A Tour of Tokyo

Senso-ji Temple, an ancient Buddhist temple located in Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan. It is Tokyo's oldest temple, and one of its biggest tourist attractions.

We arrived in Tokyo last night at 4:00pm and leave at 10:00pm Thursday night. I am excited. We had dinner at the hotel last evening (see previous post) and I wake up Wednesday morning at 6 am feeling pretty chipper! Time for room service. Bob gets a pot of latte and an orange juice, I get a jasmine tea and a carrot-ginger juice. He checks e-mail, I finish my most recent post. It is a leisurely morning. He does not have to head out until 9:00am and I can leave whenever I want. I did some research on Tokyo last night. Google “24 hours in Tokyo” and you get a lot of responses, all of them good, and all recommending the Tsukiji Fish Auction at 3:00 am. I have seen this on tv before and it is fascinating but there is a snowball’s chance in hell I am getting up to be there at 3:00am. I did compile a list of other places to visit, however, and I bring it to the concierge at the hotel. We decide on a basic itinerary for the day. Transportation options include taxi, subway or on foot. I decide to walk. He draws not one, but two maps for me. Here we go again!

The food court on the ground floor of the Mandarin Oriental in Tokyo.

I go out the lower level of the hotel. The Mandarin Oriental occupies about 10 floors of the building, the other 30 floors are office spcace. To feed the office workers, there is a Japanese food court on the ground level. It is just starting to open and the smells are amazing! All kinds of food to choose from, eat in or take out! I am instantly hungry. But I have a food destination. I am headed to Tokyo Station to see the sights and head to Ramen Street, a collection of 8 ramen restaurants in one “alley”. I am on a noodle kick right now.

Tokyo Station is a huge train station reminiscent of Grand Central in New York. I walk around a bit, and then find what I think is Ramen Alley and the lines are ridiculous! One needs to get to the front of the line, punch a machine for their order, insert cash and then I have no idea what happens next. I feel I am going to screw it up. I consider giving it a go, but end up at restaurant Torigen for some tea and shrimp spring rolls. The shrimp rolls are amazing, filled with rice, scallions and delicious plump pieces of shrimp. I decide right now I am going to nosh my way through Tokyo. There will be Ramen. But next I must find my way to the Imperial Palace.

"Ramen Alley" at Tokyo Station, and shrimp spring rolls at the restaurant Torigen.

I set out for the palace and first come across Kokyogaien National Garden. It is pretty and peaceful. I sit a few minutes here and rest my feet. My original plan was to hit all the sights today and spa tomorrow, but I’ve decided after The Palace I will go back to the hotel and spa a bit before the evening’s sightseeing, and do the same tomorrow. Sights, then spa, sights, then spa, then 9 hour flight on Thursday.

I get to the palace grounds, and they are beautiful, but you cannot get close to the palace. At all. I knew it was only open to the public two days a year, but I thought I'd get a gander at it. No such luck. I did, however, get a swan photo. A little bird humor there. Here are a few scenes from the garden, the palace and the park.

Kokyogaien National Garden, the Imperial Palace and Hibiya Park in Tokyo, Japan.

On my way back I pass through Hibiya Park. It is beautiful, and certainly a place that people use. Gardens, tennis, ball parks and other public spaces. So pretty. I leave the park on the other end and have no idea where I am. I feel I should go left. So I do. For a long time. I know once I pass the train station and the river I am almost home. I keep walking. And walking. My feet hurt a little bit so I just take my time. I ask a woman at a flower stand where the Mandarin Oriental is and I show her my map. She has no idea. I show someone else and they signal "keep going left". So I do.

Eventually I see a train and I know it is either going in or out of Tokyo Station, so I keep going, And going. How did I get so far away? Finally I see Tokyo Station, cross the river and go down a block to the street where the hotel is. Success!! I finally make it back to the hotel. I took the long way. I stop for a quick bite of Peking Duck rolls and then head to the spa for a pedicure. My feet are unhappy and they need some love and attention.

After the pedi (ok, there was a facial too), I head back to the room to regroup before dinner. Tonight we dine on the 52nd floor of the Park Hyatt Hotel, where Bill Murray nursed his sorrows away in the movie “Lost in Translation”. The New York Grill is know for its Kobe beef and tonight I am going to have some. The views here are amazing. Bob selects a nice red wine and we order. I am having Yellowfin tuna crudo and the Kobe sirloin. The guys are doing beef, too. For starters, Bob has a caesar salad and Dean has a chowder. We also order some crispy duck-fat fries, sauteed spinach and wild mushrooms, plus a variety of sauces for the steaks - red wine, green peppercorn and bearnaise. They are delicious. After dinner we head to the lounge and enjoy a jazz quartet.

