I decide to take a more organized approach to seeing Tokyo by going on an afternoon bus tour. I had picked-up a flyer yesterday from the JTB (Japan Travel Bureau) office next door to Virgin Records. Sunrise Tours offers several choices, but I want an afternoon tour, and this tour will start at the top of a tall (40 story) building, include a visit to a Buddhist shrine, and end with a boat ride along the Sumida river. Just what I like--tall buildings, and water. I get down to the hotel lobby in time to enjoy the breads and coffee, and meet some other travelers, including two young men from Norway who are flying back later that day. One of them has just returned from Kyoto and he recommends it to me, suggesting that I stay at the Palace Side Hotel.
After breakfast I head back to the Virgin Records internet café and find that it will not open until 11:00 AM. I go next door to JTB and get my ticket for the bus tour. I walk over to the Isetan store, which is a very large and very fancy department store in Japan. It is similar to Macy's, or Marshall Fields, except that it has a supermarket and food shop in the lower level. I walk around taking in the sights and smells. Everything from chocolate to sushi. Isetan also has many designer boutiques, and an entire men's building. If you have lots of money and want to spend it, this is the place.
Soon I am back at the internet café. After checking my email I also check-out the Palace Side Hotel in Kyoto. Yes, it looks like it would be a great choice, but their website lists the room availability by dates, and there are no rooms available for the coming weekend (I later learn that it is a 3 day weekend with a Monday holiday). I could book a room at some other Kyoto hotels, but for some reason I am hesitant to input my credit card info on a public computer.
It is about 11:30 and the ride starts in two hours. I head for the JR train, the Yamanote line, and take it to Hammatmasucho. Immediately adjacent is the World Trade Center building, and Sunrise Tours (and others) are located in the bus terminal next door. The Trade Center has a food court in the basement with 15 or 20 restaurants. I walk around looking at the photos or food displays and finally pick one. I enter the restaurant and motion for the host to come out to the hallway so I can show him which meal I want. I point it out and am then seated. The meal is great (my usual veggies, noodles, and seafood), and the price reasonable (about 800 yen).
I then head to the bus terminal where I check-in at the counter. I am given a yellow sticker to place on the jacket. 10 minutes later the leader announces we are ready and asks us to come closer. She tells us her name is Tomoko, and asks us to follow her to the elevator that will take us to the observation deck of the building. Our group is about 15 or so, about half appear to be Japanese, and the other half are from Autralia, Europe, and 2 (me and a older lady from New Jersey) from the USA. The tour is entirely in English. Tomoko asks some of the Japanese why they are taking this particular English language tour, and some respond that they want to practice their English!
When we arrive at the 40th floor observation deck Tomoko gives us an explanation of what we see in each direction. The Tokyo Tower (similar to the Eiffel Tower), the XXX Gardens, the Sumida River and the Port, Odaiba, etc. We soon are out of time and head down to the bus.
Our tickets assign us to a bus seat. I am in seat 6d, and next to me in 6c is a young lady from Yokoskua, which is just south of Yokohama. Her name is K, and she is 27 years old today--this is her birthday. She is treating herself to a tour of Tokyo, and this evening she will have a birthday party with her friends in Yokohama.
The bus takes us thru Ginza, and then we come to the Imperial Palace. As we are about to enter the bus parking area a group of junior high students come running past us. It appears to be a gym class or perhaps the track team. When they see the tour bus they all wave. All 50 or so! There is genuine joy in their faces. It is heartwarming to wave back at them and see their reactions. When we enter the parking area we are in the same place that I was walking yesterday. We get out and take some photos, and then back on the bus. We head to Asakusa, going thru Akihabara (the electronics district). All the while Tomoko is keeping a running dialogue of interesting insights and commentary. She really is a good tour guide.
We arrive in Asakusa, the sight of the ancient XXX temple/shrine. We exit the bus at the main gate. Beyond the gate is a long passageway lined with souvenir shops on each side, paper lanterns hanging from each side. It is rather pretty, even though it is very commercial. The place is very crowded. We go past the large vat of burning incense and wave the smoke over our bodies to heal any ill places and chase away any evil spirits. Many people are saying prayers at the entrance to the shrine. Off to the left there are fortune telling boxes. Each box has about 80 sticks each with a number. You shake out one stick and then match its number to a tray which has papers with the fortune for that number. Our shake a 2, and my fortune is "better fortune". If you get a bad fortune then you take the paper and wrap it around a nearby rack. This way you leave the bad fortune behind you. If your fortune is good then you take it with you.
Adjacent to the shrine is an area which replicates ancient Japan. There are arts and crafts displays, and performances by dancers and musicians. One of them is a performance is an ancient dance form called XXX. The costumes are very bright, and the dancers are very animated. You can tell it is a happy dance.
It is about time to head towards the boat dock which is a couple blocks away. It is cooler and windier than earlier. I get to the dock a few minutes early and look out at the river. It is definitely a city river--not very scenic here. Along the side of the river is a concrete walkway and there are a few homeless people camped along the river. I had not seen any homeless in Shinjuku, but here there are several.
The boat ride south to Hinode Pier is pleasant despite the wind and clouds. I always enjoy seeing a city from the water, and it is interesting to see the variation of buildings along the river. Everything from warehouses to fancy condos. Towards the end of the ride we pass the Tokyo Fishmarket, but it is about 5:00 PM and all is quiet.
