Tuesday.

Because of her schedule, Chantal got up real early like and hopped a bullet train to Kyoto, leaving Jen and I solo. Joanne had to work again, her last day of the term. Jen and I went to another new part of Tokyo called Ebisu, and visited an area called Ebisu Garden Place. It is a complex of buildings that house offices, shops and museums and is built out of brown brick. It is a newer looking bunch of buildings and many are made to look swiss or something—they even have a clock complete with lederhosen clad yoddlers dancing in circles on the hour!

We were there primarily for the National Museum of Photography. We took in two exhibits: a grouping of post-war Japanese images, and solo show by British photographer Martin Parr. The Japanese shots were interesting, as it chronicled the manner in which the entertainment industry in Japan changed from pre-war, to post-war American occupation, through to more contemporary images. It was also a treat to see some of Martin Parr’s work in its full size glory. Most of the shots are just gross, but in a way that makes me laugh out loud. How often can a photographer do that? Check him out on the web.

After the photo museum, we went to the Beer Museum, where we saw how the Japanese make beer. I’ll let you in on a little secret…it’s the same way everybody makes beer! The old ads were good, and the holographic diorama was neat. At the end we entered the tasting room where we had a sampler tray and met a guy from New Jersey. We chatted and traded travel stories. He told us about his three weeks in Beijing which according to him was the antithesis of Japan.
Upon our return to the Arms, Julie, Phil, Olivia and Sophia had arrived. How bizarre. The whole family shacked up in a room the size of my kitchen! Not to mention the whole family rendez-vous’ing in Japan.




More little dogs than Toronto!



Ebisu Garden Place



Beers are bigger in Japan!