Tokyo Exploration Weekend

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Weekend of March 28 Anthony and I did different trips within Tokyo. I wanted to go on a trip that the base outdoor recreation was offering which had the word "hiking" in it so I knew I would have to go about this one solo LOL. The trip actually did not have much to do with hiking but was more a city walk but I was so glad I went because it winded up being a really nice day for a walk and at the end got a nice treat at a hanami (Cherry Blossom viewing festival). This is where people gather around having picnics around cherry blossom trees that are blooming. It is really a beautiful thing to see with all the trees in bloom in mostly white or pink. Anthony found a Brazilian festival in Tokyo so he ventured out with a friend from work to check that out.

The bus left Camp Zama for the walk at 7:30am and took us about 2 hours because of traffic to get to Tokyo where we started our walk along the Sumida River. We started our journey from the Kachidoki bridge and walked about 2.5 hours along the river where we walked past 11 bridges. The walk was not strenuous since all along the river there is a river walk on both sides of the river. There was construction in several areas though but that was actually nice because we got to go through the city streets to go back onto the river walk so goody for detours. It really was such a nice walk with the sun finally being out and got to see some areas of Tokyo that now I have ideas that I want to return and explore some more.

At the end of our walk we reached the Cherry blossom festival where there were hundreds of trees in bloom. We only were able to get an 1.5 hour to get to enjoy the festival since we had to meet back at the bus so I walked for a little and then found me a little cafe where I had me a mid afternoon Asahi beer. It's 5pm somewhere LOL Was never a fan of beer until I had Japanese beer! I also had for the first time Onigiri (rice ball) and I am hooked! They sell them all over in convenience stores and they are just rice in the shape of a triangle that has a filling inside wrapped in seaweed. They come in plastic and you open them up a certain way so that you can hold the rice ball like a sandwich. Well of course the first one I screwed up and had to wrap the seaweed around it myself so I'm sure I looked like a kid with a new toy or more like an idiot LOL The blossoms will be blooming for the next 2 weeks so will be finding more hanamis to attend!

Anthony's trip to Tokyo consisted of the Brazilian Festival, car show, museum, and great views of the Tokyo Bay. Not too many Brazilians at the festival but hey always a reason to celebrate different cultures with dance and food! He did get some great pictures of the bay so will be visiting this area again soon.

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