Ueno Under Grey Skies

I was not going to give into the gloomy July skies, the heat and intermittent rain. Only a few days left and I wanted to see something I had not seen before. It wasn't these beautiful hydrangea, which are always nice to see.

Not far from where I started in Ueno, one of Ueno Stations old entrances. There are still lovely bits of old wrought iron here and there in Tokyo. But this wasn't what I came to Ueno for.

I've actually seen this before. One of the main roads through Ueno. Another building built to look like a ship? That's the Yodobashi Camera Multimedia Ueno shop building. It's right next to Ameya-Yokocho, a popular shopping street. But that wasn't where I was going.

Instead I headed to Ueno Park. Also a place I had been to before. Along with a lot of other people spending time there that day.

Up past the refreshing waterfall.

And along a path lined with hydrangea.

Still holding rain drops.

A view down to where I was going. Off in the distance, a place I had been to before. To see something I hadn't seen before.

A Stormy Night at the Vampire Cafe

My last full day in Tokyo and it was...raining.

I still got out and about. Places I'd been to before so not going to repeat photos, and secret places. Of course one does need to get photos of hydrangea in the rain.

This was an interesting trip. One day I went for a very long walk in the hot sun to a place I had never been to before. But I don't really have photos to share. It was difficult but it was something I wanted to do.

Since it was my last night there, I wanted to celebrate. A return to Vampire Cafe in Ginza. Where I was the only diner at that time. How many people can say they have had the Vampire Cafe all to themselves?

I braved a tempest to get here. Because it was my last chance to try the May-June Moi-même-Moitié special menu. 

I decided this time to try both drinks. The left is the non-alcoholic "アラルめいかいへしずみこうさくするへきるりのとき". Seems I was not the only one who had difficulty figuring out these names. There are references to Ramsses and Day of the Dead with this menu. Perhaps a nod to Babylonian demons by Mana, the creator of these drinks? 

The cute little appetizer that comes with drinks. At the Vampire Cafe it is required to order at least one drink. I've enjoyed all of the ones I have had there, so it's not a problem for me. 

The blue rose on top is gelatin. It is pretty. The drink was citrus juice with blue curacao syrup. I do think I tasted pineapple juice in there. It was nice.

However I really liked "ラマスさのいけにえとこんせいへんいするびょうぼうのとき

アルコール". It was a gin mojito styled cocktail with blue curacao, lemon and mint.

I can say these drinks are not that strong, perhaps because there is a lot of ice in them, along with the light. It does look pretty before and after pouring in the blue curacao.

I really liked this. I will admit to enjoying two of them with my meal, since I knew I would not be able to have it again.

As for my meal, I ordered the flaming grilled risotto. I can say that no evil Babylonian spirits or the King of Darkness appeared.

I wish I could have taken a better photo. But it's really dark inside the dining booths. I am glad you can see the Moi-même-Moitié candelabra logo, created with cheese. Along with the risotto. Made with pork bacon, walnuts and gorgonzola cheese, it was nicely done. The rice held up well, the cheese was not too strong, and I liked the bits of crispiness created by the grilling.

No cake for me this time. I enjoyed my meal and drinks. It was a lovely evening.

Rained Out at Kappabashi

When I was a kid, we had candy called Pop Rocks. It sizzled and popped in your mouth. Of course parents were against it, but we loved it. So, after reading and seeing Mana's description of a certain food item only sold at Ministop, I had to check it out. Lucky for me, there was a Ministop only a few blocks from where I was staying. So I was able to try their grape Halo Halo. 

Halo Halo is a specialty sweet that is a combination of shaved ice, jelly and ice cream. It is only sold around summertime, and the flavors do sell out. This was really interesting to eat! There was the cool waves from the ice cream, a feeling of juicy grapes from the jelly, and the "pop pop" fizz mixed in with the shaved ice. I can say Mana's Kitchen Aristocracy description of this was accurate. I look forward to trying another flavor, since grape is now sold out.

I needed that refreshing Halo Halo because the lives the day before were a physical work out and I was feeling it. Still, I wanted to get out since I only had a few days left in Japan. So I headed over to a place I had not been to before. Kappabashi Street. On my walk there I came across this Inari Shinto shrine.

Unfortunately I can not find a name on Google maps so I will have to do a little research. For now, here are a few photos, taken in the rain.

Graceful looking kitsune here.

A smaller shrine at this location.

Just a few sights on my way to Kappabashi.

I reached Kappabashi street. Welcome to rainy season.

I wasn't aware that most of the stores would be closed since it was Sunday. So I contented myself by taking a few photos of the more amusing places.

Heading back to the station I was lucky enough to see this view of Sky Tree. If it had not been raining I would have walked over to see more. But I was worn out from all the fun the day before. And thinking of dinner.

Getting back to Ikebukuro, I was hungry. And wanting curry. Luckily I had discovered a really small place that offered a lot of selections. I decided to go for the "Fish Butter Masala".

They offered me an extremely cold glass of Kirin beer. Seriously the coldest glass of beer I have ever had. And really good.

Papadum anyone?

Really big plate of rice pilaf. Which I did not finish.

It went really well with the "Fish Butter Masala". The curry was delicious. I may stop in here again in the future. I will have to think about what I want to order since they have so many items.

The place is Great India in Ikebukuro. Really small, and the guys working there, when not cooking, spend their time watching everyone on the street. But the food was good.

Irises and Tea

What I had hoped to see at Kiyosumi Garden was beyond where the pond was. At first it didn't look like much.

But when I zoomed in with my camera...

I could see irises that looked like colorful birds or butterflies.

I am afraid the distance and the low lighting from the cloudy sky did not help with taking photos. But I still want to share these.

There were hydrangea also starting to bloom there.

And other wild flowers.

A few last looks of the pond and the grounds and buildings around it.

As for the Taisho Kinenkan, it was open this day. Inside they were serving various food items like soba. I opted for oolong tea with a piece of strawberry and blue berry chocolate cake and a really nice window seat. Outside Asian swallowtail butterflies were enjoying the azaleas.

Unfortunately I was not able to get a photo of one on this bank of pink blooms.

One final look at all the green. Really beautiful trees at Kiyosumi Garden. I'm glad I spent time there.