Reading is...damentedly damental

Thanks to the recommendations of Tokyo Guide I headed out in search of English language books. While my reading of Japanese is my biggest strength concerning the language I'm a bookworm and miss the comforts of just plain reading without translation.

YAESU Book Center　八重洲ブックセンター
location: diagonally to the right out of the central exit of Tokyo Station (東京駅)

First of all it's actually called BOOK CENTER so when asking for a bookstore (本屋) it can get really complicated. Also Tokyo Guide's directions of "right in front of the station" don't exactly help when it's diagnoally across from a 2 city block size station. -_-;

Yet again, asking people is one of the best ways to get around Tokyo. Security guards and bored policemen know best.




The 8th floor which is only accessible by elevator has mostly art and science books in English with a few paperbacks sprinkled in. For some reason Film Adaptation books are big in Japan, I guess to follow along with? Along with classics, film adaptations mainly took up the whole section. I guiltily picked up Perfume (1,500yen) and an English Tokyo magazine (600yen). 1,500 for a paperback >.< Louis Vuitton: The Birth of Modern Luxury in their Bargain Bin section. Going for used starting at 299.95USD I'm sorely tempted to buy it and lug the heavy ass thing home with me.

Finished off the trip with some nice lemon tea for my continously sore and scratchy throat for 390yen at their coffee shop. The refills and silver service were a nice touch.

Marumachi 丸町
location: Inside Oazo from the B2b exit of Otemachi Station (大手町駅)

Marumachi is located in the upscale mall OAZO connected to the Otemachi station through a large series of tunnels and walkways. It's an endless walk from the Marunouchi line exit, but Otemachi station is one of the rare instances where inside the subway there's great listings of exits and what's outside those exits. Maybe that's why a lot of foriegners were there?

Oazo has a basement with cute food shops and a variety of cuisine. I snacked on thai yellow curry from a soup place, got an almond milk boba tea, and an adorable strawberry eclaire from this shop called Something Rouge. It only served deserts with strawberries inside and had a sweet red and white decor. I couldn't resist.


The inside of a take-home cakebox with strawberry eclaire inside.

I ended up shelling out 3210yen for 2 English language books at Marumachi. The store may be more upscale and have a slightly better selection, but the prices are dreadful.

TRAINS



Creepy Ueno St at night

I felt all together today with my new magazine to read on the train and finally wearing my new shoes with tights so they wouldn't blister my feet. As I was stepping off the train onto the platform my ballet shoe caught on the train and dropped to the tracks below.

I stood looking at the departing train in shock. I didn't know that it had dropped, I was just shoeless. I had to one leg hop with bags full of groceries and books to get the station manager to pull out my shoe. He commented as he got it out that I have a huge foot. <_<;;; 81/2...that's normal in the states. I felt grumpy at him, but after he carried my heavy groceries down the stairs I stopped wanting to stomp on his mini-feet. It's not everyday he gets a crazy one-shoed white girl yelling 大変！大変！(Trouble! Trouble!)

On my walk home I felt the urge to cry, a lingering cough for 2 weeks keeps me from seeing good jungle tonight... my shoe dumped to the tracks... my Japanese failed me and I was unable to get an item I wanted instead telling the girl "forget it"... the quiet alien feeling that surrounds a foreigner here...

Japan felt like it beat me a little today, but I hung out around my place with friends and just let that wash over me.

Waking up with a nagging cough and cold don't feel so great, but Tokyo has so much to offer and I won't let the bad get in the way of it.