Tokyo!

I arrived in Tokyo after almost 24 hours traveling.  From Auckland to Hong Kong it was 11 1/2 hours and then it was another 4+ from HK to Tokyo.  Add layovers, waiting around and getting to/from airports, you get pretty close to 24 hours.  Needless to say, I was beat when I got here at 5:30am.  Luckily, just outside arrivals at Haneda International Airport there is a coffee shop with REALLY GOOD coffee.

Tokyo is an enormous city.  About 845 square miles and a population of 9.2+million.  It’s overwhelming when you first arrive.  All of these people knowing exactly where they are going and you are just standing around looking perplexed.  Fortunately, the appearance of a perplexed tourist sparks kindness in the locals.  Several times now I have been approached by locals offering assistance.  It has ALWAYS been appreciated.

Since hotel check-in time wasn’t until 2pm, I dropped off my luggage and walked around the Shinjuku area of the city; mostly in a fog and trying to stay awake.  I walked to the Hanazono shrine which is not famous but is quite pretty.

The second day I braved the subway/metro.  It’s massive and overwhelming at first.  All the lines have names, colors and most important, a giant LETTER for ID purposes. Each station has both a name and a number, which makes it much easier to figure things out.  Once you get the handle on that, navigating the system becomes much less stressful.

After getting a metro card (essential!) and the map, I ventured off to the Imperial Palace…in the rain.  The palace grounds are open t the public and it was very nice to see.  The gardens are lovely, even when not much is in bloom.

After some time walking around the palace grounds in the rain, I took refuge in the modern art museum.  It’s a very nice facility with a lot if information in English.  I loved that almost all the works were from Japanese artists.  This picture was my favorite.

Next, I visited the Sensoji temple and five story pagoda.  This is tourist central.  The temple is still used and I saw a number of people praying, but today it seems more like a tourist trap than a place of worship.  It is still a must see in Tokyo and the weather was cooperating.

There was something going on at the shrine that I was not able to figure out.  In addition to the above women in kimonos, there were two ADORABLE kids in traditional costumes.

 Near the temple, there is another tourist site.  The famous golden turd.  It’s actually supposed to be a flame and it sits on the office building of one of the breweries.  Whatever you think it looks like, there’s no missing it.

Tokyo is known for its Cat Cafes, but you can see a cat anywhere.  I went to the HEDGEHOG Cafe.  Yup, super cute hedgehogs you can hold.  For about $16 you can spend 30 minutes with two of your own cuties.

Near the Hedgehog Cafe is Shibuyu Station and the statue of the world’s most loyal dog, Hachiko, an Akita.  If you don’t know the story, there was a movie made, staring Richard Gere. The cat has become quite famous, too.

Another day I ventured to the Meiji Shrine, which is in a large 170 acre evergreen park.  Perfect for at day that was about 90 degrees F.  The original shrine was built in the early  20th century (1915 – 1920) but was largely destroyed during WWII.  It was rebuilt in 1958.

While at the Meiji shrine I got to see a beautiful bride getting ready for her wedding.  I don’t know much (actually nothing) about Japanese wedding traditions but I enjoyed being able to see something special.

As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, Tokyo is overwhelming in its size and population. Like all great cities, I am sure this one takes more than 5 days to get to know.  I probably would have seen more and learned a bit more on a tour, but navigating the city on my own has made me feel closer to it.  I could not have done it, however, if it weren’t for the kindness and warmth of the Japanese people.  They go out of their way to help, even when they don’t speak a word of English.  I will end my Tokyo post with my one Japanese word:    Arigatōgozaimashita or  ありがとうございました

Next stop:  Kanazawa