I finally found a place more dangerous (for my wallet, that is) than Akihabara: Yodobashi Camera’s flagship store near Shinjuku Station. Scattered amongst several buildings, Yodobashi sells every electronic appliance, widget, and doo-dad you can think of. The camera store alone stands eight stories tall - with a separate two story building across the street selling nothing but film… stocked in coolers. Thankfully, photo gear is expensive, so I escaped without buying anything more than the circular polarizer I had originally set out for.

Visibility was good for a change, so I took in the view from atop the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and the massive Takashimaya Times Square shopping mall.

After having my feet trampled one too many times by the throngs of weekend shoppers, I boogied underground to the subway in search of quieter surroundings. And that’s exactly what I found in Jinbocho, a small neighborhood north of the Imperial Palace known for having a high concentration of used bookstores. As Akihabara is to anime fans, Jinbocho is to bookworms.

Sadly, Yomiko Readman was nowhere to be found.

After getting my fill of books, I strolled north in search of Suidobashi Station. Right outside the station sits the Tokyo Dome stadium and amusement park, where hordes of fans were arriving for the evening’s game between the Yomiuri Giants and Cincinnati Reds - er, I mean, Hiroshima Carp. I squeezed my way through the crowd and hopped a train bound for nearby Akihabara. No day in Tokyo is complete without a stop in Akihabara, it seems.

There, I grabbed dinner, avoided opening my wallet, and continued on to Asakusa, a neighborhood I had been meaning to visit for weeks. The sun had dipped behind buildings by the time I arrived, leaving little time for photography. I strolled around Sensoji Temple and finished the day with a boat ride down the Sumida River to Tokyo Port.

And on the seventh day… I rested.