We went to Ueno Zoo that day, but our daughter got sleepy and cranky in the crowd, so we headed back to the hotel to rest before returning to Ueno for dinner with friends, picking up HARBS cake, and then visiting another friend who was expecting.

On the first weekend after starting work, I went to Ueno Zoo and stopped by a nationwide pottery fair on the way, where I bought a blue owl mug. The zoo was packed, and the elephants and hippos were impressive, but the red pandas were a letdown compared with Maruyama Zoo. After that I visited Toshogu Shrine, ate dorayaki at Usagiya, stopped at Yushima Tenmangu Shrine, then kept going through Ameyoko and Akihabara before finally dragging myself home exhausted.