Tokyo - August 2004
Trip Start
Mar 18, 2004
1
8
20
Trip End
Apr 12, 2006
Tokyo,
Japan
Friday, August 13, 2004
So there we were at Tokyo station. We wandered out of the station and towards the grounds of the imperial palace, but soon decided we were better off hopping on the subway (we still had our backpacks with us at this point). We took the train to Shinjuku, left our bags in lockers at the station, and headed out
01 - Tokyo Stn
. We spent most of the first day wandering around the city, first through Shinjuku (crowded and loud), then Akihabara (the electronics district--kinda cool), then up to Ueno Park where we went to the zoo. (Rob really wanted to go.) It was basically like the Central Park Zoo, but bigger, and sort of more depressing. After Ueno, we headed back down to Shinjuku to grab our bags, and then to Roppongi where our hostel was. After getting checked in (which took some time--they moved us around a bit), and each taking a shower, we went back out to find a restaurant/bar/something cool for the evening. We decided to stick to Roppongi, because the subways don't run very late in Tokyo, but we were pretty disappointed. There are so many foreigners there, and so many strip clubs and hostess bars and people trying to get you to come into their clubs. It was pretty obnoxious actually. In the end, we had a good dinner, found a small pub where we had some drinks (and talked to a woman who wanted to practice her English--she just sat down next to us!) and then went home. We had to get a good night's rest for Tokyo Disneyland the next day.
Rob was so excited to go to Disneyland, it was great. The last time he had been, he was about 8 years old, so we had a great time. Disneyland is Disneyland, so there's not much to tell, except that it was pretty crowded, lots of fun, and there are many pictures, which I've posted
02 - Street
.On the third day, we checked out of the hostel and went up to Harajuku & Omotesando, which some of the trendier areas of the city. Harajuku is a lot like Queen St. West in Toronto: alternative but trendy (ergo still a little pricey). Omotesando has all the designer shops, and is a bit like Bloor St. just west of Yonge, but a lot bigger. These areas were actually very nice to walk around. The streets were pretty wide, there were plenty of trees, and we found a great conveyer-belt-sushi restaurant for lunch (Rob had to have that experience before he left). Then we hopped on the subway and headed down to Shibuya, which is one of the areas you see all the time on TV when they're showing Tokyo. The main intersection by Shibuya station has sort of a Times Square look to it (massive screens showing videos and advertising, lots of lights etc.), and it's one of the most crowded areas in the city. At least two hundred people crossed the street every time the lights changed. Literally.
After walking around Shibuya for a while, it was time to get on the train back to Tokyo station to catch our shinkansen. We hopped on the bullet train at 4pm, exhausted and ready to sleep for the trip home (which I did). It was Thursday, and that evening was Rob's last night in Nagoya. We had to take him out, after all, so we needed to get our rest.
And that was Tokyo. I'd definitely like to go back, because three days isn't nearly enough time to see anything about anything. And next time, I'd prefer some cooler weather. While Tokyo isn't as hot as Nagoya, it still gets pretty bad, and with narrow streets and millions of people, you definitely start to feel the heat. In any case, I'll probably head back in a few months time, and I'll return with more pictures too :)
