We left Kawaguchiko in the rain. Again. And got a bus to Tokyo Station which took around two and a half hours, and then a short taxi ride to our hotel. We should mention here the size of hotel rooms in Japan which are tiny. Having researched the size of various hotel rooms, we booked a twin room in Tokyo which is definitely bigger apart from there being not 2 but 3 large single beds tight against one another with barely any floor space to move around (you have to do a crab impression and walk sideways between the end of the beds and the wall, every time bumping into the large wall-mounted TV).
The cherry blossom season is well under way in Tokyo and we apologise for the many photos. But it's hard to resist.
We've been here for 3 days. On the first day we booked tickets to go up the Tokyo Skytree as the weather was forecast to be sunny. The weather has warmed considerably here in Tokyo which has been great. The Skytree has two levels for viewing; 350 metres (and the elevator was quick enough to make our ears pop) and 450 metres, its the tallest tower in Japan. The views were magnificent as you can see, although in the far distance cloud hung over Mt Fuji which would be visible from here on a clear day.
After leaving the Skytree we took the subway to Ueno Park. There were hoards of people who, like us, had come to see the blossom. There was a real festive atmosphere; in a large area the ground had been covered with tarpaulins and families were having picnics.
Yesterday we took an overground train, about 40 minutes, to the Meiji Jinku Shrine located in a forest in centre of Tokyo. It was lovely to get back into a green space for a few hours.
Today we went to the Imperial Palace where we were able to walk around the gardens although the Palace itself is the residence of the Imperial Family and not open to the public.
Ginza, the area where we are staying, is a bustling shopping district, but at weekends some of the major roads are closed to traffic and become walking streets.
We will be leaving Japan tomorrow. We've enjoyed our time here very much. Scenery has been spectacular, public transport has been cheap and easily accessible, Japanese people have been friendly and hospitable; finding vegetarian food has been a challenge but for meat eaters there's a whole range options.
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What an amazing leg of your trip. The photos are absolutely stunning and you can never have too many photos of the cherry blossom.
It must have seemed rather strange walking down traffic free streets in Gonzales over the weekend. All our love and hugs. xxxx
Just having a catch up on your recent travels. The cruise sounded wonderful, and the ratio of staff to passengers!! The photos are breathtaking, and how beautiful is the cherry blossom. Japan looks an amazing place to visit. I did chuckle at the toilet fiasco. I’ve visited a Japanese loo in the past, and also found the warm seat bizarre! Not to mention the various jets of water. Looking forward to following the next chapter of your trip xxx
Your trip looks amazing! What an adventure.
Enjoy the rest of your trip and see you soon!
We’re enjoying travelling along with you, it seems like a lifetime ago that we met on the sunny island of Bathala! Enjoy the rest of your travels can’t wait to see where your next destination takes you.
Japan looks very interesting. I am glad for your trip to the forest,it must have been good to be back in the greenery.
I would have thought vegetarian food would have been plentiful in Japan, not the case obviously!
Take care both look forward to the next chapter! Lots of love x x x x