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Tokyo: Day 1

A lazy start to the day meant we stopped at a convenience store to pick up some onigiri as breakfast, which turned out to be the best grilled salmon onigiri of the trip yet! From there, we made our way north to Ueno.

Winding through the streets, we found a coffee shop where we discovered Tokyo is definitely more friendly to smokers than Sapporo. Ah well, we didn't stay for too long. We dropped by a shopping mall to pick up bento boxes for lunch, then strolled over to Ueno Park. This was where we spent a good portion of the day - exploring the various areas of the park, including the many shrines and the boat pond. I think my favorite part was the boat pond, where we got to rent a paddle boat for only 600¥ ($6.00)! It was my first time on a paddle boat, and being on the water helped us escape the stampede of Pokemon Go players rushing from point to point around the pond.

From Ueno Park, there was lots left to see in Ueno - it's home to many shops and restaurants. Plus, since this weekend is the last weekend before Halloween, there were lots of people dressed up everywhere. We saw Nintendo's Mario, Disney characters, Pikachu, various sexy ladies (some of them were male!), and also a few traditional costumes.

Dinner was at Umenohana - a tofu restaurant which I visited in Hiroshima. It was as wonderful as I remembered - with delightful tofu delicacies that were as tasty as they were elegantly presented. We really enjoyed the impeccably smooth chawanmushi, and the warm mochi topped with yuzu syrup.

Tomorrow, we'll get to explore Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Harajuku - in time for the peak of Halloween costumes!

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