Tokyo, Japan

Our trip to Japan did not start out the greatest. My baggage was delayed from Edinburgh, and we almost missed our flight from Seoul to Tokyo. Luckily (or so we thought), our flight was delayed. This delay ended up being several hours. When we finally arrived in Tokyo, it was almost midnight and the subway was no longer running into the city.

We were able to grab a bus to Tokyo station, which was around two hours. From Tokyo Station, we were able to take a cab to our hostel. Travis had the foresight to contact them before we left Seoul to let them know we would be late, so they were waiting up for us. We finally got checked in and into bed around 2 am!

Neither Travis or I had put much thought into what we wanted to do. We spent our first day hitting up some of the major sights, like the Imperial Palace, the Tokyo Tower and the Tokyo Dome. It was actually a lovely afternoon, around 50 degrees, and was by far the most temperate day I have had in Asia!

For the rest of our trip, we tried to plan each day around a specific area of the city or landmark. Tokyo is split up into many different districts, and each one has a different vibe or speciality. It was very easy to get around using the subway. We got an unlimited ticket each day for the subway, and there were two lines very close to our hostel. We spend a lot of time in Akihabara, or the Electric City, which is the electronics hub of Tokyo. We found lots of cool video game stores and arcades there, and it was really fun to hang out in.

We also went to Shibuya, a major shopping destination, and Harajuku, a district known for street fashion. Unfortunately, it rained while we were in Harajuku, so we missed the "lolitas". We tried for a night out in Roppongi, but it was very expensive ($10 for a half pint) so we didn't stay long. We also had 10 am sushi at the Tsukiji Fish Market, one of the largest in the world. It was the best sushi I have ever had! They really rushed people in and out, but it was very reasonably priced. Some other major places we went include the Uneo Zoo, the National Museum and, of course, the Pokemon Center!

The weather was quite cold most of the time we were there, but not as cold as Korea. It was a really relaxing vacation because we had enough time to spend in Tokyo that we could really take our time and do what we enjoyed. It was my first break since starting school, and Travis hadn't had any time off since he started teaching in January, so it was a well earned rest. Our DSs got a pretty good workout, however! We both played Pokemon quite a bit.

The new Pokemon games have a neat feature where you can connect to other people playing the games around you. During our second visit to the Pokemon Center, there was an event going on for the Japanese version of the games. I didn't have mine, but Travis had his, and he connected with over 200 people! It was pretty crazy. I was also very jealous.

Apparently, my photos didn't upload in the correct order. Bear with me!

The Imperial Palace moat. There are relatively few buildings here now, and it is a quite lovely open space. It was really nice to walk through here.

One of the many, many arcades.

Dinner! Ramen and a fresh salmon salad.

We ate at these restaurants quite a bit. You put money in a vending machine and choose the meal you want. A slip pops out, and you give that to the cook. Super easy! I had vegetable soba noodles and Travis had udon with a cake of sorts.

McDonald's was selling exclusive Pokemon calendars, so of course we needed to stop!

On our way back from Roppongi, the subway didn't bring us all the way back home. We had a bit of a walk. We stumbled across some neat things. This was the river near our hostel.

A lion outside a temple we found.

Enjoying some of my beverage. We had to keep our energy up for the walk home! Yes, I am sitting on a pig.

Travis outside the Pokemon Center!

A Pokemon Christmas tree.

It is hard to tell, but I totally beat Travis at Mario Kart.

A cross walk in Shibuya. The amount of people in Tokyo is incredible.

A view of Tokyo from the Metropolitan Government Building. They had an observatory on the 45th floor. My ears popped on the way up! We went back again during the day and were just able to see Mt. Fuji in the distance.

A German Christmas market near Tokyo Tower. Those things are everywhere!

One of the many, many mascots we saw in Asia.

In front of Tokyo Tower.

Travis tried almost every odd soda/energy drink he found. There are probably thirty pictures just like this but with different drinks in his hand.

At Uneo Zoo! The animals were really great.

Outside the museum.

Another view in the Imperial Palace.

The temple we found in the night.

Mostly because of the weather, we opted not to travel out of Tokyo. The views and scenery would likely not have been enjoyable. As I have learned on this trip, I hate sightseeing in the cold! I do hope to come back to Japan again during the spring or summer and enjoy more of the country. Tokyo was lovely, but incredibly expensive. I have heard that other cities are not nearly so expensive. Hopefully I will be able to make it back when I am in Shanghai!

Thank you again to Leanne and Bob! We had an absolutely wonderful time. Thank you for the tickets!