Chapter 621: Skytree, and Kappabashi Kitchen Town.

“Wow, it’s so tall! Allis, the houses are so tiny down there!”

“L-Linne…! Don’t move so much…!”

Linne was excitedly looking at the buildings visible through the glass floor beneath her feet, while Allis was tightly clutching Kuon beside her due to the overwhelming height. It seems Allis doesn’t like high places. No, perhaps it’s not that she dislikes high places, but rather this specific situation. We were at the Skytree observation deck in Oshiage, Sumida Ward, Tokyo. Through the glass floor, the ground was visible from a height of three hundred and forty meters. Even for me, who normally flies in the sky, it gives me a slight dizzying feeling. It’s a strange thing. It might be surprising, but Elna was as calm as Linne. Since she usually rides in Linze’s Helmwiege, maybe she’s fine with high places. Yakumo, Yoshino, and Arcia were like Allis, seemingly uncomfortable and not wanting to approach the glass floor. They could view the scenery normally, though. After enjoying the view of the ground, we decided to take the elevator up to the observation corridor higher up. We took the elevator and quickly arrived at the observation corridor, four hundred and forty-five meters above the ground. We walked up the gently sloping ramp, which was surrounded by glass windows on the outer periphery.

“What a spectacular view. It looks like the town continues forever.”

“I can see a large mountain far away, indeed. It resembles Mount Fugaku in Eashen, indeed.”

Since the weather is nice today, we can even see Mount Fuji. Mount Fuji, capped with white snow, is vaguely visible. It’s a beautiful sight. Even though I always fly in places higher than this, like in Babylon, I never really paid attention to the scenery much. It was mostly just a sea of clouds. It might be good to build an observation deck like this in something like the Val Albus. Being able to see the state of the ocean even when submerged might be fun. We arrived in Tokyo instantly using [Gate]. Traveling this distance by Shinkansen or other means would definitely take up the entire morning. We have tons of places we want to visit. Speaking of Tokyo, we came here first, and it seems to be quite popular with everyone. I took many photos of everyone with the panoramic view of Tokyo as the background. I have to take lots of photos of Allis too, or her father, Ende, will complain… Although all of them are two-shots with Kuon, I assume there’s no problem. Satisfied after enjoying the view overlooking Tokyo, we took the elevator back down to the ground. We didn’t forget to buy souvenirs at the shop on the ground floor. There are various goods… including collaboration products with anime and TV personalities. My daughters were ecstatic over the stuffed animals and goods featuring characters they had seen in animated movies. Future me has apparently shown them these anime in the other world. Well, they are classics, after all… The Forest Master who looks like an owl, and the cat bus, etc. These strange creatures are still in Japan. Probably. Laden with souvenirs, we leave the Skytree. As before, we don’t forget to discreetly store the souvenirs in [Storage] when out of sight.

“Now, where should we go next…”

There are so many places to see in Tokyo, it’s hard to choose… Going to Tokyo Tower after the Skytree seems redundant, and Ueno Zoo… I’ve already been to a zoo with my wives before.

“Is there anywhere you guys want to go?”

I might as well ask everyone for their desired destination. I’m definitely not just passing the buck.

“Yes! We want to go to Kappabashi Kitchen Town!“

“Kapp…? Eh?”

The mother-daughter duo of Lu and Arcia raised their hands faster than anyone else. Wait a minute, what about kappa (a mythical creature)?

“Kappabashi Kitchen Town is a sacred place for chefs in Tokyo, where various stores selling everything from cooking utensils and tableware to food samples line the streets! We saw it on the daytime TV show!”

I-Is that so…? I couldn’t help but step back slightly from Arcia, who was explaining with heavy breathing and huffing and puffing. Apparently, the daytime information program featured Kappabashi Kitchen Town. Kappabashi… where is it? I take out my smartphone and search the map. Kappabashi Kitchen Town… here it is. Uh, wait? It’s not that far from here. I thought about using Teleportation Magic after checking Street View, but we can easily get there by train. I don’t think walking is impossible either. Should we go from the station in front of the Skytree to Asakusa, and then transfer to Tahara-machi? I kind of want to see the Kaminari-mon Gate in Asakusa, but going there would definitely take up too much time… We should head to Kappabashi Kitchen Town first. Since no one expressed any objections, we decided to go to Kappabashi Kitchen Town, as requested by Lu and Arcia. The children seem to have gotten used to the train by now and aren’t frolicking as much. We had a little trouble with the transfer, but we managed to take the subway to Tahara-machi Station. Exiting to the ground via the elevator, we step out onto a wide street. Kappabashi is… this way. After crossing several crosswalks and walking straight, I see something strange… On top of a building is the upper body of a giant, mustachioed man wearing a chef’s hat. Is it a sign… no, an objet d’art? It stands out immensely… well, it’s perfect as a landmark.

“It looks just like on TV!”

“Mother, let’s go!”

“Ah, hey!”

