Day 5 ~ Heavy rain, Ginza & Shimbashi

Greetings from the sea! Just kidding XD

But this day started again with rain and this time more heavier than yesterday >.< It was awful. And it was not just rainy but also windy and our shoes weren't even fully dried from yesterday...

Nevertheless Kiki and I were hungry so we made our way to our breakfast café somehow. After breakfast someone had taken Kiki's umbrella so that we had to travel under one umbrella to the next convinience store. Like Kiki aptly said 'We join the Tokyo Swim Team 2013...', ha ha.

The weather was too bad to go somewhere but according to the weather forecast the rain should stop in the afternoon. So Kiki and I decided to relax in the hotel and get gently ready for our meetings in the evening. Kiki wanted to met her Mail-friend Masahiro and I was invited by my Mail-friend from Yokohama Ryuichi.

Each of us took a very comfortable bath and then got dressed up...

Though I had to state that I don't have packed good matching clothes in my baggage for such weather^^' It took me half an hour till I have decied what to wear, awful >.< Normally I don't have such problems *sigh* Kiki was just laughing about it^^; But she had also enough to do with her styling.

In the end we got ready in time and even had a coffee together at our breakfast café before Kiki had to leave for Shibuya. She met Masa at 5 pm while my meeting with Ryuichi would be at 6.30 pm. So I had some time left for myself and decided to stroll around in Ginza. I like this area, it has nice, modern flair with many (expensive) shops, skyscapers and restaurants/cafés. But there are also nice shops to take a look around.

one main street of Ginza

I found a little stationary store where I bought some postcards, a pocket calendar and another sticker pallet X3 Right beside it was a little shop with good sales but nothing good looking and not my size^^;

A bit further on another grand street of Ginza I chose to enter some centers. There were also many sales, I was surprised. And a wonder happened: I got fitting shoes! They are shoepacs but really good looking (priced down from 9.000 to 5.000 円). But because I didn't expect to buy so much and wanted to save some money for dinner, I had to pay with Credit Card XD 
But these days Kiki and I saw many people with such shoes and we imagine them to be quite useful during rain^^ Though I would be glad not to try them out here...

the stationary shop

Ginza Core (shopping building)

my new shoes^.^

It was really cool to walk around Ginza with a cool bag to show that you have bought something when you pass Prada, Gucci and so on. In another shopping mall where also a huge sale on the ground floor, especially for women: hand bags & wallets, scarfs, belts, tights & socks and jewelry. But there I found nothing.

Near Shimbashi station I entered a toy store just for fun but it was really cool. The best were the (light) saber chopsticks (from Star Wars) in the different variations of Luke and Anakin Skywalker, Count Doku, Yoda and Master Windu XD But for 1.050 円 I didn't want to buy any.

But I bought another Purikura Sticker album >.< It is just like I really wanted it: with chocolate design *_* (but Kiki will take my other one, so it's fine XD)

Sticker album with chocolate design X3

I even passed by a supermarket (I need to buy some things for my home) but I hadn't had enough time left. So at Shimbashi station I met Ryuichi in time^^

Shimbashi Station Hibiya Exit

Just heading from the station where a street full of bars and so on that we entered. Many salarymen also went there around.

street with many bars and restaurants

Because I had no idea Ryuichi chose one. It was a modern Izakaya with a speciality for Oden (vegetables or meat cooked in a special soup where everyone at the table can take what he likes). It was my first time to try it. Ryuichi ordered bamboo, egg and reddish for the oden.

entrance (BF 1)

counter area inside

  

Oden & little cups with Tofu

It was really delicious. After that he asked me if I would drink sake with him. Sake has not a real good taste but I couldn't refuse so he ordered warm sake for us together with yakitori (spicy chicken skewer). It was really good^^

Meanwhile we talked about my Japan journey, my Japanese studying, work; he told me about his family and showed me pictures of his cute daughter. It was really nice to talk to him, we even spoke German. I had to speak slowly but he was really skilled.

In between Ryuichi checked the menue again and wanted to order another Japanese speciality: cow tongue
Because I try everything, he could order it. It was served with spices and onions on top. I must say I tasted surprislingly good O.o I can recommend it!

roasted cow tongue

After the sake was empty we tried another bottle of cold sake now XD Kiki and I always say here in Japan you don't notice the alcohol in drinks... but in sake you do. Good that sake cups are so small^^;

But together with the sake he also ordered at last a portion of Yakisoba with seafood. Both had good taste and made really sated.

Yakisoba

Ryuichi & I

Shortly after finishing eating and drinking we left the izakaya. Ryuichi had to work tomorrow and needed over one hour to get home, so at the station I said goodbye to him. He was so nice and even invisited me for dinner =>.<=
It was really a nice evening with him and we want to stay in contact with each other^^

But I didn't go home at once, I headed back to the supermarket and luckily it was still open. It was quite huge, they selled everything: fresh vegetables, fish, meat and tofu, beverages, tea, coffee, sweets and everything else for cooking like oil, vinegear and different sauces. 

super market from the outside

 

views from the inside

There I got what I really wanted to buy: Japanese sesame dressing! I tasted it in a Japanese restaurant in Duesseldorf last month and it was so delicious. In Duesseldorf it was quite expensive so I have hoped to get it here. And yes, I got it for half the price^^v
Besides I bought some matcha cookies again and for dessert later a matcha pudding^.^

So it was also an expected successful shopping day for me XD

But tomorrow will be a calm day. Neither Kiki nor I will meet with anyone, so we can spend a relaxing day togehter. We want to visit Harajuku and the Yoygi Park.

Bye bye^o^