Tokyo pt. 2

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We awoke at around five to another bright and clear day in Tokyo. In an attempt to recalibrate ourselves to this time zone we remained in the our room and had some breakfast before heading to the near by station. On route we passed some striking street art and took the opportunity to take some pictures. More familiar with Tokyo public transport now, catching the JR Yamonte line to Shinjuku, just four stops away from where we were staying in Ikebukuro, was straight forward. By eight, our destination was a hive of activity, though possibly not by Tokyo standards.



From Shinjuku station we walked East to Shinjuku-Gyoen. This large inner city park, well worth it's normal 200 yen entry fee, was free on our visit as it was 'Environment Week'. English maps were available from the entry kiosk and showed the area was broadly divided up into a Japanese, English and formal French gardens. With the sun now warm on our backs, we strolled past a group of what looked like photography students and entered the Japanese garden. Ornately manicured trees and bushes surrounded murky waters teeming with well nourished silky black koi, which glided to the surface with there round mouthed gulping lazily at the floating insects before retreating to the depths and out of sight. The ponds were co inhabited by a few terrapin, slow and slightly awkward in their movements next to the elegant koi.



An ever present view within the park was the Higashi Shinjuku building which stood boldly over the treetops as if to remind us that were still within a metropolis. This contrast of park and skyscrapers brought back fond memories of the Botanic Gardens in Sydney.



After an hour or so reading in the comfort of some shade, sleepy from the heat, we made our was back towards the station in search of a quick bit of food. To economise we just picked up some sushi from a Family Mart which was pretty good, though I couldn't be confident I knew exactly what we were eating. We walked though an area filled with 24hr DVD rooms which we still haven't tried.



Back then to Ikebukuro on the train, and on our stroll from the station to our hotel we came across a small pet shop filled with tiny puppies and kittens in clear Perspex boxes. Photos of happy customers and their newly acquired miniature animals covered the free wall space; a picture of Paris Hilton taking pride of place.



Under the auspices of continued jet lag we agreed to allow ourselves a 2 hour siesta which unconsciously became 4 hours. We now seem to have adapted a very strange sleeping pattern of dividing the normal day into two small days, but with work still a distant prospect, we aren't loosing sleep over it.



Reinvigorated, at around half six, we again took the JR Yamonte line, this time to Shibuya. At this hour on a Saturday, Shibuya was heaving. Neon signs and advertisement videos scream for attention over the frenetic activity of the streets below. We slid through the crowds outside the station, navigating as well as possible in a place with few street names. We had visited the time out cafe in Odiea the preceding day and picked up some maps which recommended places to visit in various locations in Tokyo. We were heading for a rum small bar called Los Barbados which apparently, in addition to great rum, does good middle eastern food. We did find this cosy bar, but being Saturday night and us not having a reservation we had to look elsewhere. Just a few doors down we found a really good Vietnamese place, the name of which escapes me. We shared a number of dishes including chicken and avocado Vietnamese rolls, shaved Iberia ham with papaya, aubergines and a really refreshing steamed chicken noodle broth. Satiated, be moved across the road to Stand S, famous for its Mojito beer which I indulged in. It was busy with an international crowd enjoying tapas style food and various other unusual flavours of beer. On route back to the station we stopped at the famously 'highest grossing' Starbucks which overlooks Shibuya crossing, it's second floor seating area offering a good viewpoint.



A few more stops in the same direction on the Yamonte line and we arrived in Ebisu where we changed to the Hibiya Line to reach Roppongi. We took the Roppongi Hills exit and made our way through the glass and metal labyrinth of this enormous modern shopping and entertainment complex to the 238m high Mori Tower. In the evening an adult ticket purchased for 1500 yen allows both entry to the Mori gallery and access to the views of the Sky View. Unfortunately for us it was now just after ten and the gallery was closed, however, we opted to visit the 52nd floor for the Sky View none the less. We were treated to almost panoramic views of Tokyo and for the first time the true scale of this megatropolis was evident.

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