Japan in the Spring - Tokyo 2

We spent our second day in Tokyo with a gentleman from the Tokyo Free Guide.  I was alerted to the  service by my friend - it was a great experience.  I had to apply for the service two months in advance and the service provides a local volunteer as a guide for a day, no fees other than covering meals and transportation costs.  The best thing about this is getting to know someone who actually lives there - it was a great cultural exchange.  The volunteer actually has to pay a nominal annual fee to be part of the service.

Our guide introduced himself in an email, a retired professional with a spouse and grown up family.  He was very helpful in helping us plan our day, pointing out closures, and making reservations for lunch.  He picked us up at our hotel and took us to the various spots on our itinerary and at the end of the day went out of his way to show us the way to Ginza.  

It was another packed day starting with a trip to the Asakusa Visitor Center, a Kengo Kuma building looking down upon the famous Nakamise Shopping Street.  The view from the top was definitely better than the one at street level.  It was insanely packed all the way to the Sensoji Temple - apparently a must-visit for Tokyo visitors.  

View from the top floor of the Asakusa Visitor Center,

The Asakusa Visitor Center designed by Kengo Kuma

Inside the building

The busy crossing to Nakamise Shopping Street

The packed entrance to the Thunder Gate

The even more packed Nakamise Street

Sensoji Temple - the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo

Younge ladies dressed up for the visit.  There is a shop across from the Temple that rents entire outfits, including accessories for tourists. 

Sukiyaki lunch at the Asakusa Imahan was definitely the highlight of the day.  Delicious food and amazing service!  It was lucky that we had reserved a room because when we arrived at the restaurant, the dining room which doesn't require reservation is completel full and they were not even taking wait lines.

An after lunch stroll along the waterfront allowed a glimpse of the river and the famous Tokyo Skytree Tower and the Asahi flame (nicknamed the "golden turd" for obvious reasons)

The Hamarikyu Gardens yielded a respite from the bustling Asakusa area.  The beautiful Otemon bridge rook us into the gardens with some of its beautifully landscaped areas but also my first encounter with Tokyo wildlife.  The duck pond also has some Canvas backs which I didn't expect to see. 

Otemon Bridge



A brown-eared bulbul - a lifer for me in the most unexpected place, and I didn't even have my birding lens with me!

The Shogun's teahouse surrounded by beautiful Japanese pines.  

A 300 year old pine on the property

Love this window sign in one of the Shogun's lodges

We walked form the Hamarikyu Gardens to Ginza, gawking at all designer houses along the strip.  The Kabuki Theatre was was quite exceptional among all the glitz.  Since the neon lights were not on yet we decided to have an early dinner to beat the crowd at the Chikuyotei Ginza.  The eel dinner was exceptional!  Coming out onto Ginza with its lights turned on was a treat as you can see below.

The Kabuki-za Theatre, the largest in Japan, opened in 1889

Front door of the Theatre

One of many interesting buildings on the Ginza strip

Ginza crossing - you just have to catch it in that 30 seconds before you get run over!

Ginza Crossing when the lights came on

A few of the buildings on the strip that caught my eye...

I was proud to say that we made it back to the hotel on the subway without having to take a taxi.  It was easy, because our Guide had found us the best route among the many options available.  Tokyo is just amazing with so many varied options for transport!  But even more remarkable was how busy and yet pleasant it was even at night.  There were no scary corridors or dangerous platforms to navigate, everything was orderly and calm in spite of the bustle.  Above all, it felt safe! 

Taking the wrong turn coming out of the subway yielded unexpected opportunities for photography.  As the landscape was not familiar, we decided to turn back, but not before taking a few shots!  

This wrapped up our remarkable two days in Tokyo.  In the morning, we negotiated the train station again and made it to Yokohama to catch the boat.  Wish there were more time in Yokohama as it looked interesting.  All I could manage was this night shot of the harbour before we took to sea.

Next stop:  Nagoya