Category: Tokyo

We travelled south the to the Sunshine Observatory which turned out to be in a mall that was extremely popular. Thousands of people in the streets. The mall escalators were jammed with people coming in. Turns out it is a mecca for Anime. There was a live show on one floor with people acting out the anime characters and hundreds of people, parents, and kids lining the railings of 4 or 5 floors to look down on them. One floor was dedicated to Pokemon and the kids were ecstatic, like seeing Disney characters. We had Sushi while waiting for the observatory to open and Katie again was full of ’yums’ and humming. The Observatory was very similar to Tokyo Tower but very kid oriented, so we didn’t spend a whole lot of time there. Good views though.

We then traveled to Shinjuku Goyeon Garden near our hotel to look at formal and landscaped gardens. Many locals out on the greens but no jogging or sports as it is a garden not a park. They have rules, many of them. Nice Koi ponds but only the Roses were in bloom.

We retired to our hotel briefly. Then across the street for an IPA and to catch up on our email and write the blog. Later we went to a rooftop bar close by for a mediocre G&T but a good Suntori 12 year old whiskey. We walked the streets filled with walkers, musicians and lights in order to find our ramen place ’Ichiran Ramen’. What a treat and experience Select from a pictorial electronic menu, Select some toppings, degree of spicyness, garliciness, and onioniness. Then wait in line until you reach the front, then assigned a 2 foot slot with a shade in front. When your ramen is ready, the shade goes up and your food is delivered. it was surprising how efficient this was though by the time we left there was a line up the stairs and out into the street. Great meal and crazy atmosphere. We walked through the busy and lively streets back to our hotel

Today we were picked up after breakfast at 8am for a train trip to Sensoji Temple in the Asakura ward. 1200 year old Buddist temple with a Shinto Shrine on site as well. Learned about the gates for entry that were guarded by the gods of Wind and Thunder(reminding Katie of BI). The large lantern at the entry is a lantern that started in use at peoples homes to light the way home for loved that had passed. There were fortune telling spots for a few yen, wish spots to help with future events, smoke inhalation pots to cleanse the sole and hand washing sites to wash away evil. A large pagoda was on site with 5 stories representing water, earth, fire, wind, and sky. Many young Japanese youth visiting in Kimonos. Protection for the temples and shrines was provided by statue animals of dragons and dog/lion combos. We saw 4 young girls purchase a number pulled from a shaker which led to a drawer of fortune written on a paper(magic 8 ball!). 3 of the 4 got fortunes of ’bad luck’ which led to screams and laughs. Turns out you tie this paper fortune to a string that is setup which allows you to leave your bad luck behind. No sore losers here!

Now we are on to Taipei then Istanbul. We just missed a Typhoon in Taipei which came thru yesterday resulting in many cancelled flights. 3-4 hours in Taipei airport then 10 hour flight to Istanbul. Goodnight

Tomorrow is our last day in Japan. A very short stay! Too short of a stay, but still rewarding. Our guide Haru introduced us to Japanese culture and train travel. it would have been boggling to get thru all the train stations and trains without her. We had a good breakfast at the hotel, many options. Many Japanese options like miso soup, pork dumplings, goyza, mackerel, plum sauce, bean curd… I had bacon, eggs, rolls. somehow Japanese options do not taste as good with coffee. It rained most of the day, supposedly the rainy season is June but I guess this is monsoon season. We made it to an open fish market which was fascinating. We saw the Japanese version of the Statue of Liberty and had a traditional Japanese lunch, Soba noodles, Miso soup, and Donburi bowls of shrimp and vegetable tempura. We saw a huge statue of a Transformer, Dumdum? that may not be right! Visited the Ota museum, filled with 1800’s master woodblock works of daily life in the Edo period. Visited Harajuku, a young peoples area of fashion trends/styles. we saw coffee shops where there was an entrance fee that entitled you to pet dogs, cats and in one, otters, while you were there! Very elaborate sweets our guide kept trying to get us to buy, ice cream cones with a large cloud of cotton candy around the cone, or elaborately decorated crepes with fruits and sauces. Walked to the Meiji Shrine, which was built in honor of a modernist emperor of the 19th century. There are many traditions that involve helping your fate in life… for a few yen. You can buy Ema’s which you write a wish on and hang up in public. They also had many small packages of various sizes that you can purchase for various enhancements, like finding the right partner, scoring well on the entrance exams, and making lots of money to name a few. We ended the night first on top of the Park Hyatt for some Gin & Tonics with panoramic views of the city. We then found a small Sushi restaurant where Katie kept saying yum and humming.

Katie and I flew out of SFO on United. This was our first time flying business class. We stayed in the Polaris lounge at SFO before our flight and found it to be excellent. Good food, comfortable lounging, and a taste of Champagne maybe a little early in the am. Boarded the plane first and found we each had our own little cuby with lay flat seats, large monitor, and a welcome kit with socks, eye shades, ear plugs, toothbrush, and slippers.

Our guide Haru, met us on exiting customs which was a gaunlet of forms and QR codes that seemed to repeat the inormation over and over again. we took thesky express into Tokyo and to our hotel, the Sunroute Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku. we showered and changed then met her in the lobby to do a bit of a walkabout. we went to Golden Gai and ’Piss Alley’ an area with small alleys cramped with tiny restaurants and bars. We had Sashimi and Sake at a restaurant, or some of us had Sashimi all of us had Sake. we walked further along many Neon lit streets with an overwhelming number of advertisements. Reminds me of a number of science fiction books I’ve read and movies I’ve seen. Shibuya crossing was kind of like Times Square, people everywhere, neon lights, huge video displays and even Godzilla on one of the buildings. Katie and I were pretty tired so skipped the kareoke that was planned.