Japan Tour Part 1: Tokyo

Sunday, March 15-Tuesday, March 17: LHR > HND, Trains, Shrines, Gardens, Sakura

Our flight on ANA from Heathrow to Tokyo on Sunday, March 15 was just under 14 hours and included lovely Japanese food options along with the comfy lie-flat business class seats. I watched two really good full-length films (Chien 51 in French and The Innocence Game in Japanese) and two interesting shorts (La Calesita animated with no dialogue and The Phone Call in English) and also managed to get a decent amount of sleep on the overnight flight. 

Once we landed late afternoon on Monday, March 16, we easily cleared customs and got tourist transportation passes at the Information Center near the airport train station along with some cash at the ATM. We learned that Japan is still very much a cash-based culture, unlike so many other countries where cashless is the norm. For example, we had gotten some pounds when we landed in London and weren't even able to use all of them during our stay because so many business no longer take cash at all! Interesting cultural difference to keep in mind for the future as well.

We had a bit of an adventure figuring out the multiple train transfers from the airport to our hotel, the Mitsui Garden Hotel Shiodome, but we made it! Check in was easy, and we grabbed some basic food and snacks at the nearby grocery store and 7-11 before turning in for the night. Our separate rooms were right next to each other at the end of the hall, which was very convenient.

On Tuesday morning March 17, we had enough time for some breakfast at the hotel buffet before meeting up with our tour group and tour leader for the first time at 8:30am. The day's activities started with a visit to a Shinto shrine, where we were fortunate to see a wedding party finishing up their blessing and celebration.

Our next stop was at a large garden area, where we saw several groups of kids in adorable transportation carts being pushed by their carers. We had some free time to wander through the garden, so Mr. E and I grabbed coffee and a special seasonal sakura match donut at the Starbucks as we strolled around the grounds in search of cherry blossom trees (sakura). At least my coffee cup had blossoms on it! As did the special soft serve ice cream treat I got as we were wrapping up our time in the garden.

 

The next stop for the group was the Asakusa area with its well-known super-busy shopping street, five-tiered pagoda, and Buddhist shrine. This was also a popular area for kimono rentals, so we saw lots of young women in the traditional attire strolling around (and taking selfies or videos). We also started to notice the trend of long white skirts that seemed to be a big fashion favorite in every place we visited in Japan.

During our free time, we wandered through several of the nearby streets procured several souvenirs to add to our growing stock, including some more lucky cats.

We got back to the hotel around 4:30pm, which was just enough time for a brief nap before heading out to meet up with Y who had been my family's high-school exchange student more than four decades ago. I had last seen her about 30 years ago when she was living in Chicago and I was in Madison, but we've kept in touch over the years with holiday cards. And Mom in particular stayed connected with Y, so I was really glad that we were able to meet up during our few days in Tokyo.

Y came to meet us at Caretta Shiodome, a skyscraper with multiple business and restaurants, including a handful with amazing panoramic views over Tokyo. We ate at Hibiki Dynamic Restaurant & Bar, as I had looked at menus ahead of time and decided that had the best options at reasonable prices. I ordered the cold yam noodles, which were not quite what I had been expecting, and the seared sea bream, which was definitely five stars. It was a delicate dish served with a hot broth, so the thinly sliced fish cooked slightly when the broth was poured over it. Amazing!

Mr. E opted for a set dinner with multiple courses and all-you-can-drink beverages, choosing to focus on Roku gin, one of our favorites. Y ordered sashimi, noodles, and sushi. It was so lovely to catch up with her and reconnect, and we look forward to seeing her again sometime either when we return to Japan or she comes to the states. Both of us agreed that our respective English and Japanese skills would be improved by then! (although her English was still just fine whereas my Japanese is still oh-so-basic)

Y headed to the train to go home, and Mr. E and I walked back to our hotel to crash for the night and try to catch up on some sleep.