Report from Tokyo

The my-fi wifi did not work quite as planned so am doing catch up now as I sit comfortably at home.
Left Monday, am home again on Monday!  Short, intense trip. The weather didn't help...hot and humid.  I intended to post daily but was wiped out at days end.

Tokyo is a walking city, and though prepared with cool clothing and the best MBT sandals, the heat required cutting out a few items on our planned itinerary.
We hit the ground running shortly after checking into the Shinagawa Prince Hotel.

Rode the Yamanote line to Harajuku Station.  Had to see the area and Takeshita Dori for the first time in 18 years!  Much has changed and I am very disappointed that Omotesando is now slick chrome and glass.  Gone are the little shops and cafes that were so unique and perfect for people and fashion-watching.

As the sun went down, the temperature cooled off a little, just a little, but the humidity remained high.

After a short walk, we found Maisen Tonkatsu restaurant down the street, around the corner, tucked away in typical Japanese way--how people find these little places amazes me.  It was the BEST tonkatsu ever!  Worth the search--take a cab next time.

The site of the Tokyo International Gift Show is called "Big Sight" and is located out in Odaiba, an area of reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay.  It is an amazing place, built recently it  houses many hotels, huge corporate buildings, outdoor concert and entertainment complex, aquarium, shopping centers and on and on.  We did not have time to explore this area, as the show itself was super huge and we intended to finish walking/seeing it in one day.  This was a looonngggg day.  Approximately 12 hours from riding the monorail out to Big Sight and walking the pavilions.  Once in a lifetime is enough for me!  Sorry, no photos were allowed inside the tradeshow.

Here is the map of the monorail route from Shimbashi station out to Odaiba.  What a wonderful transportation system.  And a great view from the elevated tracks.