First full day. I start by heading north to Kayaba Coffee for breakfast. It's about a 20 minute walk. I didn't realize it at the time, but this route takes me straight through Ueno Park - right next to my hotel. Along the way, I pass by Ueno Zoo, which isn't open yet.

As I continue walking, I pass by what I later identified as the Bentendo Temple. This is the second temple I've casually seen in Ueno Park at this point. It's incredible how history is almost hidden in plain sight.

At this point, I start realizing this is a legitimate park or plaza. It's 8:45 AM on a Wednesday, so it's like I have it all to myself for the moment.

A statue of Prince Komatsu Akihito in Ueno Park. He was a 19th century member of the Imperial family and career officer who studied military tactics in England. His campaigns in the First Sino-Japanese War (Japan vs. China) earned him the rank of general and later honorary field marshal. He's remembered here for his contributions to charitable causes in pre-industrial Japan.

A group of landscapers clearing dead leaves in an area of the park. This is part of the standard maintenance I've seen as I walk through the park since I've been here.

There are many cultural centers along the edge of the park. This is part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, and I liked this little statue a lot.

Made it to Kayaba Coffee, and ordered a matcha latte and egg sandwich (with some miso soup and a small salad). The sourdough was unlike anything I'd ever had before - perhaps the best I'd ever had. Kayaba Coffee apparently focuses on a Norwegian style, which paired with Japanese wheat produces a lighter, crispier, softer sourdough than I'd ever had.

As I walk from Kayaba Coffee to Akihabara, the Electric Town, I see a statue of Dr. A.F. Bauduin in Ueno Park. He was a Dutch physician who first suggested this location be a park instead of a hospital, as was planned. Ueno Park then became the first public park in Japan two years after he died.

Walking back through Ueno Park (Akihabara, or Akiba as it's known locally, is in the opposite direction), I thought this was my hotel, but it may be a different APA hotel. Kayaba Coffee to Akiba is a 40 minute walk, but I enjoyed taking the time to familiarize myself with Japan's urban design. That sounds like a joke, but it's not.

One of the reliefs in the National Honor Award Handprint Monument in Ueno Park. It's like the Japanese version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but with a focus on athletes and artists.

Lockers and a smoking area in Ueno Park. I was surprised to see this, but they've ended up being more common than I expected.

A weird fountain I found in Ueno Park. I like it a lot. This is next to the south entrance of the park. I ended up not taking any photos of the rest of the walk, which wasn't my plan, but oh well.

NOT REAL, as the signs make very clear. This was in TamTam, a chain hobby shop. Most of what they sell are anime figures and other collectibles, but I found this amusing.

An interesting collection of Gundam models alongside realistic tanks and planes.

Next to the Yodobashi-Akiba superstore, this is a cat cafe. You pay an hourly rate to feed and play with cats. It's meant to be a relaxing environment, but I decided to pass this time.

The outside of Yodobashi-Akiba. 8 stories of anything you could want to buy. In my unexperienced opinion, you could consider this the "heart" of Akiba. I'll later spend a long time trying to find the food court, which is at the very top on the eighth floor.

A view of Yodobashi-Akiba from several blocks away. I'm heading to Mandarake Complex, a set of dedicated anime and gaming stores.

I got a steamed bun and a chocolate drink as a snack from Lawson - think of it as a 7-Eleven competitor.

The Lawson in between the two Mandarake complexes. Along with FamilyMart, NewDays, and 7-Eleven, you'll find convenience stores within five minutes of walking in any direction in Tokyo. It is a common sight to see people in suits buying snacks or prepackaged food.

On the way to Cafe Mai:lish. This is an "anime" hair salon. There's a manga reading area in the lobby - I don't know what else about the haircuts are anime-themed.

Cafe Mai:lish turned out to be closed on Wednesdays. The good news is that I can fit it in Friday, two days from today (the time difference was such that 12 PM my time is 7 PM *the previous day* in LA).

Found a Hard-Off in Akiba on my way to lunch (since Cafe Mai:lish was closed). Don't let the name fool you, this is a well known secondhand electronics and gaming chain. I ended up being mostly unimpressed with the pricing at this location - a sentiment which is apparently shared online.

