Day 32: Time to go shopping

Day 32 (6 Jan) The library, inconveniently, is closed on Sundays. That means I have to think of other ways to spend the day. Hmm, shopping perhaps? I still haven't got around to getting a few things and why not buy winter clothes in Tokyo in the middle of a hot Australian summer, I'm sure I'll need them. I was about to head out by myself, but Jinko had some things coming up soon so we decided to head off together. 

6.12am, no snow to be seen

The weather forecast last night suggested snow might fall overnight, and certainly it was feeling that cold. I haven't seen snow for a while so got up at 6.12am to have a peak outside...alas, no, not this morning. 

Which one, at 6.12pm

We didn't plan to go much beyond Ikebukuro today, plenty to see and do there. Our final stop on the shopping day was the Tobu department store. We lived on the Tobu line, so it just makes sense to shop in the Tobu department store (yes, the posher Seibu is next door, but that's a different train line...it's tribal, like football). I do tend to spend a bit of time in this department store, my usual bookshop is here too and I can usually get something nice for mum here. It's all I need really. Anyway, we were hesitating about appropriate gifts for different purposes. 

We were getting close and planning an exit shortly (before 6.00pm) until we bumped into a former professor from our old university. That was a nice chat. Gave me a good photo-op at 6.12pm though...decisions, decisions... 

The view from a (tea) room

We also managed  a bit of a nostalgia when we had arvo tea at a long-established coffee parlour Takase, in Ikebukuro. It's first floor position offers a busy view of the hubbub below...it's Ikebukuro for me.