Museums & Markets

Last weekend, Jody and I visited Ueno, which houses many museums and the largest park in Tokyo. We had planned to go only Saturday, but with so much to see & do, we went back again Sunday.

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Saturday we visited the National Museum of Natural Science, enjoying all of the hands on exhibits. I felt like I got back in touch with my inner child, re-learning all about the animal kingdom. Sunday we visited the Tokyo National Museum and were able to step back in time to see everything from pottery and folding screens to swords & samurai armor - all centuries old.

Wandering through the park, we stopped at a couple food stands for lunch on Saturday. The noodles were great but we were more excited about trying the food from the place with the longer line. Not really knowing what we were biting into was part of the thrill, but it soon ended when our tastebuds caught up to our eyes. What we bit into turned out to be partially cooked squid-filled batter that was shaped into a ball, covered in mayo & sprinkled with fish flakes. We still talk about the 'squid balls,' but we didn't go back for seconds.

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After taking in the museums and digesting lunch, we stepped into current day Tokyo with a walk through Ameyoko, a street market minutes away from museum row. Ameyoko is a must see if you're visiting Tokyo and was named after two words meaning sweets & confectioner's alley. Sweets there were...and fresh seafood, cheap jewelry, knock off designer handbags, shoe outlets, tea shops - you name it.

All in all, it was a great weekend with new adventures, sights, smells, sounds and tastes...What more could we ask for?

{the Tokyo National Museum}

{samurai armor}

{the entryway to Ameyoko}



{the madness of the market}