The next morning I decide to pick up my sightseeing where I left off yesterday. I am headed to the Senso-ji Temple. I leave the hotel around 10:30am and am prepared to wait in line, as Senso-ji is one of Tokyo’s premiere tourist destinations.

Senso-ji Temple is amazing in every way! I enter through the front gate and walk through a long shopping area that is a visual feast. There is no line, no ticket, no entry charge. The vendors sell all kinds of touristy items as well as food. There are many young girls in kimono and they all look beautiful! I slowly proceed through the shopping area with the temple getting closer and closer. Beautiful artwork lines the way, each one telling a story. One can shake a canister for a fortune. If it is a good one, take it with you. If it is a bad one, tie it to a rack and leave it behind. There are smaller temples where incense is burning. You wave the incense all around your head and heart to get the bad ju-ju to go away. A fountain spews water which you can drink, or wash your hands, so I wash my hands. I finally arrive at the temple. You cannot take photos of the altar, so I say a prayer. Between the incense, water and prayer I should be all set for a week or two. Here are some photos of Senso-ji Temple.I downloaded a picture of the altar from the internet. It was amazing. Click on the right side of each image and enjoy the Senso-ji slide show.

I eventually head back to the street and decide it is time for some real Japanese food. I've had French and American meals so far, time for some Japanese! I stop at some random place across from the temple, and get a call from Bob. He and Dean are going to join me. Sweet! I grab a table for three, take off my shoes and sit on the floor. I do not know the name of this place, don't even ask. I order fish of the day, which is swordfish, grilled with salt and served with rice, miso soup and mixed vegetables. Bob has a shrimp tempura and Dean has a pork dish, all with similar sides. And there is tea.

The guys have literally done ZERO sightseeing, so I take them to the temple. I think they like it. Then we all head back to the hotel. They have meetings and I have a spa appointment. Time to massage the travel aches and pains away.

I'd like to talk about the Japanese. While I hate to paint with a broad brush, my general impression is that the Japanese people I met were gracious, kind, a bit shy, and very happy. When you walk the streets, people are orderly on the sidewalks, crossing the street, waiting in lines, etc. I was concerned about a language barrier, but I really had no problem. It was like playing charades. Pointing, gesturing, nodding or shaking my head, etc. And so polite! If I had a dollar for every time someone thanked me, I'd have at least $100. My masseuse alone thanked me 20 times (no exaggeration) and I was the one who should have thanked her!! I did actually thank her. Quite a bit. I like Tokyo. Very user-friendly. And beautiful. And tasty.

After the spa treatment, I go back to the room to pack and get ready for the flight to Sydney. The guys have one last meeting, so I am headed to the sushi restaurant at the hotel. If I don't have sushi in Japan I will neer forgive myself. The noodle mission is a bust, so sushi it is. Except the sushi restaurant is reserved for a private function. What to do? I head to the concierge on the first floor and ask for help! The gentleman there informs me of a popular sushi restaurant just around the corner. He then proceeds to walk me all the way to the door of said restaurant so that I don't get lost! He must sense my lack of direction.

It is not yet very busy at Yanone, but when I walk through the door there is a raucous yell. I have no idea what tht is all about, so I pretend it did not happen. If you sit at the sushi bar, you get to keep your shoes on, otherwise, they come off and you don a pair of sandals. I sit at the sushi bar and am given a deck of cards with pictures of the fish in its natural state as well as prepared. I look through the deck, choose 5 cards and hand them to the sushi chef. Prawn, surf clam, scallop, fatty tuna, and sea urchin. I ask if I can take photos and he enthusiastically agrees, and sets about to give me a sushi lesson. First, the fish is prepared. A small dollop of wasabi goes inside. Then it is time for the rice. He carefully collets it in his hand, then there is a deliberate set of hand motions to shape and form the rice inside the fish. Lastly, all but the scallop gets a brush of soy sauce over the top. It was all delicious except I dropped the rice out of my tuna onto the floor. They laughed at me a bit. When people come through the door they all yell a greeting. Like Norm in Cheers. Fun! Click on the right side of the images to scroll through.

I next order two grilled round clams and they are delicious. The sushi chef is now giving me a lesson in preparing fresh wasabi. He peels the wasabi root ever so carefully and then grates it on a sharkskin paddle in a large circular motion. A wasabi mound forms in the middle. This guy likes the camera! That was pretty neat. He then shows me a baby conger eel. It is translucent. I politely decline eating it.

Sushi time is over and it is time to get back to the hotel and get to the airport. I will miss Tokyo. If I had had enough energy to hit one last site, it would have been Ueho Park, which houses not only a park but an art museum and a zoo where a baby panda was born three months ago. I would like someday to come back. I hope I do.