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. 

London Trip: Part 2

Saturday, March 14-Sunday, March 15: London Views, Art, Theatre, Tea

We had a beautiful sunny day on Saturday for our London activities, starting with amazing panoramas from the London Eye.

Our next stop was the Tate Britain, and we paused during our walk along the river for some coffee and to enjoy the views.

Since we had a limited time in London, I had decided to choose just one museum to visit and selected the Tate Britain because it has several works by John Singer Sargent, whose paintings I've always liked. I recently read a biography of Sargent that made me curious to see his work again in light of knowing more about his life, so this was a good opportunity to see some works that I hadn't seen before in person.

The museum also has many other well-known pieces in its collection, including these paintings of Ophelia, the Lady of Shallot, and a representative work by David Hockney.

We checked out the museum cafe for lunch but didn't find any good options so instead headed off along the riverfront path towards a nearby food hall. We ended up stopping at a cafe tucked into a building and directly across the river from the MI5 building! Mr. E and I shared a savory avo toast and a sweet peanut butter toast as we basked in the sunlight and gazed at the river.

Once we got back to the house, we continued with some laundry and napped a bit before heading out for our evening activity of The Tempest at the Globe Theatre. We had hoped to get some nibbles at the restaurant or bar there but didn't plan our timing well enough, so instead we settled for a bunch of items at the Starbucks across the street. The play was in the Sam Wanamaker playhouse, which is entirely lit by candles, which made things get a wee bit warm during the second act! The show was a modern version of the text and was really engaging and interesting, although it was a bit disappointing that several scenes were staged on the ground under the balcony level so we couldn't see the action happening there. No photos were allowed when the cast was onstage, but I got some views of the set at the end.

 

On Sunday morning, I went for a lovely walk around the residential area near the rental house and then went out for breakfast with my friend J to Megan's on the Green while Mr. E slept in a bit and headed to Starbucks for his morning meal. J and her friends all headed to the airport at various times that morning, but Mr. E and I had one more appointment, this time for a tour + tea at the Royal Ballet and Opera. After taking the underground to the Covent Garden station, we discovered the long winding steps to get to street level. Quite a workout! 

 

At the theatre, we enjoyed getting a backstage view of the facility that focused on the ballet side of things as well as the interesting views from the bridge between the buildings before having our high tea to close out the experience.

 

Then it was back to the house to pick up our bags and head to the airport for our flight from London to Japan to begin the next phase of our big trip. We both agreed that we want to make a return visit to London to explore more, so I think this destination will rise a bit higher on our travel list for future planning.

London Trip: Part 1

Wednesday, March 11-Friday, March 13: Travel, Settling In, Show, Sky Garden, Afternoon Tea

Mr. E and I left mid-afternoon on Wednesday for our overnight flight from O'Hare to London via a very short layover in Reykjavik. We tried out the Saga Business Class on Icelandair for this trip since it was shorter overall so the lack of lie-flat seats wasn't as much of a concern. We enjoyed the service and food options and definitely want to make a return trip to Iceland sometime soon since it's so much easier from ORD than from SMF. I particularly liked the Lundey Gin, which is bright blue but turns pink when you add tonic. Amazing!

 

We arrived mid-morning Thursday in London and received some very friendly assistance from staff at the Info Center in the underground station to help us purchase Oyster cards for the train and confirm our route to the rental house where we were staying with my colleague and her other friends. As we rode the train, we noticed all of the lovely spring flowers blooming everywhere, including forsythia, one of my favorites. I hadn't expected the climate and season to be so lovely for this time of year!

After a bit of difficulty with the house lock box, we managed to get in and find our room, which included a very convenient en suite bath. We got settled in and napped for bit, and then I got up to do my usual Zumba + yoga workout while Mr. E continued to snooze. Once we were both ready, we set out to explore the neighborhood a bit and started with coffee at a little spot just down the block. The staff noticed and complimented my kitty earrings and then drew a kitty face on my coffee cup!

We then moved on to procure provisions at the local coop and grocery store (popcorn, Tim Tams, mini eggs). We also found a great wine shop nearby on Parsons Green called Friarwood and chatted with the (French) owner for awhile, which was a lovely and personable encounter. The day wrapped up with dinner with my friend & colleague J at Megan's by the Green. The Mediterranean style menu didn't have too many food options for me, but the Strawberry Fields Forever cocktail was delicious! I also appreciated that the staff asked about allergies upfront and had a manage take my order to ensure that my dietary restrictions were appropriately accommodated.

Friday morning begin with breakfast from Starbucks and Prêt à Manger. Mr. E fetched the food while I did some homework, and then we set off with J via train for the late morning reading of Smalltown Boy: The New Wave Musical, a new show she's been working on with her writing partner. The reading focused on the first act and was in a studio room in SOHOplace. OMG. It was AMAZING!!! Mr. E and I were both seat dancing to the songs and were totally moved by the cast and the storyline. We can't wait to see how it develops further!

After the reading, we took the underground to the Sky Garden and enjoyed the panoramic views out over the city along with the interior greenery. The line to get in was a bit long and VERY windy at the corner of the building, but it was worth the wait.

We grabbed some lunch at the cafe near the gift shop and then wandered through the neighborhood a bit in search of a spot for afternoon tea. We ended up at Fortnum's at The Royal Exchange for some basic tea with scones, jam, and cream. 

Then we headed back to Soho for the post-show reception and had time to enjoy the immersive graphic displays across from the theatre space.

After chatting for a bit with J and others involved with the show, we decided to head back to the house to find someplace for dinner and ended up at The White Horse Pub, which was incredibly busy on the first floor but nice and quiet in the second floor dining area. Mr. E ordered a meat pie, which was a bit disappointing, but he enjoyed all of the gin offerings, and I had a lovely dish of seared scallops. We finished off the evening watching Young Sherlock on the bigscreen TV in the rental house's lower level entertainment space.