We get off the boat at Hinode Pier and the bus takes us the few blocks back to the bus terminal at the World Trade Center building. I say goodbye to K, my seat mate, and catch the Yamanote line to Tokyo station. There I connect with the Chuo line which takes me cross town back to Shinjuku. I check my email again at Virgin Records and then look for dinner. This time I go a Japanese restaurant that is next door to the Korean restaurant. I point-out my desired dinner on the display, and am quite satisfied again for about 850 yen. Those who say that Tokyo is an expensive place to eat are simply not taking advantage of all of the reasonably priced food available. My meals may not be fancy, but they are tasty and nourishing.
I wander around Shinjuku for a short while, but soon go back to the room where I watch Japanese baseball. I think it is one of their playoffs or championship series games. The Y Giants are playing the T Tigers. The Giants win.
Last day in Tokyo. I awake at the usual time and go downstairs for breakfast. I am hoping to meet some more travelers, but no luck today. I eat alone. I go back to the room and work on this journal while watching an ALCS game on TV! I am glad that Japan likes baseball! At 11:00 I walk over to the Internet café. After my email chores I go next door to JTB. I need to arrange for a Kyoto hotel. A nice young man helps me and I choose the Aranvert Hotel. It is a little more expensive than I want, but it is in a good location and is very nice. The man asks if I need JR tickets. I tell him I have a JR Pass, and he says he can get my seat tickets also. So, he gets my specific seats for my trip to Kyoto, and from Kyoto to Okayama. The reserved seats from Okayama to Matsuyama are sold out. I will have to ride in the unreserved seat car. I tell the young man he is very smart and very helpful. He smiles.
I then head towards Odaiba, a newly developed landfill island in Tokyo harbor that offers hotels, malls, restaurants, a very tall Ferris wheel, some unusual office building architecture, and other attractions. I take the Yamanote line to Hammamatsucho and walk over the Hinode pier. The next boat to Odaiba leaves in about 15 minutes. The day is the nicest weather day so far. More sun, more blue sky. About 1:30 we pull away from the pier. I stand on the upper deck. What a beautiful day--breezy, sunny. Wow!. A couple from France join me on the upper deck. Most other passengers sit below. Perhaps they are regular riders and thus are not so impressed!. We go under the Rainbow Bridge, which goes over the harbor. Tokyoites are all very proud of this bridge, and it is quite pretty. It is a double deck bridge. The upper deck is the expressway. The lower deck is regular roadway, and also train tracks and people mover tracks (more on this later).
As we pull into the docking area at Odaiba, I can see a wide beach to the left of the dock, and park area to the right, and behind it all are two large mall buildings with walkways, restaurants, etc. It reminds me of waterfront malls in the USA, although it is a bit more mall. I walk to the left along the beach area. There are a couple windsurfers in the harbor area at the beach. With the winds they are going quite fast. There are a few couples and mothers with children sitting along the beach and kids are playing in the sand. I walk upstairs to the mall area. I follow the walkway to the south end of the southern building and I see many people taking photos. When I look to the right I see why. There is a replica of the Statue of Liberty! It is interesting to see the adoration that the Lady has even here.
I spend the next couple hours walking thru the malls, and eventually have lunch. I see that there is a train/people mover that comes by the mall buildings. I walk over to get a better look, and I see that it comes from Shimbasi station in town, and goes around Odaiba making several stops. I try my subway pass at the entrance gate and it works. I go up and wait for the next train that will take me around to the other side of Odaiba. When it pulls in I see that there is no driver, and the train actually rides on rubber wheels. It is very similar to the people move in Miami. I ride to the other side and get off. I am near the Ferris wheel. I head back west toward where I started. There is a wide walkway. The Toyota showroom is on my right, and Venus Fort is on my left. I walk back to the west side (where I started) because it will soon be sunset and I want to see if there might be a good photo. Sunset is not what I had hoped.
I head back to Toyota. To say that this is a showroom does not even begin to describe it. It is more like an auto show and festival with only Toyotas. They have simulated rides; they have an electric car that automatically rides on an elevated track thru the showroom. They sell tickets to their rides/attractions . I go out their rear entrance to see the Ferris wheel. I admire it with a man from England. I tell him of the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier in Chicago (not quite as big as this one), and he tells me of the Millenium Ferris Wheel (world's biggest). I then walk over to Venus Fort. It is intended to be a mall with women in mind. I guess it is, but aren't all malls? Venus Fort is a very large mall. The ceiling has painted clouds/sky--reminds me of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. I walk past an endless number of shops and restaurants.
It is getting late and is time for me to get back to the city to meet M for dinner. We are to meet in Akasaka station, exit 7. I get back on the people mover, go back thru Odaiba, and then on to Shimbashi station. There I catch the XXX to YYY, and the ZZZ to Akasaka. I am about 15 minutes early. I walk outside the station. Wait a minute--is this Tokyo? The street is quiet, peaceful. I guess not all of Tokyo is like Shinjuku. M arrives on time. We get back on the subway and go to Shibuya. This is an entertainment district known for lots of young people. Its reputation is deserved. There are crowds of young people. M says on the weekend you can hardly walk down the street. On this Thursday evening it is difficult enough. She takes me to another small out of the way place. The menus is only in Japanese. With her advice I order a tempura set. Delicious. We walk back to Shibuya station, say goodbye. I go back to the hotel and get packed before I go to sleep.
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