There's still more to do, like update www.tokigirlandsparrowboy.com (on today's agenda) and reviews will come in and...WHEW!
This is the Amazon (US) paperback link.
https://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Sparrow-Book-Toki-Girl-Boy/dp/1733902031/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+Eagle+and+the+Sparrow&qid=1590794157&sr=8-1
This is the link that leads to all the other stores, for e-formats and paperbacks.
https://books2read.com/u/mdzrEl
My initial plan was to go to the National Museum, where I wanted to go to the Archeology museum and several more in that giant Ueno complex for research (I am almost obsessive about accurate and very deep research) and just for fun, since it's been a while since I've been there.
But it's not open until June 2. So...I went to Jonanshima, a large beachfront park on the Pacific at the eastern edge of Ota-ku. I've never been there before. I plan to go back.
First you go to Omori station on the uncrowded, masked and socially distanced train (1 stop) . Check. Then you get on the uncrowded, masked and socially distanced 32 bus. This fairly long route goes out to Jonanshima and back. It passes through the Ota Market, which is, I understand the biggest wholesale market in Tokyo. It's so big it has FOUR bus stops in it. The flower building, the fruit and vegetable building and the fish building are all clearly marked with giant sculptures. I understand it's possible to visit it and it's interesting for sure -- even from the loading docks, which the bus circles on its path around this vast complex. The bus goes past another large park -- there are several large parks out here at the edge of the country -- but the end of the line is Jonanshima.
There's camping at Jonanshima. Genuine camping within the 23 Wards of Tokyo! I didn't find out the details, but there were people camping, and plenty of people with tent-shelters and coolers and kids set up for the day.
The park's right across from Haneda Airport, and people who like to photograph airplanes were in evidence. Delta and ANA were flying occasionally. I couldn't tell if they were cargo or passenger planes from the bottom.
There's a fair amount of ship traffic. This ship had a rickty sewing machine engine that could be heard coming and going at quite a distance. Here it is passing Haneda's control towers.
The boardwalk is 400 meters along the east side. More would be on the south side, but there's storm damage so it's closed. Along the north side, there's a path that skirts a big signal station and follows the camping area on that side. There's a wide path for walking and biking and fishing -- a number of people were fishing.
From the north side I could see both Skytree (there it is) and Tokyo Tower, but I couldn't get both in a size one could actually see in a photo.
You can walk the beach, play in the sand, gather shellfish, and fish from the rocks as well as the path, but for some reason, you can't swim.
After a fairly long and pleasant walk in the breeze, I found any number of places to sit with a large bottle of tea from one of the many ubiquitous vending machines among all the other people safely socially distanced and watch all the wonderful sights of a bustling commercial port.
It made me realize how much I have missed being able to get out and enjoy this fantastic city I now call home.
And it was a perfectly lovely day at the beach!