For two weeks, I’ve looked forward to this day. A whole day to myself, site-seeing, enjoying Tokyo, without any schedule or real agenda. I would wake up whenever my body clock was ready, and do whatever I felt like, see a temple or two, do some shopping, no set plans.

But, today it rained. A steady, driving rain. All day. Out went the thought that I would spend the day strolling Tokyo and instead I bought an unlimited train pass allowing me to hop off and on the subway.

I started in the Asakusa district which used to be the entertainment district of Tokyo until 300 years ago — think sake shops, tea houses, and kabuki theaters. Now it’s the area most people visit to see the Seiso-ji Complex, a 17th Century Shinto shrine. It’s entrance is frequently photographed for its Kaminari-mon (Thunder God) gate with a huge red lantern hanging in the center. The gate is a replica constructed after WWII since the original was destroyed by fire. The main hall and five-story pagoda are also copies of the originals which burned down in 1945. Sumo wrestlers come here before matches and Kabuki actors visit here before the new season of performances to pay their respects. In one picture below, you’ll see people shaking a silver canister. Make a wish while shaking and a stick comes out. You need to match the characters on the stick to characters on 100 small drawers and you’ll find your fortune inside the drawer. If you are happy with the prediction (the message on the paper and how it relates to your wish), you tie it to the stands so it is further blessed.

From the temple I walked over to Kappabashi, an area where 200 wholesale dealers sell everything a local restauranteur would need for their business: kitchen equipment, paper goods, enamelware, and the plastic food models visible outside of a many dining establishments. I spent A LOT of time browsing these stores who only accept credit cards if you are spending more than 10,000 yen ($125.)  I only had 2000 yen left in my wallet for the trip, and I figured that would be OK since I would put dinner and my train ticket back to the airport on my credit card. That left me $20 for lunch and buying something small. Well, I found things I wanted to purchase well beyond my 2000 yen, so I spent the next 90 minutes trying to locate an ATM. Lawsons and Family Mart have ATMs but only accept Japanese credit and bank cards. Thank goodness for mobile phones since a quick Google search explained that a 7-11 market is one of the few places that Americans can withdraw cash. I approached a guy who looked American to see if he knew where there might be a 7-11, and it turns out he’s from N. Smithfield (RI) and was fluent in Japanese (he’s been living south of Osaka for three years teaching English.) It was a miracle! He asked two shopkeepers in Japanese where a 7-11 was located, and escorted me a few blocks away. Phew!

Breakfast: A cup of coffee and slice of egg crepe at Doutor coffee shop. Since the slice of egg crepe was in the same case as the sandwiches, I assumed it was like a fritatta, but it tasted more like a cannoli.

Back on the subway this time to Akihabara — aka Akiba — which is geek/electronics heaven. This district was once all about electronics, but now it’s the place in where nerds go to indulge in computer game fantasies. It’s a whole subculture that I totally wanted to check out. A big focus on anime here too. In the pictures below, you’ll see all these people standing together in a mass playing multi-player games together. Some were huddled together inside of a large electronics store, and others were huddled together outside, in the rain, under their umbrellas. I spent a long time inside one of Yodobashi (see video) — an 11 floor electronics store (imagine 11 BestBuys) browsing all the electronics and toys. Did not have a chance to visit any of the anime stores or visit the cafes where the waitstaff is actually dressed up like the anime characters. It was downpouring, and Yodobashi was located conveniently close to the subway station. Grabbed lunch from Vie De France and hopped back on the train.

Back on the subway — next stop Ningyocho. Ningyocho, recommended by a co-worker, is a sophisticated part of Nihonbashi (where the hotel is located) so I browsed the streets while carrying all of my purchases from the day.

After eight hours in the rain, I was done. No more energy to visit shrines and my clothes were soaked. I didn’t make it to the Imperial Palace. I never did a tea ceremony or saw a Kabuki performance or a Kendo demonstration. No time for museum visits. The Tokyo SkyTree hasn’t opened to the public yet. And I never saw Mount Fuji. But I have assimilated pretty well. Feel comfortable ordering food and navigating the subway. Even though I stick out like a sore thumb — a lot of people stare at me riding the subway — I am so comfortable here. Two weeks and I have barely scratched the surface. I will definitely be back.