Spent most of today just exploring the neighborhood of my hotel, sampling the local food. Mos Burger is neat; I got a fish fillet on a rice bun. I also got a new bag to replace that Strongbad bag I brought; it's less bulky, better-organized and easier to open. I think buying that bag was my most successful endeavor in the Japanese language to date, except for a conversation with this one lady at a department store counter when I was looking for another monocular. Everyone tells me to go to Big Camera for it, but that's where it cost 7000 yeh.
I also spent an hour or two walking around Shiboya. I saw a black person there. I also saw a five-story Sega arcade, and, well, lots of people. And another Big Camera, that had binoculars on the bottom floor that were in the 3000-yen range but didn't have the focus range I was looking for.
I did buy new insoles. They aren't helping. These dogs are barking big-time.
As I was heading back to the station in Shiboya, I was approached by this woman who got right in my path and started to hold my arm. "Massaji?" she asked. She was very conservatively dressed, with glasses, and a really soft, timid voice. I asked how much, and she said 10,000 yen, and I said no thanks, and she dropped the price to 8,000 and I said no.... and it took me a while to wave her off, but I did. Whether she was a legitimate masseuse or not, I could have used a footrub. If my feet still hurt this much tomorrow, I might go back and look for her. And if it turns out she's that other kind of masseuse, at least it'll take my mind off the feet.
I wonder if it's my shoes; they always seemed a little off, and the soles are hard as plywood, and they've never been put to the Tokyo test until now. Ha, good luck for me finding shoes for my big American feet here.
well, time for me to go to my room and fill the sink with warm water so I can soak these...
