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Old 30 Sep 13, 07:22 PM  
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私たちは、東京ディズニーリゾートに行きます G&D Day 10

DAY 10 ( 7/9/13) – If it’s Saturday, then it must be Tokyo.

We awake in our new hotel room at the Hilton in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo. If you imagine the city as a clock face with the main shopping area and Imperial palace at the centre we are at around 11 o’clock. Our room is on the 32nd floor and we have a view of several skyscrapers (one we call the Star Trek building because the top looks like the round bit of the USS Enterprise) and just down the road are all the Government offices for Tokyo. It’s a small Executive suite with desk and internet for Darrin to keep in touch with his business, a really comfy King size bed, a large L shaped sofa with lots of cushions and a bathroom with a window into the lounge area so you can watch TV whilst soaking. There is a Venetian blind if you want privacy. The WC is like the one at Disney – all singing, all dancing and we have a Seiko alarm clock! The windows have the traditional sliding paper panels but there are solid panels that slide over them for darkness at night. There is an absolute ton of tea and coffee.



It’s whilst we are here – and we are convinced it’s because of us – that Tokyo’s bid for the Olympics is successful. We can’t linger because today we have a trip around the city booked. They are picking us up at 8 o’clock. We go down to the Exec lounge and tuck into breakfast. There is a great selection. Everything from porridge to fruit to cereal. From fried breakfast to Tofu to ham and cheese and there is even champagne should you wish to partake of it. There are also a couple of internet terminals – one in English and one in Japanese.



When we get down to ground level there is an elderly Japanese lady waiting for us. She will later tell us that her name is Madam Ninja. Her real name is actually Mimoko which means “Peach child”. We are escorted outside and onto a feeder coach. This takes us through Tokyo to the Hamamatsucho bus station which is hidden under an apartment block. You’d never know it was there. Here we exchange our Viator vouchers for coach tickets and are then directed to stop #7. Seats are allocated by number so there is no hogging front or rear seats. Everybody receives a complimentary fan (the flat table tennis bat style) which blatantly advertises the coach company. As there are spares we’ll be adding a few to our collection at the end of the day. We have a fairly full coach comprising of us Brits, some Japanese, some Bahrainian, an Asian couple who live in California, four lads from Thailand and Bruce, an American from Mount Dora, Florida travelling solo. He’s taking some time out from business. He has something to do with Paypal in China and Japan. We soon get chatting.
Our first port of call is to be Tokyo Tower. Very similar in structure to the Eiffel Tower, this was built in 1958 as a communications and observation structure and stands in Shiba park. It is painted in white and “International Orange” (the same orange as the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco.) It is 1093 feet high but we are only going to the first observation deck at 490 feet.


You start in “Foot Town” – a four storey building directly underneath the tower which houses shops, restaurants, souvenir outlets and an elevator takes you up the tower itself. Even at nearly 500 feet above the ground you get great views of the surrounding area from Tokyo Bay to the massive infrastructure of the city. We have time to get photos, buy a fridge magnet or two and grab a drink.
We are now off to Happo-En gardens.


These are attached to a hotel and restaurant complex. The restaurant was once the home of a Tokyo industrialist and it is a pleasant relaxing area amid the hustle and bustle of a modern city. There is also a little tea house where the Japanese tea ceremony will be demonstrated. Whilst the first half of our party go off to do that we stroll the grounds which is full of Koi filled ponds, quaint Japanese bridges, pagodas, waterfalls and formal gardens. There are Bonsai trees, some of which are over 5000 years old! After about 30 minutes it’s our turn for the ceremony. We are asked to sit at tables around the edge of the room whilst two ladies in Kimonos will show us the ritual.




