Day 6 - The Tokyo City tour day.
Beautiful containers of saki at the Meijin Shrine.
Got up early and went for Starbucks coffee and light snack. Starbucks is everywhere here!Met the tour group at 9 am here at the Dai-Ichi Hotel. We set out for the Tokyo Tower - slightly taller than the Eiffel Tower and a major tourist attraction in Tokyo. So much so that they are building a new tower that will be twice the height. This one is 1100 feet tall and we took an elevator up to the observation tower for a look at the city from above. Great views all around. Unfortunately, due to the haze today (it's rainy season) we couldn't see Mt. Fuji in the distance.
We drove through the Rappongi district. where there is a large concentration of restaurants and night clubs, enroute to the Meiji Shrine. This was the home of the Emperor in the early 1800's credited with turning Japan into modern Japan. A large forest, gardens, and structures that were used by the emperor and empress. A popular place for weddings on the weekend - we saw 3. The wedding dress of the bride and groom was traditional but some of them change 3-4 times, ending up in western bridal dress. I treated myself to green tea ice cream - yum!
Then to the Akasaka Guest House, a western-style palace built in the baroque architectural style and used for visiting dignitaries. It is on the grounds of the estate where the emperor and empress' relatives live. After that we went to the National Diet Building which is the Japanese Capital (an interesting name for the Capital). The House of Parliament convenes in the large central tower. From what Silky-san (our tour guide) says, the state of politics in Japan is as confusing and misdirected as much of what we experience in the US.
Then we went to the Imperial Palace and drove around. This is where the Emperor and Empress (now in their 70's) live. We walked through the East Garden - beautiful structures, walls, Japanese-style gardens, trees, etc. Lovely. After the Imperial Palace we drove to the Ginza Shopping District where the people on the morning tour left us.
We went to a high-rise building and had lunch in a restaurant. It was Japanese style and delicious and very filling.
First stop for the afternoon was the Hama-Rikyu Garden, the family garden of the Tokugawa Shogun. There used to be hundreds of Japanese gardens in Tokyo but many have been destroyed in favor of development. Tokyo especially is very, very crowded and land is scarce. The gardens were beautiful with lots of blooming trees and flowers, beautiful pine trees in many different shapes (a la bonsai), lakes, moats, lots of wisteria and a Japanese tea house. The gardens were situated right by Tokyo Bay so the large high rises on 2 sides and water on the other sides made for interesting views. I was able to get all of the way around in the alloted time and enjoyed my walk.
Next stop was on a boat from the Port of Tokyo, Hinode Pier to Asakusa. Beautiful, clean waterfront. A beautiful (although hot) day and the waterway breezes felt good. After disembarking the boat we walked to the Asakusa Kannon Temple which is the largest Buddish temple in Tokyo. Lots of visitors here. A typical temple but the roof was under construction and covered. The temple was next to the huge Nakamise Shopping Street where lots of "junk" was sold. I did treat myself to a pineapple ice cream and it was so good.
En route back to the hotel we went through Kappabashi where every kind of restaurant and kitchen supply is sold. They also sell wax food samples to restaurants and they are very expensive. Lastly through Ueno and Akihabara - other shopping districts. Akihabara is famous for its electric appliances.
A busy jam-packed day. I picked out several things to go back and visit on Monday. Will probably let the rush hour finish as the subways are impossible early and late.
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