3rd Day in Tokyo

---

After our mishaps at Mt Fuji, we all slept in pretty late the next day. We decided to use the train to get out and see some sites before taking off the next day for home.

We walked around in the Shinjuku area in the morning because they have a street fair that happens on Sundays. It was really cool. The crowd would go from being people in business suits to girls with pink hair and platform shoes to ladies in kimono. We watched some people doing brazilian street dancing, then some other guys doing robot hiphop dancing and finally a little magic show. We decided to get some food at a local shop that lets you cook yakisoba at your table. It was really good.

After we finished eating, we headed to the station so we could take the train over to the historic Tokyo station and the Imperial Palace. The palace is only open on one day a year but the grounds are available most days. We wandered around the grounds for a while taking some pictures and relaxing. We stopped in the Hibayakoen park and had an ice cream and people watched for a while. We sat in a portion of the park that had German influence and drank a few beers at a garden. It was nice and relaxing.

In the evening we headed back over to the Shinjuku district so we could plan for the rest of the night. I checked into one of the "Internet cafes" nearby and that was an exeperience. It was like walking into a hotel lobby. You were given a little key and it took you to a little room that had a chair, a desk, a lamp and a computer in it. It was tiny. You took off your shoes before entering (as custom would indicate). It really wasn't that expensive considering that most things in Tokyo are not cheap.

I met back up with J and E at a bar next door. We walked around the district a bit, which is pretty cool itself at night, and then headed back out to Rompunji eventually. I stayed until it was close to time for the trains to stop and headed back to the hotel before I was forced to take a cab.

---

Photos

Street View in Shinjuku
The crowd at the Sunday street fair in Shinjuku.

Imperial Palace Nijubashi Bridge
Exterior shot of the Nijubashi Bridge at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo

Imperial Palace Moat
Exterior shot of one corner of the Imperial Palace near the moat.

Hibaya Park German Fountain
Shot of the German fountain near the beer garden we were sitting at.

Shinjuku Night
The Shinjuku district at night.

Comments

[valerie]

photo reminds me of...
Totally reminds me of some of the shots in "Bladerunner" movie.