Just as We Imagined

Lively Tokyo

Well, we are in our final stop of our amazing two week vacation and we have come to Tokyo. Having just left Kyoto and spent some time in Nara, we weren’t sure what to expect as we were expecting Kyoto to be busy the way we heard Tokyo was, so when we got to Kyoto, and there were no skyscrapers or crowds or fashionistas we were a little shocked. We took the Shinkansen (bullet train) from Kyoto to Tokyo and the minute we stepped off the train, we knew we were in a different world.  

The Nozomi Bullet Train

 

Quick glimpse of Mount Fuji from the bullet train

A quiet Tokyo subway early on a Sunday morning

The city was just the way we had pictured it full of skyscraper billboards and many many people. We visited the famous Shibuya crossing, which is thought to have up to 10,000 people cross the intersection at a time. When we were there the number was probably closer to 2000 people but crowded enough that within a split of a second we could’ve easily lost M and O in the crowd.  

Just a few of Tokyo's many skyscrapers

 

Out on the town in Shinjuku

Godzilla in Shinjuku

Hachikō Statue - Quieter corner of Shibuya

Tokyo has so many different neighborhoods to explore and our four days in the city did not even scratch that surface. We decided to focus on different aspects of the city and try to pack in as much as possible in those few days which definitely was reflected in our step count having walked almost 12 miles each day we were there.

We began the way we do in almost any city, and that was with a city tour and food tour, and we found a guide to do both in one morning. Our first stop was Meiji Jingu shrine. Our guide taught us how to properly walk into the shrine as well as the customs for making wishes. We walked around Takeshita street one of the most popular shopping streets in Tokyo (and quiet possibly one of the busiest we have ever seen) before taking the subway to a less touristy part of town. 

Entrance to Meiji Jingu Shrine

Sake offerings at Meiji Jingu

Sensō-ji Shrine in Asakusa

We then headed to Kichijoji on the western side of Tokyo, an area less frequented by tourists (compared to Harajuku, Shinjuku and Shibuya) to a food market where we tried some already tested and new Japanese flavors. We ate more yakitori and fish shaped pastries with red bean paste but the best bites of the day were menchi katsu, seasoned ground beef and onions covered in panko and deep fried and the potato croquettes from Satou. 

Enjoying Satou

More fish shaped pastries in Tokyo

We passed on this vending machine filled with canned insects

Baba, O and M were especially happy because we stumbled across another brand of Sugi Bee Garden where the three of them could indulge in another dish of the yuzu honey ice cream that they all dreamed about from Kyoto.

We also spent one of our days, exploring the historical parts of Tokyo, and went to the Tokyo National Museum, where we saw many artifacts from Japanese history, including samurai swords and armor, as well as kimonos and pottery from the early centuries.

Tokyo National Museum

Despite the enormity and multitude of skyscrapers in Tokyo we found ourselves in a natural enclave visiting the Imperial Gardens of the Emperor’s Palace. 

Bamboo garden at the Imperial Gardens

We ate more pounds of ramen than we care to admit but it was the Japenese udon noodle at Senchiki in Tokyo that we wished we had discovered earlier on our trip. The four of us indulged in Japanese curry udon noodle soups topped with pork katsu or sliced beef. 

One of the udon curry bowls at Senchiki

And of course, no visit to Tokyo is complete without stopping at Don Quixote, a Japanese shopping experience for every KitKat imaginable as well as many other fun, souvenirs. I am not usually one to be overwhelmed in a store but this one was definitely a little crazy. We stopped at Don Quixote on three different occasions but by our second visit M, Baba and O, my shopping partner in crime, had enough and just waited outside on our third visit to the store.

Akhibara branch of Don Quixote

Shinjuku branch of Don Quixote

On every trip we usually try and come home with a little currency to add to the girls' scrapbooks, but leaving Japan we had quiet a few yens leftover. I guess we will have to come back again soon...