Tokyo Tour

While talking to the concierge yesterday, we decided to do the all day guided tour today. On one hand, we didn't really want to get up so early (but we REALLY slept in the day before and would again tomorrow), but the thought of being able to see so many things while traveling in an air conditioned tour bus from place to place was very appealing. This way we could see many things and decide what we wanted to bring the kids to see when we come back...and what we'd rather leave off the list.


(waiting for the bus to get to the rendezvous point)


This was our first stop...the Tokyo Tower.



(Not the best picture...I feel so old looking at it!)


This was pretty much the scene in any direction.


This is a graveyard straight down from the tower. It's common to see small graveyards throughout very urban areas...this one is pretty big, though.


This was a little scary...


We had to come out on this floor and switch elevators...this is a playground area staffed by these very professional looking nannies. And this pink cone-head guy...he's everywhere. Some sort of Tokyo Tower mascot. We were going to buy some souvenirs of him, but decided to wait till we bring the kids, because this stop made the list for the return trip.


Next stop...Meiji Shinto Shrine...


There is a cleansing procedure one must follow to enter the shrine. Grab a scoop...pour water over one hand, then the other, pour some water into your cupped hand and toss it in your mouth to rinse it...but never let the scoop touch your mouth.


Then, let the excess water spill out of the scoop and down the handle.


There it is. They don't allow photography inside.


You can buy these tablets for about $5, upon which you write your prayers and wishes. I found this all very interesting (enough to take lots more pics I won't make you endure here) but there was LOTS of walking and I don't think the kids will really appreciate it, so I don't think it makes the cut.


We stopped here at the Akasaka Guest House for a very brief photo op. Apparently it's a pretty big deal. Heads of State and such stay here. Next, we drove by the National Diet Building (the Japanese Capitol) which was not nearly as exciting.

Next stop...Imperial Palace Plaza...


Statue in the plaza...wish I could remember who this guy is...(the one on the horse, not the one with the flag...he's our tour guide).


This double bridge is pretty famous, although it was hard to hear why (this looks pretty serene, but there were LOTS of people here).


This is such a beautiful area...but not thinking it will impress the kids...I think we can safely cross it off the list.


We drove through the Ginza shopping district (been there, done that) and then had an authentic Japanese lunch. There was a little bit of everything (I, of course, forgot to take a picture). I enjoyed all of it, with one exception. I started to dive into a rice dish when I noticed a clear slime on it....then the little yellow orb. It had a raw quail egg cracked on top of it...which is very authentic. I am pretty adventurous with food...but I have my limits. I shared my discovery with our table companions (mostly English speakers from various countries) and was interested to see that I was not the only one with certain standards.

Next stop...tour of the Tasaki Pearl Gallery (where we didn't win the drawing for the pearl) and then on to the Sumida River Cruise!


Here's my favorite person as we begin our journey. I'm undecided whether this ride will make the cut on the family trip. I think it will depend on the cost. If we're talking taxi fare, OK, then. (Since it was part of the tour, we have no idea.)


Every bridge we passed under was different. This was my favorite.


I want to ride this one next time...especially if it goes under the water at some point!


OK...this deserves some explanation, don't you think? We came around the back of this thing, and as we passed it, I thought, "What in the world?" I thought maybe it was a big yam. What I really thought it was, was a giant golden poo...but who would make a poo sculpture? Trust me...if it would be found anywhere, it would be here. (I'm not kidding...read this which I found in my extensive research.)

Do you get the scale of this thing? See the semi-truck underneath it? Anyhoo, I decided to look it up online...but what keywords shall I use? I tried "Tokyo golden poo sculpture" and it turns out, I'm not the only one who thought this looked like dung. It's actually a common nickname for this...work of art.

It turns out, it's actually a flame. Still don't see it? It took me awhile. The black building below it is supposed to be shaped like a bowl, and the yam/poo on top is really a golden flame blowing in the wind. It's supposed to represent the spirit of the workers of the Asahi Super Dry Beer Company, which this building contains.

There are also accounts that the flame is supposed to be the head of the beer being blown off of the (black, shallow, bowl shaped?) mug below...but I'm sorry, this thing looks more like feces than foam...I'm throwing up the BS flag on this one.


(Do you see what I see? It's the Golden Poo. I'm thinking of maybe doing a children's book along the lines of "Where's Waldo". You can see this thing from lots of places.)

The next stop was the Nakamise shopping street and the Asakusa Kannon Buddhist temple...


(We don't actually know these people, but they were having a great time and I couldn't resist stealing their picture.)


Love this man! This should be his profile pic on Facebook.


We walked through two of these.


Isn't this gorgeous? (The buildings, too.)


Before going into the temple, people gather around what looks like a fire pit full of incense stuck in sand. They wave their hands into the smoke to get a better whiff of it. It's supposed to purify the body. I found it a little overpowering, although not all that bad smelling.


I love this shot of the modern and the traditional posing for a photo together (little did they know they were posing for me, too).


There were many food vendors, but the crowd was particularly thick in front of this one. Now I know why. These fried pumpkin things are heavenly!


I don't know that I'd ever tire of this area. I wanted to freeze it in my memory. This makes the cut FOR SURE!


This was the most bizarre stop on our tour. We drove through an area of town (Kappabashi) dedicated to the making and selling of wax food to the restaurant industry. I think it's a bigger thing over here (to have wax displays of the food you serve in your restaurant) but I do remember seeing it some places in the US as well. It's big business, apparently. We pulled over for a moment in front of this man's shop and he was waiting for us with a friendly wave, so he must know he's on the tour circuit.


While driving through our last attraction (The Ueno and Akihabara shopping districts) we spotted this. Not the best quality, but had to snap this photo for Patrick. She was handing out some sort of fliers. I convinced myself it was for some sort of wholesome, Anime or video game entertainment and not something more Las Vegas-ish.

So that was our tour. It rained off and on, and it was really pouring down by the time we got back to the hotel. We were pretty exhausted, but we weren't done yet...


And here's my Cliffie at dinner. The tour went a bit long, so it was a good thing we had a late reservation.


This was our awesome chef...


This was the crazy, drunk family we dined with. OK, so the young child was not drunk...but let me tell you, these were some crazy Americans! Seriously, though...we had fun talking to them. They were a dual service Air Force couple (we didn't hold that against them) and they had family visiting from out of town. Made me want to have family visit from out of town real bad. We'd have a great time, even sans alcohol. Any takers?