Lu and Arcia ran off as if they couldn’t wait. We had no choice but to follow them at a trot. There are plates of various sizes displayed in front of the stores. Cups and soy sauce dispensers are also here. 50% OFF… these must be sale items. Food containers, wooden stands to place under steak plates, lacquered bowls, chopsticks, earthenware pots… These are tableware stores. It seems there are things here that aren’t available in regular department stores. It’s a strange feeling where I’ve seen the items, but never seen them sold before. There’s a huge stockpot for sale… I’ve never seen one sold, but I have made one… Following the mother-daughter pair of Lu and Arcia, who are walking ahead with sparkling eyes, we walk along the shopping street. I can see a few foreigners on the street. They might be chefs from somewhere. Well, we probably look like a group of foreigners too…

“They even sell flags and noren (Japanese fabric dividers)…”

There are flags and noren written with things like ‘Yakitori‘, ‘Ramen‘, and ‘Dining Hall‘. ‘Takoyaki‘, ‘Oden‘, ‘Chilled Chinese Noodles‘, and ‘Curry Rice‘…?? They really have everything…

“Ah, I definitely want that one.”

“Mother, let’s buy this one too.”

What caught Lu’s eye was a wooden boat. Eh, what is this? Ah, a boat used for funamori (boat presentation) of sashimi. They sell even something like this… What Arcia picked up were plates used for children’s meals. They come in shapes like Shinkansen trains, cars, cats, and rabbits, and even something unusual like a space shuttle. Do kids today know what a space shuttle is? Well, maybe they recognize it as a strange airplane…

“Yae-san, there are so many knives here.”

“Ooh, the blades here in Japan are wonderful, indeed.”

Hilda, Yae, Frei, and Yakumo seem interested in the displayed knives. I need to remind them those aren’t weapons… though I’m sure they have amazing sharpness. Also, do these really come in so many types…? When knives of various sizes are lined up like this, it starts to look like a stylish weapon shop… It might be unavoidable that Hilda and the others are interested. That soba-cutting knife looks dangerously shaped… It looks like an axe. Before I knew it, not just Hilda and the others, but Lu and Arcia were also looking at the knives with serious eyes. Knives are a chef’s life, after all… If they find one they like, it’s okay to buy it. I thought the other children would be bored, but they were surprisingly looking at various stores with interest.

“There really are all sorts of stores.”

“I’m overwhelmed by the sheer variety of products…”

Elze and Linze are surprised looking at the many products lined up in front of the stores. As members of my race, our dedication to food is amazing. Oh dear, oh dear, I shouldn’t be overwhelmed. I should buy something as a souvenir too. Nice lacquered chopsticks or tea bowls might be good for the old men of the Takeda Four Generals. No, these deep bowls might be better than tea bowls…

“Daddy, this is amazing!”

“Hmm? Ah, food samples, huh.”

The store window where Steph called me with sparkling eyes was lined up with various food samples. There is paella and sukiyaki that look exactly like the real thing. The colors are incredibly realistic… The parts where the meat is cooked and the parts where it isn’t yet are painted in a wonderful gradient. It’s not an exaggeration to call this a work of art. Entering the store, there were various menus… no, works displayed. There’s hamburger steak, chocolate parfait, ramen, curry rice, sushi, and even draft beer. Is the condensation on this mug, which looks chillingly cold, also calculated and made?

“Amazing, it looks exactly like the real thing…”

Are there set meals too…? This omelet rice looks delicious… But the price is quite steep. This omelet rice is over twenty thousand yen… More expensive than the real thing. No, since each one has a different shape, they must all be handmade. It would be cheap if considered a one-of-a-kind piece incorporating a craftsman’s skill. But it might be a bit too expensive to casually buy for the children…

“Mummy, this is cute!”

“Oh, that is indeed cute.”

What Steph and Sue are looking at are food samples with key rings attached. The key rings have single strawberries, or a slice of lemon, and so on. There are sushi toppings too. This one is… fried chicken? Wait, this one is a leftover chicken piece? And this one is dried sardines… Quite aggressive pieces of art… These are magnets, the kind you can attach to a refrigerator. There are lamb chops, shiitake mushrooms, and fatty tuna. These are also realistic. There are also pen holders shaped like lotus roots, bookmarks shaped like bacon, and flashcards shaped like sandwiches. Nice, I think this kind of playful spirit is important. I can buy these for the children. That aside, I want to buy one of these realistic food samples as a souvenir for the God of Craft, Craft-san. I want to show him Japanese technology. Which one should I get… Should I go with the classic Neapolitan spaghetti with the fork lifted in the air? No, this sirloin steak looks more realistic. After agonizing over it, I chose the Makunouchi Bento (a traditional box lunch). I thought he would be happier with something that has various items inside. Steph and Sue also decided to buy matching key rings.

“Oh dear, this shopping street has too many temptations. There are so many unusual and interesting things, I keep entering the stores one by one…”

To be honest, I find myself reaching for things that I might think ‘Will I even use this…?’ because they aren’t sold anywhere else… I feel like if I miss this opportunity, I won’t be able to get them again…

“Father, Father! There’s something amazing!”

“Just a moment, Frei. I’ve seen so many things, I’m already full… Wait, what is that…?”

The place Frei dragged me to had no store, but an open space where a golden kappa statue was placed. It’s not a cute, deformed kappa. It’s a life-sized, realistic kappa. It has a slender figure, and is wearing only a loincloth. It holds a fishing rod in its right hand and tucks a large fish under its left arm.

