Tokyo Day 1

The 16 1/2 hour trip is easy but long. David arrived a week earlier on a Delta flight and I flew Jetstar. The service was pleasant and on-time but they charge for everything! I think I spent $30 on a blanket, water and a snack! I found my way to the bus to the hotel and arrived safe and sound. Admittedly I was nervous to go to Japan, a seemingly extremely foreign land that doesn't speak English, but as David promised, I figured it out easily and the icing on the cake was that it was great to see David after 2 weeks of his work travel!

We went out for noodles that night for dinner. David picked the spot because they have pictures on the menu so we can point at what we want. It was a hole in the wall but good!

We stayed at the Royal Park Hotel. The staff are very friendly as with most people in Tokyo. It was renovated a number of years ago but still in great shape. They're all about amenities in Tokyo. They must have given 15 different pre-wrapped toiletries and the toilets themselves are amazing! The seats are heated and they have buttons that allow you to do all sorts of things like make a flushing noise so others can't hear you going to the bathroom and various types of sprays for after you're done. ;)

Breakfast was served on the 20th floor. We had a nice view of the Nihonbashi District (although it's not a very attractive part of the city) and I was struck by the signage - so much of it was in English! Made me realize how westernized this city is after all.

We went to the Suitengu Shrine which embodies the Water Deity who brings smooth delivery of babies, protects children, and protects against drowning.  The Buddhist goddess of fortune, Benzai-ten is honored here as well.  The shrine is on the local pilgrimage to the Seven Deities of Good Fortune in the area, only 3 minutes from the hotel. They say if you rub the head of the dog statue you'll have a safe and easy childbirth. Figured I'd better take advantage of the opportunity to rub the dog while I'm here since I don't know when I'll be back! We rang the bells to pay homage to the gods and went on our way. 

We visited a number of shops in walking distance - a traditional Japanese knife shop (Ubukeya, open since 1783), a shop specializing in making toothpicks (Saruya), a sweets shop called Shigemori-eishindo where they sell traditional cakes in the shape of the lucky 7 gods (yes we got some and they were GROSS! Filled with sweetened bean paste. Yuck!) and a shop that has been around since 1590 which sells beautiful Japanese fans called Ibasen. 

The city is NOT made for tall people. At 6'2", David almost hit his head a few times - check out this pic of one of the tunnels between train stations!

From there we took the train (which has incredibly complicated coverage but is surprisingly easy to navigate - David seems to be an expert by now!) to the Imperial Hotel for a traditional tea ceremony. It was wonderful! Two adorable ladies in kimonos took care of us - one described what the other did - the ceremony is a complicated, precise step-by-step ritual of making a green tea from a powder. Each move had a specific purpose. The ceremony started with a sweet made of bean puree and sugar (it wasn't bad but lets just say we won't go seeking it out in the future ;) ) the tea was nice and the lead woman described it as being very good for you with lots of vitamin E and A. They let us take pictures of the event from our vantage point on the traditional tatami mats which were surprisingly comfortable. While putting our shoes back on she gave us a shoehorn to use which struck me as funny since we were putting sneakers on ;) we both really enjoyed the experience!

We walked down to the Ginza shopping district where one square meter of land is valued at ¥10Million making it some of the most expensive real estate in all of Japan.   We puttered around admiring shops, sweets and people watching until we arrived at Tiffany & Co. and David asked if I wanted to go in. I mean seriously, what woman is going to say "no" to that question?! After drooling over a few of the items David said, "why don't you try some things on?" (see my previous statement - how on earth could I say no?!) I had a sparkle in my eye when I got to try on a mesh ring that I've admired for ages and David looked at me and said, " that looks amazing. Do you want it?" I looked at him and said "seriously?" and he said, "yes!" so after squealing with glee I got an early Valentines Day/Birthday/because-I-love-you present, little blue box and all! What a wonderful surprise!

From there (looking at my hand all the while) we walked a bit to a restaurant one of my co workers had recommended. It was so tucked away there is no way we could have found it without being sent there specifically. It was called Gonpachi and the food was wonderful! We had a great leisurely dinner and then hopped back on the train to head to the Shibuya Shopping District who’s Center Gai is the Tokyo version of Times Square. SO many people and lights! We really enjoyed walking around and taking in the craziness around us - some of the outfits were unreal and I don't know if I've ever seen so many florescent and neon lights! David picked out some Japanese dance music (he loves foreign techno, crazy man that he is) and we hopped back on the train to get home before I turned into a pumpkin! Such a great day!! 

The people here are incredibly polite. The train rides are silent because no one wants to disturb their neighbor. It's so refreshing! And even with as many people as there are on the streets (26 million people in greater Tokyo) they are very respectful of each other's space so it doesn't feel really crowded. The city is really clean, it feels safe and every time we walk into a store or a hotel they bow at us as a greeting and are attentive in a way that isn't intrusive. I'm comfortable here even though I was nervous and anxious to come to this large Eastern city! 

To Be Continued...