Good morning Tokyo!
November 4, 2019
Our flight yesterday was really good. No problems, kids did great on their own, super simple arrival at the airport. The challenge was navigating our way to the hotel. We anticipated it would be a challenge, but the $400+ price tag plus 2 hours of traffic had prevented us from taking an uber or hiring a driver. Before leaving on this leg of the trip, we had researched the public transportation options and costs - of which there were many. After hours of research, Bill purchased us tickets, way in advance, for the train to the main station and then subway passes to get us to the specific area our hotel was located. It was $90 total and about an hour travel time, so it seemed like the obvious way to go. Except, this place is confusing. Totally mind boggling confusing. And, with everything written in Japanese we had to be creative in our problem solving.
We made it, but not before a lot of jet - lagged frustration, luggage dragging and literally walking in circles. It took 3 hours. But, thanks to Bill and Google, we arrived at our hotel. It is quite nice. I forgot we had to book 2 rooms and while we requested adjoining, they are not. So, Mel and I are cuddled up in our little tiny room and Bill and Zach are right next door. Super tiny and compact, but quite well organized and perfectly located for where Mel wants to be while in Tokyo. I am thrilled by the no shoes rule here and the abundance of slippers. My fav.
Full day today. Woke up around 5am and chilled until about 7:30am in the room. Headed out to meet up with Zach and Bill who had been out exploring since about 6am. One of the perks of jet lag, early mornings! Quiet morning as today is a holiday here in Japan—Culture Day. We are staying in Akihabara, an area known as the “Electric Town” -- Anime & Electronics District and also the center of “geek” culture. Obviously, Melina’s pick of location. Peaceful morning exploring, finding some breakfast - thankfully for me we found a nice French bakery : ). The area came to life about 10am and then it was game on. Oh. My. Goodness. SO many people, so much stimulation, lights, and sounds everywhere. I could have definitely used Zach’s headphones.
Within the first 20 minutes I needed a break and lucky for me right in front of us was a cat café! Yes! It was probably the nicest cat café we have been to. I know, I know, that sounds odd but yes, we have been to several - Portland, Austin, SF, and now Tokyo. I should just open one. Anyway, the woman checking us in was intense. Rules to read, she shut Zach down before he could even get out his “I have a question,” things to sign, voices to be lowered, etc. They charge in 10 minute increments and time starts when she hits the print button. You then need to change your shoes, put stuff in your locker, wash hands, get a drink if you want one, and enter quietly. At that point you are like 5 minutes into your time so I can’t imagine anyone gets out of there in 10 minutes. We opted for an additional 10 minutes so we could catch kitty feeding time. Well worth it. $30, 20 minutes of delight. Bill would disagree.
Around 11am we headed back to the hotel to use the bathroom (good luck finding a public restroom) and then attempted our subway ride. Now, after yesterday, we were prepared for chaos and confusion. While it definitely helps to be prepared with expectations, it is still irritating and annoying to be super confused amidst hordes of people. We had a walking tour scheduled for 1pm and allowed ourselves 2 hours to get there. Two subway rides, about 45 minutes, one super vomit-able kid and a semi vomit-able me, we arrived. That was when the real challenge began. It took us another 45 minutes to find the meeting location. It was about .2 miles from where we were standing but oh my goodness that sounds so much simpler than it is! We finally found it, checked in, grabbed sandwiches, and took a moment before our 2.5 hour walking tour.
Just us on the tour with two wonderful Japanese women. Our tour was of Shinjuku, home of the world’s busiest rail station. The tour was described as discover “The center of Tokyo: Learn about Japan's trends in department store basements while shopping.” You can guess who picked this tour. I wanted to tour the Imperial Gardens and chill in the peace of the greenery. Melina had other ideas and Japan being her pick, Shinjuku it was. The tour was great and if I thought Akihibara was crowded, oh my goodness, Shinjuku was insane. And to add to it we headed over to Shibuya—home of the chaotic Shibuya crossing. So many people, so many lights, sounds, and visual stimulation.
We stopped at the Hanazono-jinja Shrine which was a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of Shinjuku. Our guides taught us first how to use the water to properly wash our hands, mouth, and the water ladle. Zach of course missed the part of “pretend to wash our mouth” and instead drank the water. Ick. Good thing we came prepared with half a suitcase of medication. Our guides then showed us how to give an offering and the prayer associated with it. We all took turns - made an offering, rang the bell, bowed, clapped twice, asked for what we wanted/prosperity, and then bowed again.
Zach noticed people off to the side reading little pieces of paper so off he went to inquire. A nice Japanese mother answered all his questions and helped him count out the correct change for his fortune. His fortune? A statement that he can do better. He needs to work harder if he wants better luck and good fortune in the coming year. I love it. Reality for the kid who knows there are areas he needs to work harder and now it is coming from the 8 million - yes that is what they told us - gods and not just his parents.
The tour ended at the Godzilla Head and off we went to explore some more before our big dinner extravaganza that Melina had booked in advance from the United lounge at SFO. The thing about Melina—she is definitely a last minute planner. She thrives in JIT (just in time) planning. It drives me crazy but she is not me and to each their own. I step back. Anyway, this dinner had come up over the summer when we were lounging by the pool doing our Japan research. The kids had each made a list of things they wanted to see and do in Japan and on Zach’s list was “Ninja dinner.” Intrigued, Bill and I said, sure, that sounds interesting, book it. That was in August. So, 30 minutes before boarding the flight, Melina decides she should book it. I wasn’t really paying attention beyond saying I needed the vegan meal and 5:30pm was good. Well, let’s just say, it was an experience. I’m glad we did it; the kids loved it, and it really was a cool experience. Was it $315 worth of cool? Probably not. But, I think that was more because I was caught off guard when the bill came as I thought 1) she had pre-paid and 2) not sure why, but didn’t expect it to be $315! 3) for sure everyone was going to be hungry again before we even made it back to the hotel.
We were getting the hang of transportation and there was much less chaos getting home—took the train this time, not the subway. Melina jumped right in and navigated us through the ticket machine process. Was about $2 per person and 30 minutes or so on the train. I think it took us longer to find our way out of the station once we got back to Akihibara. Back home at the hotel by 9pm and everyone was exhausted. Mel stayed up to do a midterm for school, I crashed after putting on my hotel slippers and “housecoat.” I think I am going to need one of these for home.
*Sorry the pics are blurry, internet speed is tortoise slow so I had to upload the low res pics.
