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<\/p>\nI just watched the rugby semifinal with South Africa winning a close game over Wales. And now I have to go to bed early or at least just get up early for my trip to Hokkaido tomorrow!<\/p>\n
I got an early start, which was a mistake. No salaryman parade on Sunday, but Hoshino Coffee doesn\u2019t open until 9am now! I should\u2019ve checked yesterday. I ended up at the Excelsior Cafe, which wasn\u2019t bad except for the Aussie on his cell phone.<\/p>\n
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I decided to head to Akihabara today for my yearly pilgrimage to what\u2019s left of the old Denden town. On the way I remembered I still had to buy a Suica card for my sister\u2019s friend\u2019s daughter who is meeting us on this trip later. I had to go to Tokyo Station only because I\u2019d already left Shinjuku station. Man Tokyo Station is confusing now. Stood in line with a Kiwi who\u2019s lived in Hong Kong for the past seven years and a very hungover old Englishman or something, who was pretty right-wing about everything and was kind of being a bummer. It was still better than being at work.<\/p>\n
When I got through the line I got the Suica card and also remembered I was going to take the Yamagata Shinkansen so I could say I was on it. The seven minutes from Tokyo to Ueno is only \u00a51140. And they let me keep the ticket.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s a \u201cmini-Shinkansen\u201d and is paired with another Shinkansen until it splits off onto the Yamagata route.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_5484-1024x768.jpeg\")
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Then I walked to Akihabara. It\u2019s not really that far and at one point I found they\u2019d converted the space underneath the JR tracks into a bunch of art boutiques. And I finally went into the grocery store-looking \u201cCha Bara\u201d (it has a lot of food-related stores inside) and ate at the Nagasaki Toruko Rice Cafe. It was a lot of very tasty food. Their frying game is on point.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_5485-1024x768.jpeg\")
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We were joined by a mushroom mascot character as well.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.i8u.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_5486-768x1024.jpeg\")
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I was going to check out the musical instrument stores (and not buy anything) and go to Kanda Shrine on the way back, but at some point I really had to use the bathroom. I ended up in a cramped little public restroom in a park that was also surprisingly clean. No soap though, so I headed back to the hotel room early. I watched some Netflix, got some dinner at Mos Burger (I wasn\u2019t very hungry after that big fried lunch), and came back and watched the rugby game. Pretty good for a do-nothing day.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I just watched the rugby semifinal with South Africa winning a close game over Wales. And now I have to go to bed early or at least just get up early for my trip to Hokkaido tomorrow! I got an early start, which was a mistake. No salaryman parade on Sunday, but Hoshino Coffee doesn\u2019t open until 9am now! I should\u2019ve checked yesterday. I ended up at the Excelsior Cafe, which wasn\u2019t bad except for the Aussie on his cell phone. I decided to head to Akihabara today for my yearly pilgrimage to what\u2019s left of the old Denden town. On the way I remembered I still had to buy … Continue reading Japan Day 54: Tokyo<\/span>