We got up early and headed to Tokyo by bullet train on Friday morning. The Tokaido line runs up to 13 trains per hour (the busiest line in the world) and the trains roll in and out of the station exactly on time. Every time! The train can reach speeds of up to 185 mph and I think ours did. Everything was a blur for sure.
JR Shinkansen - pulling into Nagoya Station
We arrived in Toyko Station just under 2 hours later. After wandering around confused for a bit, we managed to find the subway line we needed. One quick transfer and a few minutes later we were in Higashi Ginza Station. Our hotel was only a 5 minute walk from there.
Dropped our bags off and had a quick room service snack before we headed straight to one of the oldest areas of Tokyo -- Asakusa. Entered the Sensoji Temple grounds through the Kaminarimon Gate (shown below).
'Old Tokyo' shopping street and Five-story Pagoda
Huge incense burner. Japanese wave the smoke over themselves. They believe it purifies the body and spirit. This grandfather just lifted the boy up into the smoke and then set him back down.
We then took a cruise down the Sumida River. Past many bridges and the Tsukiji Fish Market. After returning to the hotel, we decided on Thai food for dinner and the concierge made us a reservation here at Bangkok Kitchen. It was fabulous!
Saturday in the wee hours of the morning, I was awaken by Gary. I asked what time it was. He simply said, "It is ... just time". The fish were calling him. : )
The actual time was 0430. We took a taxi to the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market(commonly known as Tsukiji Market), which is the biggest seafood market in the world. We got in line in hopes of being one of the few tourists that are allowed in to see the Tuna Auction that morning. It was our lucky day. We made it in the second group. The market wakes up early and is a crazy flurry of activity. Watch out for the men on motorized carts, cause they won't slow down for you to get out of the way!
Frozen tunas being set out for auction.
Multiple auctions take place at once. Another auctioneer can be heard in the background. We loved this guy's sing-song style and the little dance he did. We have no idea how much each fish sold for, but it was entertaining to watch. We do know that the record price was $396,000 for a 722 lb Bluefin tuna last January, over $548 per pound. In the end, I was glad I went. It was a once in a lifetime experience!
After then returning to the hotel for a short nap from 0730-0930. We got ready and headed back over to the Ginza Corridor. Where we ate the night before. There are many small cafes and restaurants to select from. We decided on this one. It was very colorful. Don't know the name, but it served Korean fare. I had yummy pork and rice, while Gary had a big bowl of spicy beef with udon noodle.
Korean restaurant. I match the decor!
We then ventured out again. This time, to Shibuya, which is famous for its
scramble crossing, which stops vehicles in all directions to allow pedestrians to inundate the entire intersection. Three large TV screens mounted on nearby buildings overlook the crossing. The 2 story,
Starbucks store overlooking the crossing is also one of the busiest in the world. The Shibuya Scramble is featured in the movie,
Lost in Translation.
Young and fashionable shopping street in Shibuya. We saw some particularly creative outfits here!
Returned to the hotel for another quick nap. (I know! Age catches up with us all.) We changed for dinner and then headed to Roppongi. Roppongi is a much more 'western' area with many known restaurant chains.
Hard Rock Cafe and Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills
Before dinner we had a couple 'happy hour' drinks at a Scottish expat's bar. We didn't eat at the Hard Rock, just took a picture. We actually ate a small Italian wine cafe. Parmesan risotto was delish, but Gary didn't care too much for his pizza -- that did have anchovies, but didn't have any cheese on it!
Last stop before heading back to the hotel was a small bar in Ginza called Prost Bar. We had stopped by the night before and really enjoyed the ambiance. It had a gorgeous wood countertop shipped from South Africa. While you don't tip in Japan, they often hit you with a 'table fee' when you least expect it. Friday night, no table fee...but on Saturday night to our surprise, there was. Maybe they just charge this to foreigners, who are leaving and probably never coming back?
Drinks 900 yen each, table charge 500 yen each, talking with the bartender about fishing lures used in Japan...priceless.
Well, we couldn't leave Tokyo without visiting the Emperor. So on Sunday morning, we took a walk through the Imperial Palace East Garden, in hopes that he would invite us in. Didn't happen. Guess he only opens the gate 2 days a year to greet his subjects.
The wall between us and the Emperor
After a sweltering hour in the sun, we headed back to the hotel for a little down time (you guessed it, naptime, again)! I then left Gary to relax a little on his own and I went out shopping.
On Sunday Ginza Street is closed to traffic. Shoppers rule!
Me and my first Ginza shopping trip. I hope there will be many more. Do I have any takers?
After shopping and before heading to the train home, we needed refreshment.
We found refuge in the Sapporo Beer Hall which served German table fare (sausages and potatoes) and beer, imagine that.
We then sadly had to leave our new found love and return home. This brief interlude with Tokyo has made us definitely want to return again to experience its cosmopolitan flair. Old and new, traditional and modern meld together seamlessly to capture your imagination. We will definitely be going back.
