Asakusa, Ueno and Shibuya

Monday, April 03, 2017
Shinjuku-ku, 東京都, Japan
Happy birthday to me! I love that I have spent so many of my birthdays overseas. I never forget how truly lucky I am. And I was reminded today with so many texts, facebook posts, emails and messages. Thanks everyone!

We started our day with breakfast at McDonald's . Our hotel, Shinjuku Prince Hotel, is in the heart of Shinjuku, one of the wards of Tokyo, and is across the road from McDonald's. I ordered a usual Sausage and Egg McMuffin meal but Dylan decided to get fancy and he ordered a McGriddle Bacon and Egg Muffin. What we now know is that McGriddle does not have the usual muffin bun. It has two, thick, pancakes filled with maple syrup on either side of the bacon, egg and cheese. Dylan surprisingly enjoyed it! I will stick to the regular menu!

Our hotel room is small. Very small. (Mum, Dad and Rach - not quite as small as the room at The Highfield Hotel but almost!!) Apparently this is very typical in Japan. Our bathroom is like one from a Formula One motel with the added bonus of a fancy toilet with a seat warmer and other delightful options!

We decided to buy a "Suica Card" which is like an opal card that allows you to use all rail, bus, subway and monorail lines easily as long as you keep enough credit on it . A lovely man at Shinjuku Station helped us with the purchase and guided us to our first platform. Shinjuku Station is Tokyo's largest station and more than 2 million passengers pass through it daily. We were grateful for the assistance!

First stop was Asakusa - a district in Tokyo most famous for Sensoji, the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo, built in the 7th century. Unfortunately, it is currently being renovated in preparation for the 2020 Olympics and it was all covered with scaffolding. We did see the Kaminarimon Gate and the Main Hall of Sensoji and caught a glimpse of some cherry blossom trees. We also walked down "Nakamise", a shopping street full of souvenirs.

Next stop was Ueno Park after a 30 minute walk through some very residential and quiet parts of town. Ueno Park is famous for its many museums (although we didn't visit any) and the Ueno Zoo, which we did visit briefly in the afternoon. However, our main purpose for visiting the park was to see more than 1000 cherry blossom trees blooming . They were absolutely beautiful. Our visit was perfectly timed, with most trees in full bloom. It is truly a sight to see with locals and tourists alike sitting under the trees celebrating with food and drink and just loving life. These celebrations are called "Hanami" and Dylan and I had our own Hanami as we ate street food for lunch (pork, chicken and squid skewers) under the cherry blossoms.

We hadn't planned on visiting the zoo, but we had some time and it was only 600 Yen entry fee (about $8 AUS). Its most popular residents are giant panda bears and they were very cute! We also saw some other animals neither of us had ever seen, including condors and tapirs. By this stage of the afternoon we were exhausted. Our early start the day before and a long day of travelling had caught up with us. We caught the train home and gratefully took off our shoes and had a nap back at the hotel.

I managed to catch up on replying to some birthday messages and FaceTime calls and I did some research into where to go for dinner, all while an electrical storm raged outside . We decided on dinner in Shibuya, another ward of Tokyo, known for its dining, shopping and nightclubs. I also wanted to see the Shibuya Crossing, an intersection crowded with people every time the crossing light turns green and famous in many movies. The crossing was a little disappointing - probably because we've been to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City where crossing the street is often a matter of life and death! Here in Japan they are very polite!!

Interesting things we have noticed so far:
* toilets are crazy - they have more buttons and sound effects than you could imagine
* people are very compliant and follow rules religiously - they line up for everything
* there are smoking areas on the side of the road and you aren't allowed to smoke while walking
* English is not widely used here in Tokyo - signs are rarely written in English and not many people speak English at all. This makes communication interesting!!

Dinner tonight was at Kaikaya - a Japanese, Seafood, Sushi Restaurant in the back streets of Shibuya . It was only small, holding a maximum of 30 people at any time. We ordered the 8-course set menu and some Sake and hoped for the best! Dinner was amazing - sashimi (raw fish) was really good, especially the tuna and snapper. The sake left a little to be desired. I think I'll stick with normal wine next time! I would highly recommend the restaurant - food was served with meticulous detail and the service was excellent. All in all, a fabulous end to a fabulous birthday.

The number of people here is unbelievable. At 10pm tonight, on a Monday night, we were squished on a train home from dinner just like it was peak hour. I'm not sure if it's just because of the cherry blossom festival or if this is what it's like all the time? Crazy!

Another day of exploration tomorrow. Let's hope there is slightly less walking - we covered 15.6kms on foot today. No wonder our feet are so sore!

Love Lisa and Dylan x

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2025-02-17

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