After a long yet smooth flight, I finally arrived at about 7:00 pm in Tokyo! Well, I landed in Narita and took the Limousine Bus to our hotel where Kayla met at the entrance, ready to start our four week Japan adventure. First, though, was dinner at a nearby sushi restaurant where our server had fun teaching us a few words, including Sumimasen (excuse me) and, of course, the all-important Arigato (thank you). The four young men sitting next to us had fun demonstrating how to use Sumimasen to get the server’s attention when they needed another plate of food or another round of drinks.
Back at our hotel, we tasted wine from a wine vending machine! The Cabernet Sauvignon was…drinkable… 😊
The next morning, we launched into our one day Tokyo exploration.
To begin, we hopped onto the subway for Asakusa, where we saw the Senso-ji and Nakamise. Feeling mesmerized by my first temple (Senso-ji) and pagoda, my camera and I went into overdrive!
After wandering the streets of Asakusa, we headed over to magnificent Meiji Jingu and its imperial gardens. Beautiful!
From there, we walked to Yoyogi Park for the comedy highlight of the day. Workers needed to move two cones. They did so on a forklift, necessitating a driver and FOUR guards making sure the driver was safe! We laughed, as did the guards and driver.
Next, we meandered over to Harajuki and Cat Street, a bit disappointing as it’s mainly a big shopping district similar to what one would find in New York City or London. On Cat Street, though, we saw a line of young women, dressed somewhat similarly, having their photos taken and being interviewed by an older woman. It ends up that they are all models for some show.
Finally, we headed to Shibuya Crossing, where up to 500,000 people cross each day! It’s a wild scene, with people crossing all four directions and criss-cross! For the city view, we enjoyed our reserved couch seats at Shibuya Sky’s rooftop bar, complete with a couple of drinks and a light snack.
It was a full day – a very full day! – and a great introduction to Japan.
Kaminarimon, the famous Thunder Gate at Sensō-ji
Sensō-ji
Hōzōmon (Treasure House Gate) toward Sensō-ji’s five-story pagoda
Room inside Meiji Jingū
Young models on Cat Street
Tokyo street scene
Under a bridge on our way to Shibuya
Sunset from Shibuya Sky
Shibuya Crossing at night
Shibuya Sky – photo taken by some young men who asked me to snap their photo so they reciprocated 😊
