Tokyo Metro (銀座 一穂堂)

Tokyo’s subway system is slightly complicated, but always on time. There are multiple different subway companies in Tokyo and the tickets for different companies don’t transfer. I recommend carrying a small English map of the Tokyo subway lines, since not all stations have English maps.

During festivals food stalls line the streets and sell a diverse assortment of traditional and unique Japanese treats. In mid-May Sanja Matsuri is celebrated around Sensoji with traditional festival foods. There are savory favorites like okonomiyaki (a pancake including meat or seafood and vegetables), takoyaki (fried octopus dough balls), and karaage (fried chicken bites) as well as sweet treats like dorayaki (sponge cake filled with sweet red bean paste) and mochi (rice paste cake). During Ganjitsu locals celebrate the New Year with osechi-ryori, ornately prepared dishes symbolic of wealth, happiness, and longevity. When festivals are not taking place food stalls can be found in Ueno Koen near Benzaiten shrine and around Sensoji Temple.

The night before we went to our Ninja Class in Tokyo, I asked my kids what they most wanted to do. They shouted, “Throw ninja stars!” I laughed and tried to prep them, saying, “I’m sure that they would never let tourists do something that could make them hurt themselves like that.” Well, I was wrong. We learned how to throw traditional “stars” as well as the more popular nails (easier to conceal), as well swordfight, and play the Japanese “banjo” at the school run by a woman who was the descendent of a “real ninja.” She showed us the slim sword concealed in her walking stick and also recounted the story of stabbing a flasher on the subway with her hairclip. In the photo, my daughter wears the traditional armor because she won the blowdart contest.