Asakusa, Ikebukuro, Ebisu, Shibuya (6/8)

Early morning breakfast, when we woke up and found ourselves with nothing to do but wander Shinjuku for a few restless hours before sunrise.

A look up at the buildings in my old neighborhood.

A matcha melon pan creme puff!! Thanks Sarah for the pic :))

Appetizing assortments.

Early morning in Asakusa.

I could never really figure out the proportions of Asakusa, to be honest. It's a major tourist attraction, but it doesn't seem to fit into frames well. 

Walking down the central tourist street, with food stalls and souvenirs on the sides.

My stepmom always says this looks like "a golden poo." She's right!

Outside Shinjuku Station.

More.

Back to Chuo Park after lunch in Asakusa. This place does in fact photograph well.

The Cocoon Tower, just visible between buildings.

A memory: reading poetry (Wadsworth?) with a friend here in 2009/2010. There are pictures of us in this exact spot somewhere on Facebook. She'd brought me to Ebisu to hang out, and I'd been here a number of times myself on other occasions, so I wanted to come back in 2017 to see how much I could find and remember from my high school days.

In this area: a tour with one of my dad's co-workers, his daughter, my sister, and of course my dad. It's crushing to look back on this picture knowing how much older we are now, our companion who was little more than infant then, a teenager now. And of course, my dad's passing, on 10/14/2021. This place is loaded with some very strong and distinct memories, and I'm hardly sure why at times. We went so many places in Japan; why this little plaza in Ebisu? But when Sarah and I returned there, it seemed to glow with memory and nostalgia for me as the daylight dimmed, and night lurked around the corner. It was our last full day in Tokyo on this trip. We'd soon be heading on, across the country, to Nara; Osaka; Kobe; and Sendai. I think there was a feeling of taking stock, of old memories and new ones. Four days into our trip, and already so much we'd seen.

A wasp and a caterpillar, caught in their little drama.

Red orb embedded.

I always found this tower unusual in shape and color. The photo jumps out at me whenever I see it again.

Night setting in.

Shibuya now. A little hideaway where we wrapped up our time in Tokyo.

The alleyway nearby.

Our beers.