We have breakfast in the hotel at their sandwich and smoothie buffet, very nice it is too. We pack our bags, check out and take a taxi to our Airbnb which is also in Shinjuku area, about ten minutes east. It's a less frenetic Neighbourhood and our host Ritsuko is there to greet us on arrival. It's a small apartment - and by small I mean smaller than the small hotel room we have just left - on the 10th floor. It is well equipped, clean and comfy. But it is not quite ready for us yet as guests left this morning, so we leave our bags and head off for a walk while Ritsuko sorts the room. We walk in beautiful sunshine along the wide street down towards the Imperial Palace and gardens. It's a good hour's walk, just perfect. All the way en route there are joggers out in prep for the big marathon tomorrow. They pound the pavement in single file, a steady stream of people in Lycra. It's a perfect day for a jog, if you like that sort of thing.
In between and around the runners there are cyclists everywhere. You can ride on the pavement and have right of way, it seems, if you are on wheels. It's a flat city, perfect for riding a bike from A to B. You can park your bike just about anywhere and most seem to have kid carriers on them. It's just another mode of transport in this city that moves people around it so very easily.
We walk round the Imperial gardens (well, a very small portion of them, have a tasty ice-cream (today's sweet treat), walk some more and enjoy a very leisurely pace. It's Saturday and not too busy - families are out and about, tourists doing what we're doing, young people sitting on the lawns ... it has that lovely city-park feeling that you get when in green space in the centre of a huge city on a sunny day. It's very relaxing.
We take the subway back to the apartment, chill for a bit and then Brett declares he feels like a wine - it is 3 o'clock!!! He must be feeling better. I'm still feeling grotty but hey, Why not ... and off we go in search of a wine bar. There are lots of quaint little alleys and back streets around here with late night bars that offer music of all descriptions. We hear a band practising in one. But none are open - not until 8pm it seems. We are way too early. We had spotted a liquor shop earlier so may need to head there instead.
Then we turn down a small alley and there is a place called Bar Glossy - it has a sign outside and looks promising. The sign says "Open 20:00 - 27:00". (Closes at 3am!) We poke our nose in. There are stairs. We go up. There is a bar and people eating and drinking. Looking good. Alas, the very nice lady says "Sorry, private function." We nod with disappointment and go back downstairs. Next thing she is calling out "Mister, come - we have area at counter for you" ... and we are back up those stairs in a jiffy.
Like so many bars in this city, it is small. Actually, it's tiny - space for just 15 people. They are not usually open at this hour and we discover the private function is a special "meet up" for young 20-somethings, a sort of Table for 6 dating thing. The woman swears us to secrecy with a grin and we order a wine. It slips down easily as we chat away. The barman speaks no English but hers is very good. We polish off the bottle, have a G&T for the road, return to the apartment for a bit and then head out to a local tonkatsu restaurant our host has recommended. It's down one of those alleys and is, like all these places, tiny. A real local, it is full of people scoffing. We order oysters to start, washed down with beer. They are huge beyond belief, crumbed and fried and tasty. We share a pork cutlet dish which is very tasty. I am so full I can barely move. The owner/Chef is so sweet, and so proud of his food and offerings. We have photos with him and his portrait and thank him for a most excellent meal. He gives us some special cookies and we leave smiling.
We had promised to return to Bar Glossy for a whiskey but decide it could be dangerous and head back to the apartment with our sensible hats on.
Tomorrow morning is the Tokyo marathon and we will go watch ...
OBSERVATION OF THE DAY: The Japanese like warm bottoms ... heated loo seats, heated train seats ... you become quite accustomed to having your bottom warmed upon sit-down. Even the loo seats in public places are warm and the loos souped up with push-button this and that. They are clean and polished and fragrant and fabulous. It seems every one I go into, there is a cleaner coming or going. And they're already clean as a whistle.
Back Here at the apartment there is no special seat warming loo - and suddenly cold-bottom syndrome is not a nice encounter!! Bring on the warm loo seats ...
On the subject of clean - the city is spotless, despite a surprising lack of rubbish bins about. There are men cleaning the escalator handrails, ladies cleaning handrails everywhere you look. The streets are clean and the whole place feels uplifting.
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