Big things today. First - haircut. Unfortunately, we neglected to take that many pictures of the barber shop. Momo's father said that he was the number 3 men's hairdresser in Tokyo, and I'm inclined to agree. Not only a haircut, but also a shave and massage. Unbelievable.
Before:
After:
THEN, a fancy lunch with the elders of the family. It was at an old traditional Kyoto-restaurant, where we had the dinner version of a tea ceremony. It's the type of place where the wait staff wear kimonos and you take your shoes off in the foyer. The food was a series of 5 or 6 courses of very beautifully prepared small dishes. It was amazing. It was also on the 48th floor of an office/retail building, so it had a spectacular view as well. Pictures to follow of the courses, the view, and those involved.
It bears mentioning that the gentleman sitting to my right (who also kept refilling my beer glass) is 70 years old and plays tennis for 2 to 3 hours a DAY. Also, one of our wait staff is a world renown hot air balloonist. Seriously. She runs the hot air balloon club of Tokyo and they go ballooning every weekend.
Appetizers. I'm not entirely sure what they were, but they were delicious.
Sesame Tofu in pumpkin soup.
This was shashimi, but I ate it before I thought to take a picture.
Yuba (tofu skin) in soup with greens.
Teriyaki swordfish.
Tofu with lotus root and some sort of thick soup/sauce.
Rice with crab, miso soup (in red cup), and pickles.
The view.
AFTERWARDS, Momo and I went shopping in Shinjuku, which epitomizes the signs and masses that Tokyo is known for.
My new look. I felt less unfashionable today.
Another picture of me, but this one is inside of this crazy photo booth in an arcade where, if you're a teenage Japanese girl, you get your pictures taken with your friends and then digitally manipulate them with crazy backgrounds. Momo tells me that girls get all dressed up (with their short skirts, stockings, heels, and hair extensions) for these pictures. One wall is entirely those giant round soft lights so it has some of the best lighting you'll ever find for a photograph. The arcades are pretty crazy regardless. I took a bunch of pictures with my film camera, but I probably won't be able to post those until we're back home with our scanner.
]On the train. New sneakers.
We picked up some Inari (rice in a fried tofu wrapper) from the Depachika (the basement prepared foods shop) for dinner, and I took some more pictures to convey the craziness of it.
Momo's father at the table, we're just about to eat.
