On our return to Tokyo, Mr. Wonderful was occupied preparing for and presenting at the Adobe MAX Conference, so I learned the Tokyo subway and explored the city by myself. Solo exploration is lonely, but more instructive, since I am forced to relinquish my passive role and make a decision. It is a testament to a shrinking world and the genuine friendliness of the Japanese people that I was able to get by knowing a single world of Japanese. Even that one word–thank you–slipped through my swiss cheese brain more often than not.

Ginza–the 5th Avenue of Tokyo–where giant signs assail you from every angle and fashion is hot off the runway. I was in pursuit of washi–Japan’s traditional handmade paper. Looking lost on a street corner, someone took pity on me and helped me locate my target stationary store, Haibara (est. 1806). Street names and addresses are almost non-existent here. Despite my Lonely Planet guidebook and map, lost was my middle name and there were a handful of restaurants and stores–including the Tokyo Disney tourist booth–that I never did find. Next stop was Ito-ya, housing eight floors of stationary, handmade paper, cards, pens, art supplies and a tea lounge. I confess I became inspired to start writing more snail mail!

Of course, I also visited Maruzen book store to drool over the romance novels. Harlequin had an entire rack of books in japanese with familiar authors and completely new covers. Discovering Outlander and Twilight in Japanese inspired a giant grin. I attempted to locate anything by Linda Winstead Jones to bring back for my mother-in-law, but without understanding the organization of the books I was unable to find any.

The Imperial Palace is in the center of Tokyo. Koi and swans swim in the wide moat that separates the ancient rock wall from the surrounding skyscrapers. It is a travesty that two major arterials bisect the historic grounds. Only the East garden is open to the public, but this outpost of history is a must see for visitors to this modern metropolis. My pictures were taken at dusk as it began to drizzle. Notably, the lighting could be better.

And that concludes this edition of Wanderlust: Japan. Stay tuned next time for Wanderlust: Cruising the Caribbean!

Part I: Tokyo

Part II: Minakami

Part III: see more photos on facebook