Ueno*

Ueno Park in downtown Tokyo boasts a children's playground, museums, and a zoo. The day we went, there was a man playing the shamisen** in the park. It was really neat to see and hear it.

Shamisen player.

Here is a random Japanese lady touching Lily's irrestible strawberry-blonde hair.


The zoo in Ueno Park is the oldest in Japan, and (until recently) was the only zoo in Japan to house giant pandas. Their old panda died in April of 2008. We were very disappointed, especially because Lily is all about Kung Fu Panda. Fortunately, there were still lots of panda-related things in the zoo. Unfortunately, Lily was too nervous to get close to them.
Daddy with the stuffed panda.

Mommmy and Lily with the panda... just not as close.

Lily may not have liked the animal statues, but she liked looking through the hole in this sign.

Sleeping polar bear.

"Don't Feed the Animals" sign. American signs never explain why; they just tell you not to.

After our zoo trip, we found a noodle shop near the subway station and got some very delicious udon before heading home. Lily loves her noodles and slurped up a good quantity before falling asleep at the table. Busy day.

*Ueno is pronounced "way-no."
** Shamisen is pronounced "shah-mee-sehn."