Local People and Lives, Tokyo

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The entire second day in Tokyo was 'off the beaten path.'Our Meguro friend Fumiko had told us the previous night to return to the front of Meguro Station and take the Number 2 bus to Daiyei Supermarket. All I had to tell the driver was 'Daiyei, onegai shimasu'--he told us when to get off. Nihonjin make very creative use of limited space--we had never seen anything like the place. The entryway to the first floor was a large flower/plant shop, leading into a food supermarket. The second floor was clothing, and I do not even know what the other five floors contained. Fumiko and her husband Hirofumi san met us there and took us for a walk through narrow streets crowded with small shops, bicycles and people. Lee complained that the dress shoes she had bought in America were hurting her feet, so our friends took us to a shoe store where Lee soon found a nice looking, comfortable pair of shoes, which allowed her to enjoy the rest of our trip in comfort--halfway around the world to find a good pair of shoes. I had no problem in my dress cowboy boots--nothing better for ankle support. We walked into Makudonaludo (MacDonald's) to put together a bag of coffees and snacks to have in a nearby park. (Receiving a cheerful smile with bow from behind a fast food counter is a unique experience.) The park had a shrine where Fumiko performed the ritual of pouring water on my hands with a long-handle dipper. A few children playing in the park looked curiously at us as we sat in the sun, enjoying our coffee. We went to our friends' apartment, which was decorated partly in western style, partly eastern. Their balcony was full of potted plants, obviously tended with much care. It is customary among Nihonjin to bring a gift when invited into someone's home. The gift does not have to be expensive--something from the guest's country is good; a handmade craft is better. I was proud of my wife for the way she offered her candle gift to Fumiko with both hands and a bow. (She had made candles to present to everyone we visited.) We enjoyed a nice dinner with Fumiko's recently married sister and husband. Then our friends surprised us by bringing out champagne, which they knew from our e-mails we enjoyed. At night, they walked us to a taxi--Hiro san insisted on paying the driver. The next morning we checked out of the hotel, returned to Meguro Station, took the train to Tokyo Station to board Shinkansen for Nagoya Station to meet friends who live in Tokoname (Please click on 'Travelogues' for this part of the trip).

The Japanese answer to lack of car parking space... but what do you do if you car's on the top, and there's someone else's car on the bottom, and you want to get yours down???

What did I see when I look out from my hotel window? A roof top driving school. This probably only exists in Tokyo.

While I was looking around the Meiji Shrine I was lucky enough to stumble across this wedding procession at the shrine. It was really interesting to watch such a traditional ceremony.