Get a call and go to McDonald's around 8am for breakfast, I decide to buck fashion and wear shorts, as it is unbearably hot. Order hotcakes and eat outside next to street café-style. While eating, assorted crew members show up with tales of falling asleep last evening and awaking in the middle of the night. Well, at least I'm not the only one.

Hang out at Mickey D's for awhile. Then venture off with my usual day off partner in crime Jerry. We head for the arcades with Electronics Town (ET) the ultimate destination. This place is like some whacked out SOHO and Canal Street rolled into one. Shops of every description and small restaurants (I use the term loosely, as some are just stands) are every few feet. It is never ending and a little overwhelming. We find one arcade that is all restaurant supply stuff. Some cool pottery and places that sell the fake plastic food that you find outside the restaurants here to advertise what they sell. The plastic food places are bizarre, everything from plastic sushi to plastic beer. We browse and vow to return and buy gifts on the way back.

On our way to ET, we see a music store. As Musos we go in and check out the new and used guitars, even see a few deals, but pass on buying anything. Hit a few storefronts in ET, see some cool digital cameras that probably won't hit the US for a few months. Deals aren't any better than the States (some worse). But, if you want the latest-greatest this is the place. I want a new digital camera, but I've been looking at them for a year now and have still not decided to pull the trigger on one. Check out a cool Hobby store with 5 floors of models and such. Search for a Ducati GP bike model, but no go. They have plenty of Honda ones though, even a Biaggi one. May go back for it.

End up back at the restaurant row and buy a few gifts. It's now time for lunch and we remember passing some good noodle houses in our travels, so we head that way. Now of course we can't find anyplace to eat, there are McDonald's and Wendy's, etc. but we don't want those. After walking around for an hour we finally decide on a conveyor belt sushi place we've passed a dozen times. We go in, it's pretty busy, but we get a seat at the front. These places are great, the sushi comes by on little plates with one or two pieces of sushi on them. You pick what you want and the plates are totaled when you finish. The guy is making sushi right in front of us, so you know it's fresh. Normally sushi is not that great in Japan compared to the US. No California Rolls, etc. just pretty normal nigiri sushi. I must say this was the freshest sushi I have ever had, the tuna had obviously been freshly killed, and seen minimal freezing (if any). The ebi (shrimp) was also outstanding. There were quite a few things we didn't recognize (or eat), so we just let them pass by. We finish and tally up the plates, my total comes to 960yen. I'm stuffed and it's under $10, who says Japan is expensive?

After eating, we realize we have been walking around for 5+ hours. Time to take the purchases back to the room and get a little rest.

Well, after 45 min. of rest I start getting sleepy (it's only 5pm). Not good. I decide to venture back out, Jerry passes, so I'm on my own. I want to check out the Amerika Town (like our china towns), just north of the hotel. Walk through an arcade I have never been through and buy a shirt for myself along the way. Get to Amerika Town and it's a lot of alleys with small vintage clothing, record and shoe stores. There's a bunch of punk rock kids and a few sleazy looking characters around. Feel a little uneasy, but have no problems. Visit a few vintage places, now I know why there's no good vintage in the US anymore, it's all over here!! Some places have 10,000+ items, wow. See a few bargains, but most stuff is overpriced and see nothing I can't live without. Wander back to the arcades and decide to hit the Tower Records near the hotel. Score a Gladhand's Best Of CD in Tower and a Japanese guitar mag. By now it is 7:30pm and I've walked around for almost 8hrs. today. My dogs are barkin'. Go back to the room, email, read and make it to almost 11pm before falling asleep.