Tokyo, A visit with the Emperor!

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Cup of noodles was breakfast in the room today. Kristy mixed up the kim-chi flavor with the oriental vegetable soup so it was a flavor mash up. We headed off for Ueno Park, which is two blocks from our hotel. The park means "Upper Field" in Japanese and was the location of the famous battle of the last samurai. Emperor Meiji used guns to cut down cavalry charges headed by none other than Tom Cruise. (in Tom's dreams) The battle did really occur, and Meiji dedicated the battlefield to the common man, after he killed so many of them, except Tom Cruise.

We looked at a Shinto shrine, a pagoda with a giant Buddah face, and walked around trying to find our way on the map. Many Japanese families were headed with their children to the zoo which had been closed for New Year's. The kids are very cute.

We jumped on the train and headed to central Tokyo to the Tokyo train station and wandered around the gigantic underground shopping mall. We happened upon a Siamese restaurant and ducked in for some curry. It was different, but excellent, with mango yogurt drinks and a tapioca dessert to top it off. We left the station and headed across the street to the Imperial Palace. Once a year, the Japanese Emperor and family appear to the public and allow people into the center palace courtyard.

We followed a crowd of around 10,000 through several security checkpoints where our bags were searched, and we were patted down by police. They surprised by Kristy's skittles, and my lunch, a banana. We followed a long pathway on foot around a second moat, and were led to a courtyard. We waited about 20 minutes and the emperor and royal family. The emperor, his wife and prince princess, and their children. They were all adults. He made a short 3 minute speech and the only word I caught was tsunami.

We then exited and went to the subway and headed for Tokyo Dome. This the home of the Yomisuri Giants baseball team. We warmed up in Starbucks and had a green tea iced, green tea and red bean custard filled pastry. We had an Indian Thai dinner with tandori chicken and paneer with nan bread. All very good.

After dinner we hopped back on the subway and headed back to the room.

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