Having slept at 8:30PM last night, I woke up at 6:30 and decided to start my day early! I no longer showered (because I showered before I slept, and that’s how Japanese people do it), so I just washed my face! My hostel does not have free breakfast, which I chose on purpose so that I could avoid having to eat bread/toast.

On my simple itinerary for today are just 2 things: Ueno Park and Imperial Palace. These are places I’ve never been to, despite this being my 3rd time to visit Tokyo. As I was checking Google Maps, I saw that I could just walk around 20 minutes to Ueno Park so I did, but I got side-tracked.

Pokemon Go: (Almost) Unlimited Lugia

I opened Pokemon Go and saw there was an upcoming legendary raid nearby. This was around 7:30 AM. I expected people to be busy going to work. I had 20 minutes, so I stopped at a nearby coffee shop for my breakfast – of just iced black coffee.

When the raid was about to start, I rushed to the area to find A LOT of people in black suits and ties (mind you, average age of maybe late 30s to early 40s), PLAYING POKEMON GO! They’re all probably on their way to work, but priorities! Oh, I love Japan!

After one raid ends, another one 2-3 blocks away starts, so I was busy running around chasing them, until I finally reached Ueno Park. It took me around 2-3 hours, and 6-7 raids, and 4 Lugias, including 2 Shiny ones! I could’ve gone on the entire day, but Pokemon Go is not the priority of the trip. When I reached Ueno Park, it was time for some Unlimited Sakura!

Ueno Park: Sakura Festival

The sun was high, but the wind was cold. And there in front of me, were the white and pink blossoms – and a gazillion people doing Hanami (eating, drinking while viewing the sakura). At first, it was overwhelming, the sea of people that came out to appreciate Japan’s national flower – but all I had to do was look up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I got a bit tired of walking around after over an hour and noticed that it was already past lunch time. I found a corner near the main entrance of Ueno Zoo, where they sold several street food – and found one that’s OK for Keto! Grilled Squid (Ika Yaki)!

I walked around a bit more at the park and saw a few temples/shrines!

 

 

 

I saw that there was a “lake” beside the main park/zoo, so I walked over there to discover more Sakura but lesser people! You can walk in between the lake, on a path covered with cherry blossom trees! On the right side, you can bird watch (but watch out for the crazy birds). On the left side, you could rent pedal or paddle (see what I did there) boats for a more fun experience! I didn’t rent one though, I was contented with taking unlimited photos of Sakura, and stolen shots of people (oops).

 

 

 

 

 

As this post is getting long, I have split it into two parts. The next part will contain close-up photos of Cherry Blossoms when I got trigger happy, and my visit to the Imperial Palace gardens, Tokyo Station, and Hibiya Park! So, for now – つづく。