Next Friday, my youngest daughter will go on a school trip to 新潟県 (Niigata Prefecture) on the other side of Japan for a four-day ski-trip.
Her sisters both took the same field trip when they were in the sixth grade…and they both had a great time.
I’ll worry a bit when she goes on this trip (just as I did when her sisters went), but I’m sure she’ll have a good time.
Today, we went to 上野 (Ueno, Tokyo) to get some things she needs for her trip.
After we finished shopping, we went to a カラオケ・ボックス (Karaoke box)…which is a place that has many small, private rooms where you can go to enjoy food and singing karaoke without strangers being able to see or hear you.
Our Karaoke room
Here are some photos that I took around 上野 (Ueno, Tokyo) today:
アメ横 ("Ameyoko") in Ueno
Here’s a video that I took of this corner:
Some more photos I took of the area:
上野の「たぬき小路」
Tommy Lee Jones does TV commercials for "BOSS Coffee"
「立入禁止」 = "Do Not Enter"
Sometimes men need to stay in a cheap hotel for a business trip (or because they missed the last train of the evening)…this type of place is popular for them—A Capsule Hotel with sauna and “Pachinko parlor“:
Capsule Hotel
ちょうちん (Paper lantern) for a 「うどん」 (noodle) restaurant
One of the oldest buildings in 上野 (Ueno, Tokyo) is the old shopping center 「聚楽」 (Jyuraku) will be demolished soon. So I took a photo of it:
上野の「聚楽」
Last Friday, the DVD for the movie “Detroit Metal City” went on sale. There are two versions…the regular DVD of the movie and another version that includes a bonus “making of the movie” DVD.
KISS bass guitarist, Gene Simmons, makes a cameo in the movie and plays on one song on the soundtrack.
I wrote a post about this movie. Click here to see it.
Here the DVD promotion poster:
"Detroit Metal City" DVD promo poster
It was a fun day. The highlight was listening to my daughters sing カラオケ (Karaoke). 🙂
Tokyo Five 
Masako…
A tour is a great way to be sure you’re seeing the best parts of a new city.
That’s a nice coincidence that that family is taking the same tour group as you again…and your son’s friend is, too!
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“Are you joining a guided tour group?”
Yes we are going on a organized tour and going to stay three extra days in Tokyo. We are going with the same company we went to Okinawa and Kyushu with last year. Another family that went last year is also on our tour this year.
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gigihawaii…
>We took the taxi most of the time, because we can’t read Japanese signs.
There’s alot more English now than when I first came here and I was couldn’t read any Japanese back then, either.
I wrote this post about it:
https://tokyo5.wordpress.com/2008/10/17/its-been-18-years/
>WALKED from Hotel Pacific in Shinagawa to the Ginza and then back to the hotel.
Couldn’t your hotel staff tell you the train route for where you wanted to go each day?
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Sir Pent…
I haven’t watched it…yet. I saw the previews on TV. It looks fun.
I’d be surprised if it was available for rental outside of Japan.
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So have you seen Detroit Metal City yet? Is it worth a rental? (That is…if it’s available for rent over here.)
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We took the taxi most of the time, because we can’t read Japanese signs.
So other than that trip by subway, David WALKED from Hotel Pacific in Shinagawa to the Ginza and then back to the hotel. As a result, he developed a bleeding blister on his big toe! Thanks God, we had bandaids.
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gigihawaii…
>We took the subway to and from Ueno Zoo
Japan’s first zoo….but not the best one (there are about seven zoos in the Tokyo area…Ueno Zoo is the only one in metropolitan Tokyo itself, though.)
We’ve been to all of the zoos in the Tokyo area (and a few outside of the Tokyo area, too).
Here are posts I’ve written about our zoo visits:
https://tokyo5.wordpress.com/2008/12/06/iknow/
https://tokyo5.wordpress.com/2008/10/01/the-zoo/
https://tokyo5.wordpress.com/2008/09/07/tobu-dobutsukoen/
https://tokyo5.wordpress.com/2008/08/28/photos/
and
https://tokyo5.wordpress.com/2008/04/07/yokohama-2/
>our only trip on the subway.
How did you get around on the other days you were in Tokyo?
>Disappointed that the Giant Pandas had died just a few months before we got there
Yes, Ling Ling died in April 2008. That panda was the only one Japan owned…the other pandas in zoos in Japan are rented to Japan from China.
After Ling-Ling died, China offered to rent a replacement…but the Tokyo government decided to decline.
I wrote this post on that day the panda died:
https://tokyo5.wordpress.com/2008/04/30/ling-ling/
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Masako…
>Great post!
Thanks.
>I love Ameyoko cho in Ueno. I do lots of my Omiyage shopping over there.
Yes, you can buy all kinds of things in the Ameya-yokocho…and for good prices.
>Only five more weeks until my trip to Japan. I can’t wait!
Are you joining a guided tour group?
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We took the subway to and from Ueno Zoo, our only trip on the subway.
Interesting experience. Disappointed that the Giant Pandas had died just a few months before we got there, but we loved watching the Polar Bears, our first time.
The animals in general look healthier than those at the Honolulu Zoo.
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Great post! I love Ameyoko cho in Ueno. I do lots of my Omiyage shopping over there. Only five more weeks until my trip to Japan. I can’t wait!
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