Tokyo, Japan
Peter and I arrived in Tokyo a little bit after 1 p.m. Dad Dan accompanied us to the Shinkansen terminal and tracks. He bought an admission ticket so that he could enter the terminal to see us off.
The Nozomi shinkansen is the superexpress bullet train which took us to Tokyo in 2 hours and some minutes (compared to the 7 hours by bus). At the Tokyo station we checked with the information booth and got directions to get to Asakusa. Our shinkansen ticket was also used for our transfer to the JR Yamanote Line to Kanda station for a transfer to the Tokyo Metro Ginza line (which was about 400 meters away). We crossed the Sumidagawa to get to our hostel which was only a few minutes walk east.
The hostel is one of three here in the area. We got our key to our private room (shared bathroom) and took some time to relax and get a cold shower - it was a bit warm in the city. We went out a little bit later to explore the Asakusa neighborhood.
We have decided to just follow our instincts when we tour this city so that we will not feel too stressed trying to fit in every sightseeing place in our three days here in Tokyo.
We meandered through the streets of Asakusa and found our way to the Kaminarimon dori (street) and the Sensoji Temple area. From the Kaminarimon gate the entire street was lined with stalls selling japanese treats and souvenirs - from samurai swords, kimonas, chopsticks to the usual key chains.
We took our time going around from side street to side street following where the local people go. This helped us find a great local sushi (conveyer belt) place, everyone except for the two of us were locals - which was an incredible experience. The sushi makers and the servers were pretty noisy that added to the ambience. The color-coded plates had interesting choices which we've never seen or tasted before. We tried the raw octopus, the herring roe, the fatty tuna, this soft thing which tasted like urchin, and others. All fresh and delicious! And the price was very reasonable for the exotic sushi.
We walked around the area some more because it wasn't yet dark (and Peter didn't want to return early to the hostel, they might think we're a couple of "old" people), so we walked to the Asahi building which was next to this building with a golden turd on top. Yeah, you read right! This gold turd-shaped structure can be seen in the area. We just don't know what it really is and I've seen one review name it as such. There we found this nice little cafe where we could people-watch. Very near to our hostel. It was a good find.
This idea of not following any daily itinerary is better than having one. We are opening ourselves to serendipitious experiences and interesting adventures.
Peter and I arrived in Tokyo a little bit after 1 p.m. Dad Dan accompanied us to the Shinkansen terminal and tracks. He bought an admission ticket so that he could enter the terminal to see us off.
The Nozomi shinkansen is the superexpress bullet train which took us to Tokyo in 2 hours and some minutes (compared to the 7 hours by bus). At the Tokyo station we checked with the information booth and got directions to get to Asakusa. Our shinkansen ticket was also used for our transfer to the JR Yamanote Line to Kanda station for a transfer to the Tokyo Metro Ginza line (which was about 400 meters away). We crossed the Sumidagawa to get to our hostel which was only a few minutes walk east.
The hostel is one of three here in the area. We got our key to our private room (shared bathroom) and took some time to relax and get a cold shower - it was a bit warm in the city. We went out a little bit later to explore the Asakusa neighborhood.
We have decided to just follow our instincts when we tour this city so that we will not feel too stressed trying to fit in every sightseeing place in our three days here in Tokyo.
We meandered through the streets of Asakusa and found our way to the Kaminarimon dori (street) and the Sensoji Temple area. From the Kaminarimon gate the entire street was lined with stalls selling japanese treats and souvenirs - from samurai swords, kimonas, chopsticks to the usual key chains.
We took our time going around from side street to side street following where the local people go. This helped us find a great local sushi (conveyer belt) place, everyone except for the two of us were locals - which was an incredible experience. The sushi makers and the servers were pretty noisy that added to the ambience. The color-coded plates had interesting choices which we've never seen or tasted before. We tried the raw octopus, the herring roe, the fatty tuna, this soft thing which tasted like urchin, and others. All fresh and delicious! And the price was very reasonable for the exotic sushi.
We walked around the area some more because it wasn't yet dark (and Peter didn't want to return early to the hostel, they might think we're a couple of "old" people), so we walked to the Asahi building which was next to this building with a golden turd on top. Yeah, you read right! This gold turd-shaped structure can be seen in the area. We just don't know what it really is and I've seen one review name it as such. There we found this nice little cafe where we could people-watch. Very near to our hostel. It was a good find.
This idea of not following any daily itinerary is better than having one. We are opening ourselves to serendipitious experiences and interesting adventures.
posted by Mimi | 1:13 AM
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