By the numbers
25,734 steps
20.15 kms
Level of Chaos: Probably lost my mind
I didn’t feel like I had any sleep, but I know I did. I was up early so that I could take off right after having breakfast. I also wanted to miss the rush hour as everyone went into work or the station scramble to the gates. Its more follow the leader and is pretty orderly. Google maps had me catching two trains that would take me to Tokorozawa. It would be around an hour there and I felt like I got there is good time. The plan was to find the manhole covers that lined the street and there was also a nearby museum. I started on one side of the street following a bunch of students and at the street I turned off a teacher was telling the kids to keep going and I think he got a little confused by me wandering past. I found I was an hour and half early for the museum to open, but it wasn’t why I had made the trip. I can leave that museum for another time. It was starting to look like it would rain, so I thought it best to make my way back. I ended up stopping in a park on the way and had a look at my boot as I thought my sock was playing up. Turns out part of the inner sole had rolled up and was giving me a really sore heel. I knew I needed to do something about it. I followed the manhole covers back to the train station on the other side of the road.
The next location I was heading to was out at Ikebukuro in Toshima city, even though its still part of Tokyo. It was on the way back to where I was staying and on the same line that will take me all the way back, the Yamanote line, which is meant to be one of the train lines people should stay near. The museum didn’t open for a little bit and my map kept saying I was already across the road even though I knew I was not. It was worse when I first arrived as I kept walking in circles trying to get out of the underground labyrinth. It didn’t help that I had a sore foot. I waited around for the museum to open and it was a small museum that was free, so I cant complain. I got a stamp as is the thing with this trip away, although not all are train stamps. The museum was basic, the bottom floor had how they made animation and went step by step with the planning and the storyboard to the dubbing of sound, which was interesting. Another floor was about a TV show I hadn’t seen yet as it was a Gundam show I think is on Amazon. The exhibition was mostly in Japanese, but while I was there I got given an anime guide that included manhole covers. I don’t think it covers everything as the ones I came across earlier wasn’t there.
I was going to head back to the hotel for a rest, but I was having a look through one of the multilevel stores that had something on every of its 8 floors, though when books and CDs are in Japanese I couldn’t find what I would like. I just happen to have a look in the convenience store and I found a box cutter and I knew that I could use that to fix my boot. When I got back, I carefully sliced the bit of fabric off my inner sole and it worked as it felt better later on. I did find that I could buy new ones back home, but they wouldn’t help me now. At first I didn’t realise it could come out and that was after I carefully sliced at the fabric. I did have an hour or so rest before I went out again.
Out again meant I was going to have the Ichiran Ramen, where I could sit behind a private counter after taking an order. I had to circle if I wanted it spicy, how much garlic, type of noodle and how much meat I wanted. I only had around a 5 min wait before going in and I didn’t know what to do other than copy someone else and guess. It worked and I got my meal, which was nice and I was happy to have it during this trip away after getting knocked back in Osaka. I think I was at the wrong store though as there were two. From there I went hunting down the Astro Boy manhole covers and went for a wander to look at a little park that was once a train station and platform. Turns out it had been damaged during the 1923 earthquake and never really recovered from that. It had other uses including as a museum for a little while. Now it had an art gallery with several businesses running out of the sections. I went for a wander into Akihabara as that was only across the bridge and the train station was that close. I jumped into a shop or two before deciding it was time for me to head back or else it would be really late.
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