This morning I stopped by the local department store / grocery to pick up some of those sweet tofu rice sushi thingies and orange juice to bring back to the hotel for breakfast.  The same woman was there, who had sold them to me earlier in the week, so I asked her what they are called in Japanese.  Apparently they are called inari-zushi.  Good to know.  I snapped some photos along the way.

What’s the Secret to Smoking Without Lung Cancer?

It’s incredible how many people smoke in Japan.  Every cafe, video game arcade, crosswalk, restaurant etc is filled with smokers 24 hours a day.  Despite this, Japan (and much of Asia in general) seems to have little or no fear of smoking.  Perhaps rightly so- the rate of lung cancer is very low in Japan.  It’s still very much the norm for young people to smoke here.  Not to say there aren’t many Japanese who are suffering with lung cancer, but the lower rate is definitely something that remains unexplained.

Teresa definitely wanted to see Ginza on our last day.  Ginza is Tokyo’s home of the biggest designer brand name stores that strike fear into the hearts of men everywhere.  Louis Vuitton.  Chanel.  Prada.  Tiffany.

Of course, I had my own interest in Ginza.  Bic Camera, one of the biggest electronics stores in Japan, has a flagship store in Ginza, right near the train station, in fact.  I had tried out Jeffrey Friedl’s 24-70 2.8 lens a few days ago in Kyoto and hoped to take a look at it again at Bic in Ginza.  I was also looking forward to seeing the store in general… it’s known for a huge selection of fun toys.

Teresa Reacts as I Reveal the Price of the Lens in US Dollars

I’ll take that as a “no.”

The video game section was definitely entertaining.  When a game comes out in Japan, especially a big name like Dragon Quest or Monster Hunter, it’s more than an announcement and a release date.  These games are celebrated and the hype is intense.  Right now, it turns out there is both a Monster Hunter and a Dragon Quest newly released.  Toys, accessories, strategy guides, books, figurines and more are simply everywhere.

Even 7-11 near our hotel had Dragon Quest 9 guide books prominently on display.  I read somewhere that Japan actually had to pass a law stating a Dragon Quest game can’t be released during the work week because attendance at workplaces dropped dramatically on that day.

Dragon Quest 9 Guides for Sale at 7-11 (earlier this morning)

We then proceeded to shop around Ginza and visit all of Teresa’s favorite stores.  Unfortunately it began to rain fairly heavily and we had to make good use of our umbrellas (a standard must-bring item in Japan)  The designer stores were elaborate and many featured unusual design.

Stopping at TEN Chinese Restaurant for Lunch

We walked a bit more around Ginza, stopping to see some unusual establishments including the BEAT diner.  Home of the B-E-A-T Burger and the Special Burger Beat Devil (and Angel).

This is the HAMBURGER

After this adventure, we stopped for coffee.  I enjoyed the beautiful light for photography on the way back to the train station as the sun went down.

Beautiful Light in Ginza

Kaiten (conveyor-belt) sushi for dinner.  This time I got some nice photos of the experience.

Kaiten Sushi in Shibuya

Some random other photos from the evening:

That more or less wraps it up.  The next day we headed to the airport earlier than we originally planned, because we didn’t want to miss our flight (Jared informed us that the train rides to the airport took quite a while).

Definitely some regrets, but many more happy memories of Japan.  I can’t wait to return.

SEE YOU SPACE COWBOY.

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