Ameyoko

When we don't have any plans, but want to get out of the house, the easiest thing to do is go shopping.  Living in such a huge city, there is always something new to see and do.  But shopping provides an bit of entertainment without the time commitment or any preparation.  While some shopping is much more exciting than other forms (I love to grocery shop, especially in grocery stores around the world, but hate clothes shopping), it is something to do on a quiet day.

Today we explored Ameyoko - a very famous shopping street.  Originally a street to buy candy and sweets, after World War 2 it was the place to find black market American items, specifically surplus American military goods.  Today we saw a lot of clothes, purses, cosmetics, fish, and spices.  There were tons of shoes and suitcases, too.

Many shopping streets are near train stations, as that is where lots of pedestrian traffic is.  This one was half under the train tracks.  On one side of the street all the businesses were tucked under the rails.  Surprisingly, you really can't hear the train.  Maybe the vast number of people already making so much noise it drowns out the train noise.

There are many open-air restaurants, where you buy food from a window and then eat in seats outside the kitchen.  Some were more restaurant-ish than others.  We decided to eat at a kebab at one of the several kebab places.  Although my husband wasn't really wanting a kebab, he agreed because they had one that they called "norimaki kebab."  Kebab meat and sauce (we swear it was thousand island), tucked in rice and wrapped in seaweed.  The food was just okay.  I guess we should have tried the next stand because that guy told me his kebab was the best in Tokyo.

We didn't buy much.  We found a shirt with a sumo wrestler on it for my son (who's sumo obsession is still going strong) and daifuku.  Daifuku is a traditional Japanese confection made with sweetened red bean paste, azuki, wrapped in mochi.  The shop had many flavors to try, like mango, green tea, black sesame, and more.  They even offered some with fresh strawberries.  We bought several sans strawberries and took them home to enjoy after dinner with strawberries we already had.  They were tasty, even though I think I prefer the traditional plain mochi with azuki. 

One thing I like about shopping in Japan is the many shopping streets you can find.  They are all open storefronts and have tons of merchandise right on the street.  Although there are plenty of malls, these shopping streets give you a bit of fresh air and more electric atmosphere.  It also just feels more "Japanese" for some reason.  Also many of these streets have themes, like the kitchen one we explored a while ago.  It makes it more fun for me.