“Kappa Kawatarou Statue…?”

You have a name, huh… Since it’s called ‘Kappabashi Kitchen Town‘, is this the origin of the place name…? Reading the stone monument next to the statue, apparently, there’s a legend that a kappa helped with flood control in this area long ago.

“It looks like gold!”

Steph, who came up from behind, said that looking at the shining golden kappa statue. Well, both are dazzling. Everyone else who followed is also looking at the kappa with confused faces.

“Is this a Goblin? Aren’t there supposed to be no monsters or demon beasts here?”

“No, this is a yokai, a fictional creature… or at least it is supposed to be.”

That’s all I could answer to Yumina’s question. I don’t know if kappa really exist or not. But in this shopping street that even built a statue like this, saying emphatically ‘There are no kappa‘ feels a bit presumptuous. I casually put my hands together and prayed for a safe journey. I don’t know if a kappa would grant me any divine favor. Back to exploring the shopping street. Looking again, there are kappa everywhere. Kappa marks and deformed kappa dolls catch my eye. It’s only natural since it’s the symbol of this area. But there really is everything. It’s almost all related to food, but it’s interesting just to look. For a moment, I saw a store that looked like a clothing store, and I was surprised, but what they were selling were aprons, chef uniforms, hand towels, and tablecloths. They even have uniforms worn by restaurant employees. They are thorough. Here, I bought aprons for Lu and Arcia. There’s no functional problem with their aprons from the other world, but the ones here on Earth are several times more stylish. They even have freestanding signs to put in front of the store, red lanterns (akachouchin), and display cases to place outside. Anyone planning to open a restaurant could probably find everything they need here. There are also stores selling maneki-neko (beckoning cat), Shichifukujin (Seven Gods of Fortune), and raccoon dog statues. Ah, those are often placed in front of stores. …Should I make an Amber maneki-neko? No, a maneki-tora (beckoning tiger)?

“Ah, Mother, a seasoning store!”

“We can’t miss that!”

“Ah, again…”

The Lu-Arcia mother-daughter duo charge toward the store that their cooking sensor detected. They are incredibly lively, dashing back and forth across the street… This might be a dreamland for them. Every time they enter a store, our bags of belongings increase. Well, I have been discreetly storing them in [Storage] little by little to reduce the load… Lu and Arcia, having finished their exploration of the shopping street, had beaming faces full of happiness.

“I am satisfied!”

“We are highly satisfied!”

“That’s good…”

I’m a little tired… I thought about going to Asakusa next, but before that, we decided to eat somewhere because we were hungry. It’s long past noon, after all. Since no one had any specific preference, we entered a general public diner we saw on the way. Perhaps because the lunchtime peak was over, there were almost no customers, so it was fortunate that we could be seated without a wait, even with a large group of twenty people. The menu is written on wooden boards lined up on the wall. So many options… Curry rice, pork cutlet curry, fried rice… Besides rice dishes, there are bowl dishes like tempura bowl and pork cutlet bowl, and Chinese dishes like ramen and tanmen. In addition, things like fried horse mackerel and hamburger steak can be ordered a la carte. Which one should I choose… Ah, there’s Neapolitan spaghetti. Perhaps because I saw the food sample earlier, I suddenly want to eat it. Okay, I’ll have Neapolitan spaghetti. It feels a bit odd to eat Neapolitan spaghetti in a traditional Japanese diner, but since it’s on the menu, there should be no problem. My wives and children also order what they like. While waiting for the food, I secretly drop the bags under the table into [Storage]. I won’t store everything. If I entered with lots of luggage but leave empty-handed, I would be suspicious. I’ll store them little by little, just enough not to arouse suspicion. Before long, the food is served to the table one after another. As usual, the portions for Yae and Frei are huge… The lady at the diner looks worried and asks them, “Are you really sure?” Yes, they are. Those two are no ordinary food fighters.

“Here is your Neapolitan spaghetti!”

“Oh, here it is.”

It’s a simple Neapolitan spaghetti with onion, bacon, and green bell pepper, exactly as expected. A pasta dish originating in Japan, not Naples. Mmm, it’s delicious. It’s not amazingly delicious, but it’s a comforting taste.

“Is it tasty?”

“Yeah, it’s tasty. I like it.”

When I answered Leen, who was sitting next to me, she chuckled and wiped my mouth with a paper napkin that was on the table.

“Don’t eat in a hurry. Calm down a little.”

“Ah, yes…”

Ugh, I was treated like a child…! As a father and a husband, this is embarrassing… It might be an excuse, but my mouth is small… I tried to hide my embarrassment by eating the Neapolitan spaghetti diligently, trying not to rush. …It was delicious, but the portion might have been quite large for a child. Still, I finished it all. I’m full. I glance over at Yae and Frei’s table, and several empty plates were stacked up. The lady and the master of the diner looking at us from the back of the kitchen with dumbfounded expressions are amusing. I figure Yae and the others’ appetites were boosted more than usual because they saw the food samples. Now, how about we go enjoy Asakusa?