Yoyogi Ninja

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Deaks has been gradually building a ninja kit on our travels. Some ninja stars here, a hood there. He picked up some excercise pants in Uniqlo and guess what? They were black! He tracked down the katana (it's got another name but I can't remember it) in Kyoto and has googled a shop in Tokyo that sells tabi shoes. These are toe shoes or ninja shoes that construction workers still wear and are perfect for climbing across roofs. They're the Japanese Dunlop Volley.

We head out of the apartment building and Deaks states we need to go right until we hit the next main road, take a left and we should reach the shop in 11-12 minutes. He's all over these directions and I know who'll be holding the google maps on our next trip.

We find this yellow disposal type store and the staff are out the front singing at the traffic. Or maybe they're announcing they are open or honooruing the messiah - it is Good Friday, but there is seldom a sign of easter. It's a great little store and seems to be a one-stop shop for tradies clothes. It is crammed with overalls, helmets, socks and shoes and we can barely fit between the racks. As with most shops over here, they are spread across numerous floors - 1F, 2F etc. We take the tiny spiral stairs up to level 2F looking for tabi socks for the ladies as well. I barely fit in the spiral staircase and squeeze through a "doorway" to reveal another more cramped floor of tradie wear for women.

The singing sales attendant is very helpful and polite. Deaks gets the tabi shoes, tabi shocks and I even find a jacket that I'm hoping will pass as a casual jacket for winter. Let's call it industrial chic!

We've planned our day out pretty well, selecting attractions that are geographically close. This city is so big you could spend your day on the train if you're not careful. We are about to get some perspctive on home big it is. We head to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building just around the corner for a birds eye veiw.

It's starting to rain cherry blossoms as their short bloom comes to an end. We weave through a park where guys train in a caged soccer half-pitch and sweepers sweep the streets in vain. We are heading up to the 45th floor of the building behind the mini soccer cage to get a look at this behemoth of a city.

There's about 18 veiwing windows and the vistas are similar - jam packed with city. Greater Brisbane is some 16,000 sq km and Tokyo Metropolitan Area is 13,700 sq km. Greater Brisbae ahs about 2.5 million people, Tokyo Metropolitan Area has 37.8 million! The population density is th killer. Greater Brisbane 140/km vs Tokyo Metropolitan Area 2,600/km. And the Tokyo Metropolis has a population density of 6,224/km!!!!!

The express lift to the 45th floor takes about a minute and as expected is chocker block with tourists. The silence on the way down is deafening and to lighten the mood a play cricket (insect) sounds on an app Wellsy told me about. I think it's funny, Jules thinks I'm an idiot. The kids are split and unsure whether I'm an idiot or a comic genius. The verdict plits down gender lines.

Today seems to be all about Deaks. It's not deliberate, just geographically sensible. We take the Tozai line to Iidabashi station and head to BASEMAN. Two floors of everything baseball and get Deaks a mizuno glove to replace his cheap first glove. I think he'll stick with baseball after a successful U/12 season.

Just a few stops away is the Imperial Palace and gardens. Navigating the subway system like pros we emerge into the light from Otemachi, Takebashi, Idebashi or whatever station is nearest! Tourist fail! It's closed on Monday and Friday. Jules is philosophical with "you've seen one palace, you've seen em all."

It's mid afternoon and the siren call of the ice cream is growing louder. We tell the kids we'll go to Shibuya Cossing and get something near there.

"What's at Shibuya crossing?" they ask.

"Well, it's a really busy crossing."

"Like a zebra crossing?"

"Ah....yup!"

It's a fair enough question and I wonder why we are going to see a crossing. But it is a sight to see a thousand people per crossing negotiate incoming pedestrians from five angles. Some other tourists from India do a Bollywood style dance routine right in the middle of the road for the benefit of their mate filming it from an elevated vantage point. Pretty cool idea, but bloody frustrating if you're just your average Yuki trying to get some Udon and fish broth for lunch.

We queue up for afternoon tea at L'occitane cafe overlooking the crossing and enjoy a dessert medley and drinks. The crossing is surrounded by enormous video screens and would be quite the veiw in the dark of night.

We decide to walk home through Shibuya and Harajuku. The rabbit warren of alleyways in Shibuya even gets google maps lost as it glitches to suggest a route. I can't tell my north from my west amongst these tall buildings and decide to go with my gut instinct. We are heading in the right direction but go left around Yoyogi park instead of right via Harjuku.

This route takes us through Yoyogi suburb and it's got a bit of a trendy feel about it close to the park and away from the train tracks. Cocktail and Wine bars with hip young things hanging out on a glorious Friday afternoon in spring. There is a Bondi Cafe and it is full of Bondi (Yoyogi) Hipsters. Cute pocket sized dogs are being walked or in many cases carried, children are playing on the swings or playing baseball in the playgrounds.

We've stocked up on dinner and breakfast a couple of kms too early. Bloody google maps didn't suggest the supermarket about 50 metres from our apartment - causing me to carry my 6 pack of asahi, 4 meals, juice and bread an extra 2 kms up hill. Nevermind, we make it home and there's live baseball on TV. It's the Swallows vs Baystars tonight. Baystars score on a squeeze play in the 10th to win 4-3 just as the televised coverage is about to end at precisely 9.30. Oh, and there's a ninja in our midst.

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