable choice for short periods of intimacy.

Unlike conventional hotels where windows are favoured, most love hotels don’t provide a view (either in or out). Each venue has a different theme. Here’s one with stained glass windows.

Rates are charged for 3-hour periods, or longer. Travelers desperate for overnight accommodations may be considered only if they check in really, really late.

Walking back towards a subway station, the lights on the main streets were bright.

With the large number of people out at night in Shinjuku, we felt relatively safe. Around the back alleys, we did notice a few police patrolling. We expect that they were more for chasing pickpockets than for violent crimes.