Since we essentially have five days before we get on the bikes, the plan is to see a bit of Tokyo. One of the highlights to learn about the past is the Edo museum, and it had been years since I'd been there. So we head off in that direction, only to find out that on Mondays, the museum is closed.
A couple of danish tourists apparently had the same plans, so we briefly talk to them, and they tell about the Sansoji shrine they visited earlier, which is relatively close by. So we head out that way. It has started to rain, and during the rest of the day, the weather doesn't improve much. Still, the temple is quite nice, and the first glimpses of the cherry blossom by day are put on digital film.
The shrine is nice, although the narrow street lining up towards its entrance is a real tourist trap. Everything that is vaguely related to Japan is being sold there, and the Japanese tourists seem just as attracted to them as the foreigners are.
Afterwards, we head out to Shinjuku, to see the complete opposite to temples. High-rises fill the skyline here, and large department stores line the streets. This is modern Japan, as clearly as can be illustrated, and of course a good excuse to drop in at Kinokunya, a large bookstore.
We end the day going to Harajuku. The Oriental bazaar is already closed by the time we get there, but Maisen, a most excellent restaurant that specializes in pork meat is nearby, and with a good meal, we end the day.