June 29

We didn’t have to haul around heavy backpacks so all is good!! We had a few things we wanted to see so off we hoofed it to the train station. We did a lot of waking today, over 10 miles, and utilized a bunch of public transportation!  Tokyo is a big city. 😁

We went to the Tokyo Skytree, a broadcasting and observation tower.  It measures 2,080 feet, apparently making it the tallest tower in the world and the 2nd tallest structure when it was completed in 2012. A large shopping complex makes up the lower floors.  The highlight of the Tokyo Skytree is its two observation decks which offered spectacular views of Tokyo. The two enclosed decks are located at heights of 350 and 450 meters respectively, making them the highest observation decks in Japan and some of the highest in the world. There is also a “glass” floor area you can stand on and see DOWN.  They have a special exhibit I guess you’d call it as it is devoted to Hello Kitty!  Apparently Hello Kitty is 45 this year!  

The view from near the top was awesome even though it was drizzly and cloudy so basically we saw clouds! But that means we were really up there!! And we did make out buildings straight down!!  On a clear day you can see Mt Fuji!  We did not! 

 

Since we hadn’t had breakfast yet we shared a cream roll and Salisbury steak on rice, complete with an egg on top!  Not bad! 

As we were walking we found a craft beer brewery so of course we had to stop to sample a few. I actually had a ginger beer that was a beer! Not bad!! The Asahi Beer Hall is one of the buildings of the Asahi Breweries headquarters and is considered one of Tokyo's most recognizable modern structures. The shape of the building is that of a beer glass, designed to complement the neighboring golden beer mug-shaped building housing the brewery offices.

A shrine was next on our list:  Asakusa.  Asakusa's main attraction is Sensoji, a very popular Buddhist temple, built in the 7th century. The temple is approached via a VERY, VERY busy shopping street that has been providing temple visitors with a variety of traditional and local snacks and tourist souvenirs for centuries. There are over 50 shops!! Talk about lots of people!  Many were even dressed in traditional kimonos! 

We then headed to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and stood in line for about 30 minutes so we could take an elevator up to the top to see the city.  High up views are neat!! Such a different perspective!! We met a nice couple with their little ones—ages 3 1/2 months and almost 5. You can tell we’ve been away from the grands a bit long as we keep gravitating to littles!!  The day was less rainy but still cloudy.  It made it less hot though!! It is apparently “rainy season” now and really hot and humid comes next.  Sounds like home!!

The Meiji Jungu is a shrine dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his consort, Empress Shoken. The Meiji Shrine and the adjacent Yoyogi Park make up a large forested area. It reminded me a little of Central Park! The spacious shrine grounds offered beautiful walking paths.  Entry into the shrine grounds is marked by a massive torii gate. The approximately 100,000 trees that make up Meiji Jingu's forest were planted during the shrine's construction and were donated from regions across the entire country. It is stunning and peaceful! Meiji Jingu is also one of Japan's most popular shrines. During the year, traditional Shinto weddings can often be seen taking place there, of which we witness a wedding processional while we were there. An interesting thing you will spot at Meiji Jingu Shrine is this huge collection of sake barrels. They are called kazaridaru in Japanese and are a decorative display. Sake traditionally has been a connection between the gods and people in Japan. These sake barrels are offered every year to the enshrined deities at Meiji Jingu Shrine. They have been donated by sake brewers from around Japan to the shrine with the sake being used for shrine ceremonies and festivals. And if Sake isn’t enough, an array of wine barrels are placed at the front approach to Meiji Shrine in a wooded area and serve as proof that the beverage has created strong ties with France and serves as a bridge for cultural exchange. 

We then headed to the busiest intersection in all of Tokyo, Shibuya Station. Apparently you can’t come to Tokyo without experience this phenomenon. On sunny afternoons or clear evenings or cloudy days like today, the area is packed with shoppers, students, young couples, and commuters, and tourists! When the lights turn red at this busy junction, they all turn red at the same time in every direction. Traffic stops completely and pedestrians surge into the intersection from all sides. It is truly organized chaos.  

Our sort of final spot of the day was the Tokyo Tower, a communications tower. At 1,092 ft, it is the second-tallest structure in Japan.  The structure is an Eiffel Tower-inspired tower that is painted white and international orange to comply with air safety regulations. We walked around it and then tried to find something to have for supper but the Korean restaurant we stopped at completely ignored us so we left and so many others were closed.  We finally found a great Indian restaurant and then headed back to the tower. We went up to the observation decks, one at 490 feet and one at 819 feet!  Andrew had it timed so we'd see the city come alive with the lights of the night while we were on the top deck.  So pretty!!  Tokyo is a big and beautiful city!

Yes, we saw lots of views from up high but no mountain climbing today.  My Maggie knee is still sensitive and the steps down to the trains nearly did me in.😕

We headed back to our home away from home to do a quick load of laundry, grabbed a quick bite from down the street, and set up our final full day.  Forty days and forty nights are soon coming to an end.