Final Tokyo day - Parks, Blossoms, Happy Vibes

Monday, April 01, 2024
Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Our first stop was to head to Shinjuku Gyoen which is one of Tokyo's largest and most popular parks. Located a short walk from Shinjuku Station, and only 15 minutes from our hotel, the park's spacious lawns, meandering walking paths and tranquil scenery provide a relaxing escape from the busy urban center around it. In spring Shinjuku Gyoen becomes one of the best places in the city to see cherry blossoms
We are still waiting on full bloom in Tokyo but it is getting very close. The park did not disappoint with plenty of Sakura sightings - it will be amazing in the next day or so, as many of the trees have not yet bloomed. But nevertheless, there were plenty of trees in bloom, and lots of people heading there for their Sakura selfies.
We then had some housekeeping to do and headed to the JR office to exchange our rail pass vouchers. These have recently gone up significantly in price and worked out to be the same as just buying individual tickets. We decided to get them anyway for convenience, and flexibility as we can always jump on the next train if we miss one. It took a little while for the 4 of us to obtain these, and book our reserved seating on our longer train legs.  
We then headed for Shibuya to see the famous crossing. It is the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing with 3000 people crossing at a time. It is often compared to New Yorks Time Square due to the neon advertising (although in our opinion there is a lot more neon in Times Square than this intersection). We had planned to head to Starbucks for an aerial view but alas it has recently closed. Instead we went to the train station for a free elevated view. 
On the list was Ichiran Ramen. As expected, there was a 45 minute wait. The line extended up the stairs and down the street! But once we were inside the door, we selected our meal and beer from the ticket machine -  and once paid, received little tickets. We were seated in individual booths and served our lunch from behind a little screen. The ramen was delicious, and it was a very interesting experience. 
From here, back on the train, and whilst Joan and Bernie headed back to Shinjuku, we went to Harajuku to visit Yoyogi Garden, the famous Torii Gate at the entrance (It's made from 1500-year-old Taiwanese cypress) and the Meiji Shrine within the park. This is a shrine dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his consort, Empress Shoken. The shrine was destroyed during the war but was rebuilt shortly thereafter.
Meiji Jingu is one of Japan's most popular shrines. In the first days of the New Year, the shrine regularly welcomes more than three million visitors for the year's first prayers (hatsumode), more than any other shrine or temple in the country. During the rest of the year, traditional Shinto weddings can often be seen taking place there.
As expected, there wasn’t a cherry blossom to be seen in this park! (This massive park is visible from our hotel and we couldn’t see any - unlike Shinjuku Gyoen which had visible blooms from our breakfast vantage point!).
Not far from here was Takeshita Street. This popular street in Harajuku is known for wacky, youth-driven shops selling colorful and crazy clothes and accessories. It's also a paradise for sweets-lovers - there were fluffy, sugary crepes everywhere. As soon as we arrived, it started to pour rain! We have been blessed with warm spring days until now and we sought refuge in a coffee shop (Tim was happy to stop walking for a while anyway!!). After the rain passed, we walked along to see more of the street - there were dog cafes and cat cafes (not really that tempting for someone with an allergy to cats and dogs) but the mini piglet cafe was just so cute - it was full however and we couldn’t get in! It was a fascinating street - colourful and fun - just full of happy vibes.
We then returned to Shinjuku, and had a quick drink at the bar, before Tim and I got ready for dinner for our splurge at the New York Bar and Grill restaurant at the Park Hyatt. We had booked this for my 50th birthday but due to Covid it’s a trip that was cancelled. Hence, we rebooked - the bar and restaurant has been closed for 3 months due to lift maintenance in the building, and it was reopening night.
The views over Tokyo were insane from the 52nd floor, and this venue featured in a Hollywood film - Lost in Translation - with Bill Murray and Scarlet Johansson - adding to its popularity. Not at all a cheap meal, but such a stunning vista for our final night in Tokyo - the twinkling lights of massive Tokyo from here were just spectacular - and it was from here that we were able to see just how huge this city is. 
We really liked Tokyo and commented that it’s a city that would be easy enough to live in. We had 3 busy jam-packed days where we saw as much as we could - we walked so much - (60,000 steps in 3 days) that Tim felt we were on a boot camp. However, it’s such a huge city that it would be easy enough to fill in a lot more days!

Comments

Suey
2024-04-07

Loving your trip. I would love to see Japan. The photos are remarkable as are your stories. Keep enjoying every day. The weather here is abysmal. Your weather seems much nicer.

2025-02-12

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