Boat trip, a ndwalk around Asakusa

New Years Eve, and we've decided we need to split the day so we can fit in a nap!  Fatigue is definately starting to hit us big time...

Up, out, and took the boat trip from Tokyo Bay to Asakusa (again) - this time in daylight.  Beautiful sunshine, and just sat aboard, taking things easy - but not for long.  The views were astounding - never seen so many people do so much washing!!  News Years Eve seems to be the day when everyone traditionally cleans, and prepares to have the old year washed out, and the New Year blessed in.

Arrived in Asakusa and took a nice long walk around the area (for approx. 5 hours!).  The Asahi Beer buildings are amazing - not sure what the gold blobby shaped motif is meant to represent though.  Found the Drum Museum - same old story - CLOSED!  Then found another cinema - only Harry Potter showing within the next hour and half - far too long to wait around.  You'd think with the amount of people in the area, they'd be offering slightly more choice that just three films (one of which we'd already seen).  Ended up back in Kitchen Town area, so started to make our way back out again towards a metro.

Having walked as much as our feet would permit; with raw heels we made our way back to the hotel for an afternoon nap and to prepare ourselves for the night ahead.  People were already starting to mass in the Shibuya and Roppongi areas, so we can only imagine what absolute madness it's gonna be later tonight!

Daytime visit to Kitchen Town and an Evening walk around Roppongi

30th December:  Yep... you read the heading correctly - Kitchen Town!  A whole block in Kappabashi dedicated to kitchenware and cooking utensils from the smallest of chopstick holders to full on industrial gas cookers, rice boilers, etc.  A totally inspiring array, some of the items for sale I wouldn't even know what to do with - but it makes Lakeland seem rather dull in comparison!  (On the other side of the block - it seemed to be an area dedicated to the sale of indoor shrines).

Wooden spoon selection

Colourful, shapely tea pots

Cooking on gas

Contemplative gardens

Frog man - wasn't an English translation - not sure what he had to do with this area, but was glitzy and needed to be captured on film!

The 'bug' building - don't think I'd like to live here particularly; is about as glamorous as saying we lived nextdoor to a Crem!

Community bus - drive in circular loops around the pre-schools, doctors, dentists, and hospitals.

And then come the evening shots of Roppongi; the lights and attractive shop fronts make it a wonderful place for exciting the eye (above a wedding dress).  We were actually looking for the cinema - we found it, but at 8.00pm, an hour too early for any of the start times - nevermind, a nice meal (posh burger and chips) was had in the Hillside complex instead.

Entrance to a wedding shop

Full shot of the wedding shop

An eatery with a completely plastic wrap frontage!

Part of the 'City Lights Celebration'

A rather interesting sculpture covered in fairy lights.  Then off home as the temperature is starting to drop here in Tokyo (I'm even having to sport my Micky Mouse hat just to keep the chill of my ears - embarrassing for Colin or wot!).