I had an inauspicious start to the day, but it’s Monday after all. The upstairs elephants were stomping around all night and I didn’t sleep that well. Then it was time to pay a huge credit card bill that included:

• plane fare to Japan for me, my mom, and my sister
• my Tokyo hotel that turned out to be more expensive than I first thought
• plane fare to Busan for three
• other various and sundry travel fees

Basically I emptied out one account and wanted to move money around other accounts. None of my banks make that easy. Bank of America was being pretty painful PLUS they have some sort of new security thing that requires you to set a cell phone to send text messages to. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t let me do it because my ATM card doesn’t have a security code and the web form seems t think everything is a credit card.

I tried calling the bank. All the toll-free numbers they gave me didn’t work. No one knew how to make a collect call from Japan. I finally broke down and called the US direct but was on hold so long that I got nervous and hung up. I tried to get Google voice working but after trying several different browsers I gave up. I finally bought Skype credit only to find out that my huge bank, B of A, doesn’t answer the phones on holiday weekends.

Of course, Google Voice finally started working and now I can call the US for free. I spent a bunch of money calling my mom before I figured that one out.

So it was noon by the time I was able to leave and I was in a mood. As soon as I got outside, I noticed that the road in front of the hotel – the one that goes through Korea Town – was blocked off and there was a parade going on.

There was even a marching band.

I figured I might as well try to catch up to the band, which wasn’t easy with the crowded sidewalks.

This is right in front of Shin-Okubo station, where I needed to catch the train anyway if I didn’t want to transfer at Yoyogi Station.

I decided to go to another one of the restaurants my sister suggested, at Ebisu Station.

I know going to another restaurant recommended by my sister is dangerous and foolish but Blacow is a hamburger restaurant that has a butcher shop inside and was mentioned in a blog that sent me to Fatz’s earlier in the trip.

I get the feeling that Ebisu is a bit fancier neighborhood than I’ve been walking through. It was quiet and there were good looking restaurants that sat empty.

I was given direction by a guy with a “Lebron Who?” shirt who was from Cleveland but has been in Japan for a year working as a lawyer.

There was a line to get in to Blacow when I first got there, but I figured I had to try it now.

It says deck out OK, which means you get to design your own burger.

Sure enough, they had a butcher shop inside and a list of where the meat came from.

And here’s my ¥1,750 ($22.38USD) burger. Japanese hamburger can have a funny taste like they mix in some sort of pork and this was that way. This is a good burger, but I have to say Fatz’s beats it.

I went back towards Ebisu Station because… Ebisu Station is named after the old Ebisu Beer factory.

This is neither here nor there but for my sister. It said Toyoko Inn Development Company.

There were performers here and activities for the kids all over because it’s a national holiday, Health and Sports Day.

This isn’t what I was looking for.

This is closer, as it’s the Sapporo Beer building and if you follow what looks like an alleyway to the right…

The Museum of Yebisu beer!

I don’t thing this is operational.

For ¥500 you get a “tour” which consists of 10 minutes of history and 10 minutes of DRINKING TWO (tiny) beers!

And a tiny bag of Japanese beer nuts.

Or are they peas? Or beans?

Beer number 1, standard Yebisu beer.

Beer number 2, the seasonal fall beer.

They also told us to pour the beer certain way. First you pour it straight down the middle to get the carbonation out.

When the carbonation settles and the glass is half-full, pour in more slowly.

Here’s a picture of the special logo that is only on a small percentage of bottle and cans.

Well, I don’t know what this building is.

I thought it was the Tokyo Museum of Photography, but that was down a hallway to the right. I thought it would be fitting that I took a photograph of the Museum of Photography.

The whole complex is kind of fancy and has a Mitsukoshi department store.

I decided to walk a ways towards the hotel. Another odd thing in Ebisu was a Mos Cafe that looked full of LPs.

I followed a small side street towards Shibuya and saw some police vans doing who-knows-what?

And the brand new Langlitz Leathers Tokyo on the same side street, full of old leather jackets.  I have a couple of Langlitz jackets at home.

I couldn’t help myself and took a picture of Chosenji Temple near Harajuku.

And I don’t know if this is the oddest sign of the day.

Or if this is the oddest sign of the day.

Near Harajuku was a mystery train station that one street sign said was for the use of the Imperial family.

And I stuck to the back streets just for fun. This street appeared to have apartments and little else (the blown out sign says “Japan Physical Therapy Association”) but there were odd mini-art galleries in amongst the buildings.

I walked up to a bookstore and then walked back to the Yoyogi train station. I got back to the hotel and fell asleep in a chair and then it was time for dinner from Tesco. So the day ended up much better than it started. Let’s hope tomorrow is better.