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We woke to an overcast, but dry morning; a welcome relief from the torrential rain we walked in to get to our hotel last night. We had a good sleep, despite the bed being incredibly hard. It Is a very pleasant temperature in the mornings here, before a humid, warm day. Whilst forecast to be 23 degrees, however it actually reached 29 degrees.
We got up and wandered around to the famous, and soon to be gone, Tsukiji Fish markets. Evidently, they are pulling the wholesale section of this market down to build accommodation for the 2020 Olympics and renovate the area. It was a very interesting market. We meandered around, trying many weird and wonderful foods. The sights and sounds of this market are very enjoyable. As the morning progressed, it became harder to walk freely for the pedestrians that filled the laneways.
After we had eaten our fill, we returned with our many snacks and purchases to our hotel to offload the weight. We then wandered through the beautiful, upmarket suburb of Ginza, to buy traditional souvenirs and gifts. There are many lovely stores, adorned with beautiful Japanese trinkets. The Japanese people package parcels in the most
elegant way. It is a beautiful art that they have mastered.
We walked around to the Royal Imperial Palace in Chiyoda. An impressive fortification wall, we walked under Weeping Willows around the Fukiage Gardens, alongside the moat to the front gates. The entrance was barricaded so that we were still some fifty metres from the guards. We could only glimpse the traditional architecture of the Japanese buildings that sat, perched above us. The Emperor’s view of Tokyo city must be incredible from their vantage point.
We continued to Tokyo station to activate our JR passes. Marcus had saved us considerable time by pre-planning everything, down to the train numbers and times so it was very straight forward to organise our train reservations and pick up most of our tickets for the week.
As though we had not eaten enough food, Marcus was keen for some Ramen noodles, so we went down to Ramen Street. Their system to order Ramen is so organised. You commence with a vending machine to choose your type and size and then go in and it’s is delivered to you very quickly. Like most things in Japan, seating is compact, to fit in
many people into small spaces. We enjoyed the Ramen and then went on for further shopping and onto Harajuku. We walked down Takeshita Street, the home to some very expensive retail stores (Japan’s equivalent to Rodeo Drive). It was very crowded, women dressed to the nines to go shopping. I was slightly under-dressed, but probably more comfortable for not wearing stilettos.
We visited the narrow laneways or Harajuku, with Japanese girls in their Lolita-style costumes and heavy make-up. It was crowded with tourists, purchasing huge cotton candy, spun in rainbow colours, potato chips coated with Nutella and other bizarre combinations. A lively atmosphere, home to the unusual and kitsch souvenirs.
We walked to Shibuya to see the crazy crossing and the old, faithful dog statue near the tram. It is amazing how many people flock to see and walk across this intersection. After a quick stop in at the department stores, we returned to the metro station, with their steep stair cases, and returned to our hotel for a shower and rest before going out to dinner. Marcus had contacted one of the Japanese families who he had built a friendly bond with 17 years ago, when he
was teaching here. He had kept in touch with them for years and was keen to see them and catch up on old times.
We went to a traditional yakitori restaurant in the Dai-Ichi Hotel in Shinbashi. The hotel was beautiful- a little (understatement) more upmarket than where we were staying. It was a really lovely evening, hearing their stories about their lives and how the children had grown. Such a delightful family. I could see why Marcus had spoken so fondly of them.
Whilst at dinner, I could feel movement under my chair. I looked under my chair, thinking there was something under it (like a child or pet- odd thought, I realise, in a restaurant). The family said it was an earthquake. I looked up and realised they were serious. Such a strange feeling to feel the earth move under your feet. Evidently it was was a 6.0 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale. I have experienced a Japanese earthquake.
After more delicious food than I thought I could eat in one sitting, and much laughter, we said farewell and went our separate ways. The hotel had its own special, underground entry to the Metro-
like Batman to Gotham city. It was incredible. I am not sure the reason for it.
We returned to our much smaller, more basic APA hotel and crawled into bed, weary for the walking we had done for the day (24,576 steps according to Marcus’ watch).
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Nicki
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Enjoying your blog Fi.
And really, a street called Takeshita?