We are allowed to take still photos but no video. As the main lady goes through the preparation the other assists providing utensils etc. and eventually serving the tea bowls. The Japanese tea ceremony, also called the Way of Tea, is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha, powdered green tea. In Japanese, it is called chanoyu or chadō. The manner in which it is performed, or the art of its performance, is called otemae . Zen Buddhism was a primary influence in the development of the tea ceremony and it is about peace and harmony. The water is heated by a small charcoal fire device and bamboo ladle is used to add water to the green powdered tea which is then agitated with a bamboo whisk. Makes tea bags look a lot simpler! The bowl into which the tea is dispensed for drinking will have a picture on it and this will be presented towards you with a bow. You bow in recognition and taking the bowl with both hands you lift and drink. It would be very impolite not to. However, if you were expecting a green Jasmine tea, forget it. The consistency is like pea soup and the flavour is so intense. It is very herby and whilst you know it is tea it is the strongest you will ever taste. Darrin likened it afterwards to trying to drink a privet bush!


When you have finished place the bowl back on the table with the picture turned towards the server. She will bow as she retrieves the bowl and you bow in acknowledgement. Now I must state this was a short ceremony for tourists. True tea ceremonies can go on for over an hour or so and there are strict rituals that are followed. However, the experience is one I have always wanted to try and now I can cross it off my list.
In the grounds of the gardens are facilities for weddings and there are two going on whilst we are there.
This was a grand affair. I just love the traditional garments. The groom looks like a Samurai!


And, yes, we asked permission of wedding party if we might take a photo.
We are also to dine within the gardens and we are taken to one of the restaurants. The meal is Teppanyaki and so we have grilled pork, beef and vegetables with plenty of dipping sauces, that dreadful shredded radish and a large bowl of steamed rice. We soon learnt that when tackling a piece of meat and it is too large you rest it on the rice whilst you divide it up for eating. We were also provide with a bowl of Miso soup. It is made from fermented soy beans which are made into a stock called “dashi”.It is seen as an appetiser rather than as a main item and it is quite refreshing. Sometimes you will get noodles or pieces of tofu added.


We need to move on.
Next on our list is the Imperial Palace where the Emperor (Akihito) and his wife live. Whilst the buildings you see make look the style they were built in the late forties to replace those destroyed during bombings in World War II. The Palace stands on the remains of an ancient fortress when this area was called Edo. Edo Castle used to be the seat of the Tokugawa shogun who ruled Japan from 1603 until 1867. In 1868, the shogunate was overthrown, and the country's capital and Imperial Residence were moved from Kyoto to Tokyo.




You can still see the foundations rising up from the river. You can only view inside the Palace on two days of the year. New Year Greeting (January 2nd) and the Emperor’s birthday (December 23rd). This area was also victim to the great earthquake of 1923. We can’t linger as coaches are not allowed to stop in this area so our driver has had to do about 8 circuits of office blocks to give us time to look and take photos.
We now head over to Tokyo Bay where we are to pick up a ferry to sail on the Sumida river. This is not our ferry. The futuristic looking vessel is a water taxi.


Once on board we glide past many tall buildings. Years ago these sea facing areas would have been famous for their nori (seaweed) cultivation. Then industrialisation took over and by the 1980s waterfront developments sprang up. The Shiodome City Complex opened in 2003 and is one of many successful projects. The Shiodome Media Tower is the Headquarters of Kyodo News and Acty Shiodome is the tallest residential building in Japan.
Further up river on your right is the new Skytree Tower. It is a broadcasting, restaurant, and observation tower in the Sumida prefecture. It became the tallest structure in Japan in 2010 and reached its full height of 634.0 metres (2079 feet) in March 2011. If you are brave enough to go to the top, there is a glass corridor you can walk across!


We are on our way to Senso-ji temple. It is popularly known as Asakusha Kannon and is the most scared and spectacular temple in Tokyo. In AD 628 two fishermen built a shrine to Kannon, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. Somewhat later a temple was built on the site. Many of the buildings were destroyed by bombing in the war but it has been rebuilt in the Edo –era layout.
You enter via the Kaminarimon gate (Thunder gate). Touching the huge lantern is said to bring you luck.


You pass into an avenue of little shops which sell everything you can think of. Kimonos, rice crackers, toys, dolls, souvenirs, suitcases, shoes, ice cream, steamed dumplings and we even found a restaurant that served blowfish (remember the Simpsons episode ?)………………………………..I bought a Yukata. It’s a short kimono which comes with shorts. They make great pyjamas or are great for lounging around in.


