Japan Observations - Day 2
Spent the day visiting TeamLabs Planets, Hamarikyu Gardens and Ginza.
- Conbinis are so convenient. They are smartly stocked based on the location - you might find wide variety of stationery in one outlet, business clothes in another, and so on. The consistency matters too - you will get the same coffee, sandwiches and bakery goods everywhere. And then the fact that there are conbinis almost everywhere within a few minutes of walking distance.
- Prices at conbini and cafe/restaurant are not so wide apart. If time is not a concern, it’s better to eat at a restaurant where you can rest your legs and try freshly cooked food. Of course, there are exceptions to this statement since you will have some cafes and restaurants which are quite expensive. But most of the well rated restaurants were not that much more expensive than conbinis in my experience.
- Public parks are very well maintained. We visited Hamarikyu Gardens near Ginza - it was impressively maintained.
- It was strange to see people walking on the left side in some places, but walking on the right side at other places. When in doubt, follow the crowd.
- Today was the last day of Golden Week. The city was calm - the calm before the storm kind. It was nice to see many Japanese families with children out and about having a relaxed day.
- Being big fans of Uniqlo, we had to visit the flagship store at Ginza. Surprisingly we didn’t find it to be too crowded. It’s massive - each floor is not too large but then you have 12 floors of clothing!
- Loved that the Japanese hotels provide pajamas. They were comfortable and clean. I enjoyed the fact that we didn’t need to bring the night clothes from home, and then do laundry.