MOMA's girl

Tuesday was mine to do as I pleased. Some would have checked out the shopping. But I'm a museum geek, and after spending every spare second in Berlin at the Pergamon and the Alte, I kept the streak hot. First stop: the National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo. I was too early by a week to see the Tsuguharu Foujita exhibit, but the pearls in the permanent collection kept me happily occupied for four hours. Koga Harue's surrealism alone was worth the price of admission. Access to the nearby Crafts Gallery was included with my ticket, and although it's "eh" it was worth the twenty minutes it took to view the (small) collection.

Bonus: On the way to the Crafts Gallery, I walked by Budokan. Since I saw Cheap Trick perform the hits from this album forty-eleven times in Memphis, it felt like home. In fact, I did feel at home in Tokyo, which wasn't at all what I expected. Maybe it's a contrarian reaction to all the "overwhelming" hype, but I was less than whelmed. Don't get me wrong - I love it. Maybe I've been around one too many blocks but ... it's a first world capital. Other than the language barriers -- which I'm used to -- there are a lot more similarities than differences. Jaded, moi?

I met the dashing and debonair Robb Satterwhite for dinner. Since Robb's the founding force behind Bento.com, he knew all the hot spots in the 'hood near my hotel. Three restaurants (and one Belgian pub) later, it was time to say 'sayonara' to Nippon. I have a feeling I'll be back.