Japanese TV as a lullaby? Not sure I would recommend it because it keeps you amused and you kind of want to keep watching it, even if you don't understand, Exhaustion and a warm comfortable bed caught up with us and Samara and I both slept really well.
Feeling refreshed and well fed (thanks to our pitstop at 7-11 last night) we made our way by train to the Hilton Hotel to pick up our half day tour of the city. I like doing a half day tour or hop on hop off in new cities so you can get a general overview of the place and then you can make it on your own.
First stop Tokyo Tower, which is a communication and observation tower( which is modelled on the Eiffel Tower but is a little taller) and those wonderful scenic views you get from the top. The tower is not just an observation tower but is also home to shops, restaurants and museums. The tower's colour of 'international orange' and white complies with air safety regulations, but also helps it to stand out from the other buildings around it.
Yes Tokyo is another city and when you look out from the obeservation decks it looks like a lot of others but if you look closer you can see the shrines and temples nestled between the modern highrisers.
The one difference is the Tower itself, with the multitude of staff that work there. There are the greeters and elevator operators and more greeters and information staff, all offering a smile and a bow and as much assistance as you could ask for, and that is something I really love about Japan so far, the fact that people are so friendly and polite..
And as you wander down the stairs to get the bus you come across a couple of little stores to pick up some souvenirs, and somehow I think I'll be spending a bit on Hello Kitty stuff as small presents for people back home.
Next stop the moats and grounds surrounding the Imperial Palace, which has been the home of the Imperial family since 1888 when a new Imperial Palace was built after the shogunate was overthrown. This is just one of the guard houses on the massive stone walls that surround the Palace and a perfect spot for a photo op.
The Palace itself is further in the grounds (and you need to do a Palace tour to see more of the grounds so on our quick tour you get to see the moat, walls and guard houses surrounding it) The palace itself is open to the public a couple of times a year for the Emperor's birthday (I wonder if he serves cake) and for a New Years Greeting. Would like to have seen more but the problem with tours is you have a schedule that you have to stick to.
Then on to Sensoji Temple (also known as Asakusa Kannon), which is Tokyo's oldest temple. It is a large complex, housing the Shrine, a five story pagoda, main hall (check out the galleries for more photos of this wonderful area) and smaller buildings around it.
That was beautiful and despite the many tourists it still felt very spiritual and I was happy to spend the rest of the morning wandering around here soaking up the atmosphere. There is a shopping street here called Nakamise which we wandered down a little but there was too much too see (and too buy) and not enough time as couldn't stick around for long as we had a coach to catch. (Next time :) )
With the tour over it was time to venture out on our own and after a delicious lunch we tackled the train system again. Honestly I had seen videos and thought it would be daunting but it's anything but. Yes it can get crowded but you just have to breathe and fight the claustrophobia but everybody is polite and it makes things so much easier. People stand to the side to let people off the train, even stepping out of the train and reentering if they need to. Announcements are made in Japanese and English so you don't have to worry about not understanding where you are, and most of the main stations have English signs as well as Japanese so you shouldn't get lost.
Exploring Tokyo is not as intimidating as I had thought it would be and our plan to find the Meiji Shrine and Yoyogi Park (which was built to honor Emperor Meiji the first Emperor of modern Japan) was easily achieved and it was truly enchanting, a breath of fresh air in the middle of a busy city.
Had I realised it at the time we would have wandered the grounds more and left from the other entrance to the one we came in on (which was near Yoyogi station) as the other way in or out (as the case might be) is Harajuku station and we could have done that today instead of later in the week. (as it was we were pleased that we had even managed to find the Shrine and that only means more exploring later in the week)
Our final stop for the day was the Skytree,
the other tower in Tokyo (and the tallest in Japan) The shopping center below is fairly impressive and even me who is not the greatest of shoppers parted with a few yen for some souvenirs. I think if Samara could have fitted a Catbus (anime lovers would know what I was talking about) in her suitcase we would have been taking one home with us. Another trip up the observatory tower (to both observation decks) Tembo Deck is the first and then another elevator takes you up to the Gallery and another amazing view, made even more beautiful by lights.
Coming down from the tower I realised how cold it's got, there is a real chill in the air and I'm so glad I've got all my winter woolies, cos I think I'm going to need them. (I have to say I prefer this to the heatwave they are having back home....give me scarves and hats and gloves to ward off the chill any day!!!!)
A stop at 7-11 for breakfast supplies (and yes another pork bun for supper) and it's back to thankfully a warm hotel room, hot tea and Japanese game shows which are funny whether you understand the language or not. I think there's going to be snow tomorrow, not sure how much we will get in Tokyo but I'm so excited, it's been a long time since I was in the snow and it will be Samara's first time so it should be fun.