Tokyo Time
We went to see my relatives in a packed extended weekend in Tokyo. In between dinners and hanging with my cousins, we found a couple hours to check out a festival in Asakusa.
Shinkansen
A trip to Tokyo means a ride on the Shinkansen (bullet train). We left from Nagoya and arrived in Tokyo about 1.5 hours later. I love there are no security checks, or drama on getting on the train. Just arrive at the station, pick up tickets and head to the platform a couple minutes prior to boarding time. Fares are always standard, and trains are rarely so booked you can’t get on the next one leaving every few minutes. It beats flying if you have the option. The trains move close to 300km/h so it’s amazing to watch the scenery wiz by. On a clear day you can see Mt Fuji, but we were too busy eating our bentos and forgot.
Asakusa
We just happened to check out the festival Hozuki Ichi which was happening this weekend. If you have been to Tokyo, you already know a bit about Sensoji. If it’s your first time, try the Ningyo-Yaki and pick up souvenirs which there are plenty. The temple is a place that I have been visiting since I was a young boy. My aunt and cousins live nearby, so they offered us a place to stay. During festivals, we would normally eat street food and play games into the evening. This time, we did a quick walk through the temple, and while the crowds were pretty thick, it was bearable without those pesky foreigners. I’ve been in Japan for 3 weeks now, so am declaring myself a local. Just don’t tell the actual locals, they still look at me strange when I fumble with my Japanese, or I scold my daughter in English when she might have caused a scene or two on the trains:)
It’s always good to pray and reflect how far we’ve come.
Tokyo Skytree
In the middle of Asakusa, is the relatively new Skytree which is hard to miss and kind of sticks out like a sore thumb. I have actually never been up to the top of the tower, it’s a bit pricey and often requires reservations. However, there is plenty to check out with a mall and restaurants at the base of the tower. We found a worthy alternative to going up the tower, there are some restaurants on the 31st floor of the building connected to the mall/base. The weekend was drawing big crowds, but there was no line at the restaurants up here, so double plus good! We ate at a French bistro, it wasn’t that steep considering the location and views.
Tokyo is a huge place, you can look in every direction and not see the edge of the city even from the highest buildings. There are parallels to looking at the JWST images and zooming in to see galaxies in every direction. That’s a lot of souls.
Tokyo Disneyland
Our side quest in Tokyo was a day in Disneyland. We went on Monday to avoid the crowds, since Japan’s schools haven’t started Summer break. Most rides had 10 minute waits or less, and just a couple over 30 minutes. This was our daughter’s first Disneyland experience and it was nearly perfect. She rode every ride, and we sat front row on the street for the Electric Parade. Surprisingly, the food was pretty decent, too! We had some soy sauce popcorn and the Mickey Popsicles were amazing on a hot/humid day. A new ride for me was the Beauty and the Beast ride, it was also my favorite for the day. Our daughter hit a new milestone too, she had more energy at the end of the day than her parents. We all slept really well after.
