my mom and dad are here

I think I nearly killed them with today's sight-seeing itinerary. We took the train to Asakusa to see the Sensoji Temple, which is part of a whole area that includes several smaller shrines, various halls, gates and gardens, and a five-story pagoda. The Chingodo shrine features a pair of "raccoon dogs" serving as guardians of a nearby temple.  We strolled along the narrow shopping streets, and my mom bought a hand-painted tenugui, a partial reproduction of The Red Plum by Japanese artist Korin Ogata (the painting was was made into an Edo Period stamp, issued in 1969. We ate at a tempura place. Then we walked to the Tokyo Metro to catch the Ginza line to Shimbashi, where we then walked to the Hamarikyu Onshi Teien (huge garden), which is absolutely beautiful, even on an overcast, chilly, windy day like today. We walked around those grounds for a while, admiring the enormous peonies and carefully tended pines, the crabapple trees and the tea house on the pond, and the view of Tokyo Bay and Rainbow Bridge.

Mom in the Peony Garden
D in the Peony Garden
C having just plucked something out of the flower field (I told him to stick to dandelions after that)

It started sprinkling rain, but we still had to walk some more, out of the garden and in the direction of Hamamatsucho, where the Pokemon store is (and where we had promised to take the boys). But we had walked enough, and so my parents and I grabbed a cab for home, leaving T and the boys to make their way over to the House of Pikachu by themselves. They are still out, the apartment is still (oh, blissful silence is mine!) as my parents are sacked out in the guest room. I am to wake them at 6pm otherwise they won't sleep tonight! And we have hired a sitter so we can go out to dinner. But where to go....?