Ueno Zoo 上野動物園
Yes, it is February and I am back in Maine. But the tale of my stay in Japan has not been completely told.
On a warmer-than-normal day in late January, my Colby friend Stephanie and I ventured up to Ueno to visit the famous Ueno zoo.
Our first stop was naturally the panda exhibit.
They did not move. Not once. Except for the first panda who turned over on his side to grab a bamboo stick and chew it.
I loved the graphic design at this zoo.
Next was the elephant exhibit. Elephant is 象 zou (pronounced “zoh”).
I think this is Vulpix.
They had sea lions, one of my favorite animals.
Afterward we headed over to Asakusa (not to be confused with Akasaka, where I worked).
It felt like everybody in the country simultaneously decided to visit this shrine and walk down this one alley.
After that we stopped by Akihabara 秋葉原 and tried going to a maid cafe.
I couldn’t take any photos in the maid cafe we went to (called “Maidream”). Just imagine Japanese girls in maid outfits serving you tea and snacks and the whole environment overloading you with cuteness until it spills out your ears. One example—every time we wanted to order, we had to hold our hands up like paws and make the sound a cat in Japan makes—“nyan nyan.” So I’m glad I went and experienced what a maid cafe was like, but once was definitely enough.