Tokyo Tour

We met for breakfast at 6.15 today. The early start was necessary as we were booked on a day tour of Tokyo that required us to be waiting at a bus stop near the East Gate of Shinjuku Station by 7.50am. Although the four of us now feel pretty confident about finding our way through the massive station, we decided not to risk it today. If we got lost in the station, we’d miss our tour. So instead we caught a cab from our hotel and were dropped off right at the bus stop with plenty of time to spare. While we waited for our bus and tour guide, we were entertained by the antics of the huge 3D cat on the advertising screen on the building across the road. Surprisingly there were only 17 people on our tour, in addition to our guide and driver. Our guide, Kumiko, spoke relatively good English.

After a brief stop at the historic Tokyo Railway Station to pick up the last members of our tour group, we made our way to the Imperial Palace. I guess this is the place where Dawn Fraser famously snuck into the grounds and stole a flag after winning 100 metres freestyle gold in the ’64 Olympics. The grounds of the palace appear to be quite extensive, and are surrounded by a broad moat. Edo Castle was once located within the grounds, but when the era of the shoguns ended, much of it was dismantled and replaced by other structures, mainly during the mid- to late-1800s. Over the years, palace buildings have also been destroyed by earthquakes and fire, and more recently by bombing raids during WWII.

Today, only one watchtower, two bridges (the iron one was covered up due to restoration work) and the main gate were visible from our vantage point. Although there are times during the year when tourists may enter the grounds and some of the structures, it was closed today because tonight Donald Trump will fly into Tokyo and pay the inhabitants of the palace a visit. Only three people apparently live in the palace – the Japanese Emperor, his wife and daughter. Nevertheless, there are another thousand people who work there every day, from the Emperor’s advisers, assistants and security to the maintenance and gardening crews. During Trump’s visit, another 18,000 police and security people have been brought in to ensure nothing goes wrong. In my photos below you can see a leaf blower noisily clearing the road, a guy looking for litter to dispose of, and police reinforcements arriving to ensure the palace and surrounds are spick and span and that nothing could go wrong while Trump is in the vicinity. That is, of course, if Trump himself doesn’t stuff something up – I guess there’s a strong possibility of that. I really loved the statue of samurai warrior, Kusunoki Masashige, who is honoured here for his loyalty to the Emperor he served during the 1300s.

Our next stop was Asakusa Kannon Temple and Nakamise Shopping Street. The Buddhist temple is a massive wooden structure. Monks were chanting inside the temple and we were unable to enter. Our guide urged us to toss a coin and make a wish, so we did. Nearby, within the temple grounds, was a Shinto shrine, where people also lined up to make an offering and say a prayer. Our guide also encouraged us to have our photos taken standing beneath the huge lantern at the entrance to the temple complex, as it would bring good luck as long as you keep the photo in your posession. So we did. You can never have enough good luck.

Immediately outside the temple grounds is Nakamise Shopping Street, which was teeming with people, locals and visitors alike. The size of the crowd forced us to take our time and move along slowly and steadily with the flow. We didn’t stop to buy anything, although Marg and Theresa, who are both keen to find appropriate gifts for the grandkids, were interested in a few items. There was never any pressure from any of the vendors, which made interacting with them a good deal more pleasant than other parts of Asia I’ve visited. Eventually, both Marg and Theresa discovered a shop selling scarves that they loved, but these were their only purchases for the entire morning.

One thing that caught my attention at Asakusa was the number of people, both Japanese and foreigners, who chose to dress in traditional Japanese costume. They looked wonderful, of course, but some of the women’s kimonos must be uncomfortable to wear in such a busy, crowded place. One guy passed me in a man’s kimono, which I think might be called a yukata, with a large samurai sword hanging from his waist! Samurai swords, I might add, could be purchased in the shopping street, though I’m sure you’d have a hard time trying to get one into Australia.

Our tour included a matcha tea experience. Thankfully this one dispensed with all the etiquette that must be observed in a proper Japanese tea ceremony, such as turning the front of the cup to face away from you before you take a sip and turning it back to face you again when you’ve finished your tea. We took turns to grind the leaves into matcha powder, then entered a tearoom (after removing our shoes) to complete the remaining steps that would turn a pile of tiny tea leaves into a foamy green beverage. Although we took some shortcuts today, apparently the whole tea making process should take about twenty minutes. We drank our tea, being sure to make a small slurping noise after our final sip as Japanese custom dictates. Matcha tea is supposed to have a number of important health benefits, but I think I’ll pass on matcha in future. It wasn’t bitter, but I still thought it was a bit of an acquired taste. I didn’t care much for the sweet that accompanied the tea either. Once is enough, I’m afraid, although I enjoyed the whole matcha experience.

We drove across the impressive suspension bridge with the unusual name of Rainbow Bridge (it’s white) that spans a stretch of Tokyo Bay between Shibaura Pier and Odaiba. Odaiba is an entertainment hub on a man-made island in the bay. I didn’t expect to see the Statue of Liberty there. I can’t imagine Donald Trump will be happy about that if he finds out. Anyway, as I’ve never been to New York to see the real thing, I guess Tokyo’s copy will have to suffice. At one entrance to a large shopping and entertainment complex, a gigantic Transformer stood guard. We had a great buffet lunch at the Hilton, with a wonderful view out over the bay.

Our next stop came as a bit of a surprise, as it wasn’t listed on our original notes. We pulled up at a dock, took a quick look at an original Banksy artwork, then boarded a boat for a short cruise on the bay. Ian and I went out on deck at the front of the boat for a better view. The sun was out and the wind wasn’t strong, so it was quite pleasant out there. The boat took us under the Rainbow Bridge and along to some of the cargo docks before turning and heading back to where our bus was waiting. A saxophonist performed throughout the cruise, though I preferred to be out on deck looking at the harbour than inside watching her.

The final stop on our tour was Tokyo Tower. Theresa, Ian and I caught the lift up to the observation deck located 150 metres above the ground. It afforded us good views out over Tokyo, which apparently is currently the most populated city on earth. It was surprising to see a number of old cemeteries located at various points around the base. There were a few glass windows in the floor, so we stepped out onto them and took the obligatory photos of our shoes to prove we weren’t afraid to stand on the glass so high above the ground. A large crowd gathered in one corner, their phones and cameras ready, waiting for the sun to set. I hope they got good photos. We returned to ground level via the gift shop level, naturally, which featured a few strange vendors such as the fortune teller and the guy selling lethal looking samurai swords, ninja star darts and other forms of weaponry.

Our tour ended outside Tokyo Station, which is beautiful inside and out. We caught a rapid train back to Shinjuku. Walking along the platform, I passed the smoking room, which was crowded with people desperate for a ciggie before they continued their journey home. It looked suffocating inside that room, and its occupants resembled something like battery hens cooped up inside, unable to escape. There’s a smoking room in our hotel too, but its location is better concealed and its occupants aren’t on public display like the poor guys on the railway platform.

We caught the lift up to the 45th floor of the other tower of our hotel to the Sky Lounge for dinner, with the lights of Tokyo as our backdrop. It was really enjoyable up there, and a good place to wind up another interesting day.