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Tokyo, Kanto, Japan
After an awesome sleep and an even better sleep-in (thanks to the Superbowl keeping Andrew occupied), we were refreshed and ready to venture back out into Tokyo.
Andrew’s keen eye for direction helped us make our way (and some Grecian Irish friends we met along the way) back to Shinjuku Station and found the Yamamote Line (city circle). Today we were heading to Tokyo City and the nearby Imperial Gardens. On the train, we discovered we got on the train that was going in the opposite direction to the one we wanted, which although it didn’t really matter, we decided to get off at Ikebukuro to have a look around.
Ikebukuro was meant to be an area of entertainment. It was a nice fun area, and had a heap of arcade machine areas, cinemas and bargain shops. We wandered the main street to the Sunshine Plaza, where we were hoping to check out the Toyota Auto Salon, but as with a lot of things in Tokyo, was closed on Mondays. We had read that the Sunshine Plaza had amazing views of the city from the 60th floor. Although it cost us 600Y each it was an interesting way to see how the city is actually laid out. Although it was a little smoggy, it was pretty clear and we were able to get quite a few good photos. I again was able to practice my shi shin onegai shimasu to offer to take a photo of a Japanese family whose small child was trying to take a photo of her parents.
However, not long after I had re-met up with Andrew and asked for the favour to be returned to which they gratefully obliged : ) We decided to keep on moving, and went back to the bottom floor of Sunshine Plaza, keen to find a bank as we were running out of cash. I had been told that Post Offices had ATMs I could use, and found one, but it didn’t work.
It was late-morning and we were ready for an early lunch, but with the lack of cash, we needed to find a restaurant that took a credit card. We had both seen Denny’s walking to the Sunshine Plaza, and figured that was as good a place as any. In fact, it was terrific! We had no idea what we ordered, but what we ended up with was some sort of cheesy risotto. Andrew had chicken (I am getting used to asking “tori?” (chicken), and I had seafood, and they were both great!
After lunch we headed back to the station, and found an HSBC where I got some cash from the ATM and felt much better for having it.
We got off the train at Tokyo station and went to find the Imperial Gardens. We felt this area of Tokyo was just like Sydney CBD – quite stale and boring. The Imperial Gardens were massive and had a number of entrances, but as we found, they were all closed (perhaps because it was Monday, or perhaps we should have looked into it!). So we walked for ages around the perimeter, and still probably only got half the way around. We decided to walk across to Hibaya Park, which was quite pretty and had a mix of sculptures from around the world and manicured organised gardens. A short sit in the sun was quite welcome as it was a little chilly – and we saw the last of some snow from the day before we arrived back in Tokyo.
We walked further along to Ginza, a fashionable shopping district. We visited the Sony Centre, where we had fun running up and down the stairs, which lit up and played a note – just like in the movie “Big”. We saw a couple of famous traditional Kubuki Theatres tucked amongst the very modern buildings, and I had a go at Pachinko (the Japanese pinball gambling game) that we were mesmerised by during our earlier stay in Tokyo. They had an English video running in the window that demonstrated how to play Pachinko and a man standing out the front to coax you in. I wanted to give it a try – I still don’t have much of an idea on how it actually works but it was a bit of fun and I asked Andrew to be my photographer.
It was getting towards sunset and we had decided that we wanted to go to Harajuku to see where all the cool kids hang out at night. We caught the train and what was described as a 5 min walk in the guide was more like 30 seconds (we have found this with a lot of maps – maybe we just walk fast!). The Takeshita-dori was straight across the road from the station and looked like an outdoor market. There was shop after shop of strange clothes, socks & stockings, and really bizarre shoes. Some of the outfits were absolutely beautiful – others were just downright wierd. We found one shop that was totally inspired by a cross between Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga. I suggested that Andrew should dress up in a sequinced silver suit, whilst I quite liked a short pink overcoat that was actually really beautiful than wierd – I’d hate to think how much it cost!
The street had a number of crepe places that looked sooo delicious. We decided to have a light dinner so that we could fit one in for dessert. Halfway down the road, we went upstairs to a food court where Andrew tried something he had no idea what it was. It looked like a baked potato skin that they filled with an egg and cooked it, and covered it with sauce. It tasted interesting. I had a sort of kebab pocket thing with mashed potato and chicken kebab soup. I am loving the Japanese soups – they are so delicious!
We continued walking around the back streets of Harajuku, which were really nice and quiet. There were more little shops everywhere – and open late. After a walk along Omote-Sando (a more modern trendy area) we decided it was time to have our crepe desserts, and we were not disappointed. We ate them as we headed back to the train station to go back to the hotel. They were really yummy!
We have decided on an early start tomorrow, as we are leaving Tokyo – catching our first Shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto.
from: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kylie-san/1/1265657343/tpod.html
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