And no, I don't mean "hot" like how Paris Hilton means it, I mean it was seriously HOT out today. So, I headed to the coffee shop armed with my travel books to decide what to do. As I sat sipping my coffee and eating my sweet potato (I'm obsessed), I decided that it would be a good day to head to Meguro and Ebisu. Meguro had two art museums and an Institute for Nature Study, while Ebisu (one stop away) had the Tokyo Museum of Photography and the Yebisu Beer Museum. I wasn't sure how far I would get, but I decided to start with Meguro and work my way to Ebisu. After a 10 minute walk from the station, I found the park. I got in free with my pass, and they made me pin a pink ribbon to myself to show that I was allowed in, which was a first. As I started walking down the path, I thought "Hey! This isn't bad!". There was lots of shade, lots of interesting trees, and some cool birds.
There were even some ponds:
There were quite a few photographers trying to get cool pictures. She was trying to get a butterfly.
Some cool wildflowers:
A nice pond with a bridge!
After I took these pictures, I realized that the camera case I had stuffed into my back pocket was gone. It's not an especially nice one, but I figured I might as well try to find it, since it had to be on the path I had just walked. I retraced all of my steps, and didn't find it. The front desk didn't have it either. A bummer, but not a huge loss. I returned to the bridge area to complete the rest of my walk. Up ahead, I thought I saw something moving along the path. I got closer, and realized it was a long, disgusting, creepy snake. There are some pictures below that I snapped before I realized how big it was...after that, I boogied on out of there.
It was at this point that I remembered: I prefer my nature in well-manicured lawns and gardens. Or, better yet, in a green house. Plus, I was finding out that one of the many creatures inhabiting this area was the mighty mosquito. Hot, sweaty, itchy, and creeped out, I abandoned ship. On my way back, I saw this pond:
There was a turtle swimming around, but it was hard to get a picture...probably because after the snake incident, I decided to not stand still for long, and to always be looking at my feet.
Finally, the greatest sight of all:
I passed this lady on my way out, sketching some trees. I wanted to tell her that she was CRAZY for sitting on the ground with the snakes, but something told me she probably didn't care. I moved on.
I got back to the visitor's center, and sat for awhile, enjoying the air conditioning and looking for any signs that would indicate snakes were in the nature area. According to this display, there were just birds, fish, and more birds. Bunch of liars.
I studied my map for about 15 minutes, checked the compass on the iphone, and then headed off to the next art museum. I found it without too much trouble, which was a relief. I'm not sure if I was supposed to take pictures or not, so I did it stealthily. You're welcome!
The museum was a collection of Asian paintings, sculptures, and ceramics, and then there was a random room with some modern French Paintings, topped off with a single Picasso. It was a really nicely laid out museum, albeit a little small. My pass got me in for free though, so I couldn't complain.
This cute little garden was in the middle of the museum:
Then, according to my map, if I just kept following the road around the park, I would run into the Museum of Photography and the Beer Museum. I must have missed a turn somewhere, because I ended up wandering around a residential neighborhood for about an hour. I kept following my compass northwest though, and eventually I found a sign that pointed me towards the complex that I wanted to go to. My first sight was this building, which I think was a French Restaurant? The whole complex was huge, with lots of high-end shops and restaurants. A quick trip to the bathroom confirmed that I looked really cute, with my clothes completely drenched in sweat, and my makeup running down my face. I thought I was getting more stares than usual. Oh well, as my parents would say "You'll never see these people again!".
I followed the crappy signs and after a half an hour of going in circles, I found the Museum of Photography. It was already 4:45 (I had been wandering for 95 minutes since I left the last museum), but the museum didn't close until 6. I figured I would just do this, then check to see if the Beer Museum was still open, and if not, head home to meet up with Mike. However, when I got to the Photography Museum and showed the receptionist my pass, she informed me that the main exhibition (which is the only part I get into for free with my pass) was closed until Saturday for renovations. Visions of throwing a temper tantrum raced through my head, but instead, I headed out, determined to find the beer museum. After 30 minutes of wandering, I still hadn't found it, and I was VERY crabby. Did I mention that it was hot? I stopped at a Family Mart and found a sweet potato (it was a two sweet potato kind of day), and then finally got home at 6pm, where I cracked open a beer and ate a piece of cheese. Take that, Japan. Not my best day, but at least the only money I spent was on train tickets and sweet potatoes, so I have that going for me! Tonight we're staying in and out of the heat. Mike got home and told me that the people at the factory told him that this is unusually cool for this time of the year. Oh brother!
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