You then come to the next gate – the Hozo Mon. It has a treasure house upstairs holding 14th century Sutras (Holy texts usually written on woven palm leaves). Next is the incense burner (joukoro) where people waft the smoke over themselves to cleanse and make them healthy. You then reach the main hall with its gold plated shrines and large paintings of angels with lotus flowers. Worshipers pay their respects by throwing coins into special rack collection boxes and lighting candles.


To the side of this building is the Asakusa shrine dedicated to the two fishermen who created the original shrine. To the left of the main hall is the Dembo – In (Abbot’s garden) with its beautiful five storey pagoda.


We finish our day trip at Tokyo station. Taking the Metro we return to Nishi Shinjuku which has a lobby leading into the basement of our hotel. We’ve invited Bruce to join us for dinner but we all need to freshen up and we treat him to a properly brewed cup of tea!
We decide to pop down to the Exec Lounge for a drink or two but the place is rammed. The Manager suggests we try the lounge on the second floor which we so do. Well, I’ve never seen such an extravagant cold buffet. There are just us three. We were told to help ourselves so - we did! Darrin opened the champagne and we sat sipping and drinking for ages. An hour later there was still only us three so we opened another bottle.


By 10p.m. we thought we should eat so we head down to the Marble Lounge. This dining area operates 24/7. For some reason I chose fish and chips with mushy peas – yes, seriously. Darrin and Bruce opted for steak.


At 11:30p.m. we see Bruce off in a taxi back to his hotel down near the Tokyo waterfront and promise to keep in touch (which we have). We head for our room and a comfy bed.

INDEX: http://DIBB.in/8969983

Edited at 07:27 PM.
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Old 30 Sep 13, 07:35 PM  
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That tea looks disgusting...

Good day..thanks for sharing.
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Old 30 Sep 13, 08:04 PM  
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Nice day loved the pictures
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Old 30 Sep 13, 08:10 PM  
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What a really interesting day...
And a pretty good end to the day, champagne and fish and chips!
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Old 30 Sep 13, 09:14 PM  
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Despite all the skyscrapers it is a beautiful city.
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Old 1 Oct 13, 07:30 AM  
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Hotel looks stunning
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Old 1 Oct 13, 07:37 AM  
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Loving your report, dh was in Japan for over 3 months when the winter olympics were there but I had no desire to go with him. However your report (and not just the Disney bit) are changing my mind! And as ds wants to go to it means we might get another holiday with him, although I don't think I'll be able to swing 9 days at Disney!
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Old 1 Oct 13, 07:58 AM  
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I don't read a lot of trip reports as they are always so familiar but I am loving this one because it is so different. Thank you Geoff for the amount of work you have put into reporting each day.

I'm very curious though as to what the orange coloured and cream/pink coloured round things are lined up on the tepanyaki plate? Assume they are some kind of vegetable and they look like slices of potato and carrot but surely not?

Disappointed not see you modelling the yukata

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Old 1 Oct 13, 08:23 AM  
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Not sure i could try the tea . The Tokyo tower does look a bit out of place really.
The people at the wedding all look so serious & would get told of if they dare to move a muscle. Just goes to show how different things are in each country.
What a good read your trip report has been .
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Old 1 Oct 13, 09:27 AM  
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Originally Posted by Tetrarch View Post
I don't read a lot of trip reports as they are always so familiar but I am loving this one because it is so different. Thank you Geoff for the amount of work you have put into reporting each day.

I'm very curious though as to what the orange coloured and cream/pink coloured round things are lined up on the Teppanyaki plate? Assume they are some kind of vegetable and they look like slices of potato and carrot but surely not?

Disappointed not see you modelling the yukata

Debra

Just for you Debra -



The vegetables on the Teppanyaki are large slices or carrot and sweet potato. In the dishes you would get pickled ginger (which I love ), shredded daikon radish, soy sauce etc.

Edited at 09:34 AM.
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