Shinjuku: books and Krispy Kremes
Raj Sensei had given us directions to Kinokuniya, an 8-story bookstore in Shinjuku.
We hopped the Maranouchi line and got off at the large train station there. Upon leaving the station we walked a few blocks to Takashimaya, a huge complex containing stores like Tokyu Hands and Bvlgari. While Jen shopped for some more paper, I looked at action figures and phone accessories.
Many many people have little ornaments hanging off their cell phones - little teddy bears, etc. Others decorate their phones with rhinestones or stick-on designs.
We almost bought a small, electric pottery wheel. Jen has been studying pottery back in Winnipeg, and this would have been perfect to help her technique. It was only around $100, too. However, it was a bit unwieldy and we were unsure whether we could carry it back home on the plane. We did pick up a brochure.
On the other side of Takashimaya is Kinokuniya. We first went to the sixth floor, where they have their foreign books. Jen was looking for something to read on the plane. I picked up a little kendo book that had some good descriptions of etiquette and kendo kata.
Back on the second floor, I looked through Japanese language Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu iaido books. I was fortunate enough to score a copy of Mitani's Shokai Iai: Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu. Some of the waza look like illustrations from the fighting manuals of Fiore or Tallhoffer. For example, in one sequence two opponents cross swords then go in to grapple; the defender drops his own sword(!) and breaks his opponent's grip, takes the other guy down and finishes him off with a fist to the head as he lies on the ground. Sweet.
We left the store and found the Tokyo branch of Krispy Kreme donuts. We were warned by Raj that the lineup could be over an hour. Walking up to the side of the building we saw only about 20 people, so I stood in line as Jen peeked around the corner. It turned out that I was in the line to get in line. There was a "cattle fence" area in front of the restaurant with over one hundred people waiting to buy donuts.
We instead went to the nearby Starbucks to grab a quick bite and people watch. Every passerby who had a Kripsy Kreme bag had at least one dozen donuts (often 2 or 3 dozen). If you're going to wait so long in line, I guess you had better make it worth your while!
We hopped the Maranouchi line and got off at the large train station there. Upon leaving the station we walked a few blocks to Takashimaya, a huge complex containing stores like Tokyu Hands and Bvlgari. While Jen shopped for some more paper, I looked at action figures and phone accessories.
Many many people have little ornaments hanging off their cell phones - little teddy bears, etc. Others decorate their phones with rhinestones or stick-on designs.
We almost bought a small, electric pottery wheel. Jen has been studying pottery back in Winnipeg, and this would have been perfect to help her technique. It was only around $100, too. However, it was a bit unwieldy and we were unsure whether we could carry it back home on the plane. We did pick up a brochure.
On the other side of Takashimaya is Kinokuniya. We first went to the sixth floor, where they have their foreign books. Jen was looking for something to read on the plane. I picked up a little kendo book that had some good descriptions of etiquette and kendo kata.
Back on the second floor, I looked through Japanese language Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu iaido books. I was fortunate enough to score a copy of Mitani's Shokai Iai: Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu. Some of the waza look like illustrations from the fighting manuals of Fiore or Tallhoffer. For example, in one sequence two opponents cross swords then go in to grapple; the defender drops his own sword(!) and breaks his opponent's grip, takes the other guy down and finishes him off with a fist to the head as he lies on the ground. Sweet.
We left the store and found the Tokyo branch of Krispy Kreme donuts. We were warned by Raj that the lineup could be over an hour. Walking up to the side of the building we saw only about 20 people, so I stood in line as Jen peeked around the corner. It turned out that I was in the line to get in line. There was a "cattle fence" area in front of the restaurant with over one hundred people waiting to buy donuts.
We instead went to the nearby Starbucks to grab a quick bite and people watch. Every passerby who had a Kripsy Kreme bag had at least one dozen donuts (often 2 or 3 dozen). If you're going to wait so long in line, I guess you had better make it worth your while!