We apologize for the delay in getting to this post. We had so much fun with our friends in Tokyo, relaxing in Maui, and then running “to and fro” in Northern California, that putting together a blog post just didn’t happen. And then things got crazy as we quickly found a new place to live here in San Sebastian. So let’s get back to it.
While Tokyo was not our actual “last stop,” it was our last stop in a new place. We enjoyed the smooth and fast Shinkansen trains that took us to Tokyo from Hiroshima and were able to navigate our way through the subway system to get to our hotel in the Ginza area of the city. One immediate impression of Tokyo is that it is more impressive at night when it is all lit up.
At this point in the “big trip,” our capacity to pre-plan anything had begun to wane. And considering Tokyo has so much on offer – it is the biggest city (by population) in the world – we knew we could only cover so much in our week there. We focused on a few key highlights and spent as much time as we could with our good friends, Atsuto and Rieko, and their daughter Luna.
We explored several Tokyo neighborhoods walking around, people watching, and soaking it all in. Ginza is a busy modern shopping district, which is not our style, but made for a great location to stay. It is also home to a beautiful Kabuki theater.
Akihabara is known for busy arcades and maid cafes. To us, the vibe was odd. The arcades are full of young men playing video games of all kinds. Outside the cafes are young women dressed to look like teenagers in maid outfits. Inside they will call male customers “sir” and even "master".
We also walked through Shinjuku and Harajuku, but since we’re not into shopping for electronics or fashion (or much else for that matter), we were underwhelmed. We did enjoy the Tsukiji fish market area a lot – lots of unique and unknown foods to investigate: dried fish, scallops cooked with a blow torch, and there’s always a temple nearby:
The history of the Tsukiji Hongwanji Buddhist Temple is impressive – dating back to 1617, the current temple was rebuilt in 1931, with an Indian architectural motif, making for an unusual sight. This temple allowed photos to be taken inside, if there are no ceremonies happening.
We confirmed that our sweet spot in almost any city is history, culture, art, and architecture. We enjoyed the scenery in and around the Imperial Palace and East Garden, and saw the Yasukuni Shrine dedicated to Japan’s war dead.
We learned a lot and enjoyed the displays and sculpture at the Tokyo National Museum and the Ueno Toshugu Shrine.
And we experienced a shortened Japanese tea ceremony.
Without a doubt, the best part of Tokyo was seeing our friends. Rieko was kind enough to invite us for lunch to their apartment in Kawasaki, where we enjoyed catching up and entertaining Luna.
We all went to the Ghibli Museum, to step in to the world of the famous animated movies.
Together we journeyed to Kamakura, the medieval shogun capital, where we saw the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine and the Great Buddha at Kotoku-in Temple.
And, of course, we ate! Eating with locals was a treat. They knew exactly what to order. We could not have successfully ordered anything at one restaurant we ate at because there was no English at all. The sushi was beautiful. And it was great having your own chef at a yakiniku restaurant. They even made us a reservation at a yakitori place (serving entirely skewers of chicken parts) place, which otherwise we would not have gotten into.
It is always amazing to be so easy and comfortable with good friends even when you haven’t seen them for years.
Sayonara,
Shana & Jeff
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