Today we were after a bit of culture, so headed to Ueno Station, where according to the guide book “the old downtown atmosphere still remains.” There were any number of museums and art galleries, however a number of them were closed today. Evidently there is a labour shortage, so perhaps they stagger their openings. Some were also closed for renovations.

We started at the Art Gallery (Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum), which allowed free entry to a number of galleries. It was starting to heat up outside, so the air con was appreciated. One of the galleries was dedicated to a calligraphy competition. Even when I tried Google translate it came up with some very strange ideas!

After an hour and a half there, we headed to the Tokyo National Museum, which had quite a long queue snaking its way to the ticket office. I loved this museum. It is amazing how relics from one civilisation overlap with ones we have seen in other countries. We spent two hours here and some of the exhibits were exquisite.

Had a bit of a walk then, to Shitamachi Museum, which I was really looking forward to…it was a museum about life in Tokyo in earlier times, and expected there would be evidence of various crafts. Sadly, closed for renovation until Spring 2025.

So Lionel and I made our way back to the station. It was hot, so thought a beer and a snack would be good. Found a little laneway with a great breeze and had a beer and some dumplings. Then paid for the privilege of sitting down as well! 300¥ each!

Walking along the backstreets near the station, we saw a lot of very interesting food stalls. Happily snapping pics of fish, crustaceans and vegetables, but yelled at for attempting to photograph pigs trotters and chicken feet! “ No photo!”