Tokyo April 13
On a positive note, if I survive a week in this clothes closet sized room, my teeny weeny cabin on the Azamara , if and when I get on, will feel like a god-damned palace.
Have you heard about the yellow sand storm arriving here from China?
https://www.asahi.com/sp/ajw/articles/14883553 . And I thought that I only had to worry about China blockading Taiwan..
I have been awake since midnight. Seeing as I only got into bed around 10:30 last night, and had a difficult time falling asleep, don't think I got to sleep much. I've never had insomnia before on the beginning of a trip.... Only at the end, which is why I didn't bring any sleeping pills. Sigh.
But no time to waste, so out we went after breakfast. I enjoyed the breakfast buffet, trying different things. Like many Japanese restaurants, they demonstrate the menu by using realistic fake foods.Google translate SO useful. The above was a tasty rice flour pancake stuffed with sweet potato and red bean paste. Yummy for my tummy.
Then it was off to see about finding someplace to do a PCR test. The place we found would have been fine, except that they are not open on the weekend when I needed it done. Someone dropping off some of a ship's crew, for testing, took the time to find us another clinic, that might be open. It was in the Akihabara district where we were actually headed to, next. I copied the Japanese address off his phone, to my phone. After buying Michael a gadget for his beloved ham radio, we found this other clinic but we needed help to find it. I'm a wiz using Google maps for the subway but I'm completely useless when trying to follow a pedestrian path. Totally suck at it. Several times today, I would point at an address to some stranger, and inevitably, that person would insist on guiding us there. Other times, would just stand around looking stupid (not a stretch)and people would volunteer help without being solicited.
We were able to make a reservation in the Electronics district for the PCR test And we'll go back on Saturday to do the test. It will be amazing if we can find this place a second time . Had lunch in the area at a ramen restaurant, where you order your food via touchpad.
Just like at home, when I'm offered an iPad to select my meal, I screwed it up. Sat there for 20 minutes before a kind Samaritan pointed out the error of our ways.
Afterwards, made our way to another district, Asakasa, where there is a famous temple that we've seen before, that has a famous shopping area in front of it , that we enjoy.
And just different stuff like these stone clogs for about 550.00.
I should have asked this guy whether I could borrow some of his hair. Also like that there is a storage rack over the seats. And of course, appreciate the safety barriers in front of the tracks.
We're both exhausted.
Hope to sleep tonight.
💤