Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto: Tokyo Day 2: Tourists

On our second day in Tokyo, Gordon and I got up bright and early to start exploring Tokyo. Little did I know, Gordon had planned a bus tour of Tokyo for us! A person from the Gray Line Tour was at our hotel at 8:40 am to pick us up and our tour started at 9 am. This was probably one of the few and only touristy things I have done and I was stoked!

On the bus ready for the tour to begin! Like our fancy stickers?

Our first stop on the tour was Tokyo Tower. The Tokyo Tower looks like a red and white version of the Eiffel Tower, but is taller than the Eiffel Tower. From the observatory, there is a great view of Tokyo and on a clear day you can see Mt. Fuji. Unfortunately, it wasn't a clear day when we went, but we got to see a lot of neat landmarks in Tokyo.

Looking up at the Tower. If you look closely you might be able to tell that the very top is bent due to the March 11th earthquake. The Tower is 333 m tall.

In the observatory, 250 m off the ground.

View of Tokyo Bay in the distance.

After we explored Tokyo Tower we were off to our next stop: Meiji Shrine. Gordon and I learned that "shrines" are used in the Shinto religion (religion indigenous to Japan) and "temples" are used in Buddhism.

The entrance to any shrine is marked by a torii (the large wooden beams above) which separates the human world from the spiritual world. The Japanese imperial crest can also be seen (golden flowers with 16 petals).

Purifying ourselves before we enter the shrine.

This is the closest we could get to the shrine and still take pictures. The lady holding the fake fall leaves was our tour guide.

After our tour of Meiji Shrine we headed to the Imperial Palace East Garden. This is the only public area of the Imperial Palace. The entire Imperial Palace grounds (250 acres) are surrounded by a large moat.

Swans swimming in the moat surrounding the grounds.

The East garden. Our tour guide told us traditional Japanese gardens must have certain elements: water, a path, a bridge, greenery and a stone lantern.

Stone lantern, check. Water, check. Greenery, check.

Koi! These guys were huge...maybe get two or three meals out of one fish!

Gordon hanging out by the waterfall.


Beautiful bamboo. We have this in Tonosho! Feels like home :)

Gordon and I were lucky enough to see a cherry blossom tree that was still blooming. They normally bloom in March and are bare by now.

On our way back to the bus we passed this large street that runs beside the Imperial Palace grounds. On Sundays they close off the street for bikers to use.

Gordon could be a Gray Line spokesperson. I love the guy wearing the stereotypical Hawaiian shirt behind Gordon. We're officially tourists.

By the time we were done exploring the gardens, it was lunch time and Gordon and I were starving.We ate a Japanese style meal; several small portions of various foods.

What?

Huh?

Our lunch was good, however, Gordon and I are used to eating traditional Japanese meals in Tonosho and I think we are partial to Japanese country food (if there is such a thing).

With our bellies full, we continued our tour. The next stop was another garden, Hama-Rikyu garden.

Walking to the garden.

Not sure who this statue is of, but it looks important, so I took a picture.

This garden had a large tidal pond. I love the buildings in the background.

Next on our list of things to do was the Sumida river cruise. Yeah! I love cruises, especially the kind with buffets. But, this one didn't have a buffet. The boat got packed quick with people and our bus arrived just in time to catch the boat.

Our view from the boat.

On the cruise we went under about 12 different bridges. Therefore the cruise is also known as the bridge tour.

This gold building, with what is supposed to be a torch next to it, is the Asahi Beer company's building (#1 beer in Japan). The golden flame was supposed to be placed upright, but was laid on it's side. Now its known as the golden turd. Lovely.

This tall tower will be Tokyo's newest attraction come May 2012. It will be nearly twice the size of the Tokyo Tower and is called Tokyo Sky Tree.

Back on dry land, our tour nearly got attacked by a ninja, but he was nice.

Defense mode. Ninjas are actually very shy.

Our next stop was Asakusa Kannon Temple and Nakamise shopping street. Nakamise street leads up to the Temple and was very crowded the day we visited. It was filled with small booths and people selling sweets and other foods as well as souvenirs.

Nakamise street with the temple in the distance.

So many people! Gordon and I had to force our way through the crowd.

As always, we found ice cream and had to get some. We weren't allowed to walk with our ice cream. We had to stand by the shop where we got it and finish it. The Japanese don't usually walk and eat at the same time. :(

Inside Asakusa Kannon Temple.

Gigantic lantern at the entrance to the temple.

Altar inside the temple.

Early in the day, we were taught how to pray and make offerings at the Meiji Shrine, but I wasn't able to take pictures. Fortunately, at the Asakusa Temple they didn't mind if you took pictures/video. To pray people threw a coin into the offering area (in front of the altar) which was a large box with slats on top. Once you throw the coin in you place both palms together, bow and pray.

I took a short video. You'll notice some people clap...this is typically what's done at a Shinto Shrine, however, Buddhism and Shinto are almost one in the same. They coexist in harmony and many Japanese believe in both. You should also be able to hear the clink of coins being thrown into the offering.

After touring the temple, we ran into a samurai. I killed him before he could hurt us. I wasn't taking any chances.

HAHA! Take that!

The last part of our tour was spent on the bus. We went through Kappabashi, an area known for its restaurant supplies (pots, dishes and, my favorite, wax food samples). Wax food samples can be seen outside many restaurants in Japan and allow people to see the food the restaurant offers (aka every foreigner's dream).

Wax food store. Please don't eat!

That basically concluded our tour for the day. Whew! That was a lot to see in one day and Gordon and I were worn out and hungry! We went back to the hotel to freshen up and then walked around Roppongi to find something to eat. And look what we stumbled upon...PUPPIES.