After eventually finding the food court at the top of Yodobashi-Akiba, I got this "soupless ramen" and a green tea. Instead of broth, there's an oil base at the bottom that you vigorously stir into the noodles. The egg is raw, and meant to be used with the egg white separator. The yolk is poured into the ramen, and the white is left behind. Japan's egg pasteurization method lets people eat "raw" eggs without risk.

The entrance to the "Nintendo" section of Yodobashi-Akiba. It's a mini-superstore, but I'm not interested in the Switch 2.

Ueno station at night. If it seems like there was a big time jump, by the time I finished shopping and had "lunch," the sun was already setting. I decided to skip Go Go Curry, instead planning on going to Ameyoko - it's a street market a few minutes walk from the hotel where I can drop into anything that looks good.

A cute light display in a small square across from the 7-Eleven next to the hotel.

Getting some work done after finally being able to put my bags down. This is a quick rest before heading to Ameyoko.

A cute display I noticed from the railing around the rooms in the hotel. The layout of the building allows any floor where guests are staying to look down on it as they enter or leave their rooms.

A construction crew working on an electrical cable across from the Ueno Skyliner station (very close to the hotel). It's clear they are working diligently, which is a nice contrast to some of the work crews around LA.

A selection of hot, fried foods at the 7-Eleven. It's really nice to not have to worry about a hot dog sending me to the toilet for a whole day. I ultimately decide against getting any of these, though.

I grabbed a black tea from 7-Eleven. Black tea isn't very common. It was pretty good.

I haven't tried a vending machine yet, but this is what it looks like. The alcohol is clearly labeled, but it doesn't look like there's any verification.

I went to a pharmacy to get some distilled water, hair gel, facial cream, and some Voltaren pads for my hands (not exactly the same, but close enough). I can't really use a pad on the inside of my hands, though. Don't mind the scary looking bag - that just means I leveraged my passport to not pay the 10% consumption tax.

Ameyoko. It isn't busy, but it's also quite late. Lots of tiny shops and restaurants.

Ameyoko approximately 30 minutes after the last photo. It seems like Japan opens at 11 AM and closes at 11 PM. It's almost an eerie feeling, but never unsafe.

This is Don Quixote, a chain store that is usually open 24/7. There are several floors, and you can buy everything from snacks to luggage.

These are the same roads that were bustling 40 minutes ago. It's a very quiet walk back to the hotel.

This is my late dinner: Cream chicken (egg-cream sauce) from Ameyoko, and oolong tea, assorted onigiri, and some dessert from 7-Eleven. Name aside, meiji's black chocolate is probably the best dark chocolate I've ever had. Apparently they use real milk solids and a very particular manufacturing process. Overall, a very good dinner to bookend a full day at Akihabara.

Getting to my seat. United upgraded me to Premium Plus, which includes a wider seat with more legroom, better meals, and several goodies among other things.

This is the lunch. I got the pasta - it came with a roll, salad, and a cheesecake brownie. This was one of three meals on the flight.

First view of Japan, coming from the north. Very exciting!

At the airport. All the signs and directions are in English as well as Japanese.

Walking to the immigration line. There were a few of these on the way, which were very amusing.

Nintendo advertisement on the way to the security checkpoints. I believe Nintendo is the biggest company in Japan? Something like that.

Hatsune Miku on a banner for a tourist agency. This was after baggage claim. I had just dealt with not being able to find my phone in my backpack for several minutes. Big fun!

Took the Skyliner direct from the airport. This is a photo of the outside of the Keisei Ueno train station. I'm currently standing in front of my hotel.

My hotel for the first 4 nights. APA is a chain of business-oriented hotels across Japan. They're very nice, but not tourist traps.

A cute origami figure in the hotel room.

Finding an ATM and getting dinner at a 7-Eleven. This is about a 45 second walk from the hotel, maybe 60. One of the two workers was Indian, though naturally I didn't take a picture. It was a nice bit of familiarity.

Three different currency exchange machines at the 7-Eleven. The one on the left is for bill exchange, and the other two are for card withdraw. I ended up using the one on the left.

This was my dinner. An egg salad sandwich, two pieces of spicy fried chicken (tasty, but not really spicy), a strawberry milk pudding (it's strawberry season in January!), a chocolate and custard danish-type thing, and a bottle of green tea.