Sunday in the Park with Umashimadenomikoto

We're in the home stretch. This was our last full day in Japan. I already don't remember yesterday, so all I can offer is what we did and saw and ate today. 

We went to a lovely park near the waterfront. The shogun(s) used to live there. Probably. (One thing I did not pick up on this whole visit is any sense of Japanese history. Oops.) It was (another) beautiful day, so I had many photo ops.

Here is this guy:

(I admit I took both those pictures just so I could title today's post. Who can blame me?)

Look at this though. Is this amazing and beautiful or what?

If it's not clear, the pattern on the ground is the shadow formed by the branches. It was noon. There was a whole grove of these trees. 

This park included a waterbus port, so we took a 45-minute cruise up the X River (another thing I failed to do on this trip is learn any Japanese geography. Oops.) It was very pleasant. Look at this incredible and  unfathomable sculpture:

What in the heck?

We ended up in another Tokyo neighborhood called Asukusa, where there was a festival and parade going on. Many people in various traditional costumes, playing instruments, including children. 

Is it racist of me to say that all the babies and children I've seen here are unbelievably beautiful and adorable?

(Any question that begins with "Is it racist of me" has already been answered, I realize.)

We ended the day in Shibuya ("boo-yah!),  which is like Times Square squared, plus Vegas, with a dash of Disney World, if Disney World had a red-light district. Busiest pedestrian intersection in the world, I believe. Very cool to see.  Only photos I took were videos. Sorry. 

Our last dinner in Tokyo was very good, as usual. Here is the mackerel getting very lightly cooked, at the table. 

There were a few unusual items on the menu, though, that we passed up:

Take a look at the large photo, top left. 

Yikes. 

I'd say we're getting out just in time. 

Tomorrow, closing generalizations.

And dang it-- I'm missing a THIRD episode of Mad Men!