Sights
Hanazono Shrine | 花園神社
When planning this trip, I wanted the first “sight” we saw to be something fairly quiet, and I was not disappointed.
Hanazono Jinja is a Shinto Shrine, not to be confused with a Buddhist Temple. I guess you’re just supposed to know. The names give it away I guess. A “Jinja” (神社) is a Shinto shrine, [...]
Golden Gai | 新宿ゴールデン街
After leaving Hanazono Shrine, it was just a quick jump down a short flight of stairs and there it was, staring us in the face. The “Golden Gai” neighborhood.
“Golden Gai” is a small block of tiny bars and galleries tucked away behind the hustle of the rest of Tokyo. Yeah, OK, I’m sure it picks [...]
Omoide Yokocho | 思い出横丁
So if you’ve read any of the websites and guide books you know that one of the recommended stops in Shinjuku is Omoide Yokocho, or “piss alley.” I can see now why it might be called that….
It’s located just north of the main station, beyond the Keio and Odakyu plaza and on up a bit, [...]
West Shinjuku | 西新宿
After we’d taken a bit of a breather (neither of us were still 100%, and not used to walking, which wouldn’t really be an issue ’til tomorrow) we headed out down the main drag, Koshu Kaido, the other direction, towards the glass towers of Nishi (west) Shinjuku.
And again, we were in yet another world from [...]
The Imperial Palace Grounds
Waking up bright and early, not by choice (still adjusting!) we called the kids via Skype again, got another big breakfast at the hotel and headed off to the station to break in our Suica cards, and de-flower ourselves to the Tokyo Metro rail system.
Our target was the JR Chuo line for Tokyo station. Luckily, [...]
The Imperial Palace East Gardens
Not listening to the complaints of our feet, we soldiered on into the East Gardens. Separate from the other section of the publicly accesible grounds, the gardens are actually quite impressive. I only wish we’d have had the tolerance to explore the entire thing! But I think we got enough to keep us happy…
Entering the [...]
The “Real” Tokyo Subway and Pokemon Center
After leaving the East Gardens we headed for Takebashi station. With my handy Subway guide book, we figured out we needed to transfer three times to get to Hamamatsucho station, from there a short walk to the Pokemon Center to get some souvenirs for our kids. What had we gotten ourselves into?!
Here’s a tip, the [...]
Zojoji Temple | 増上寺
After resting a bit and catching a second wind at Uogashi Nihonichi sushi right next to the Pokemon Center, we realized we were withing walking distance of Zojoji Temple, which was on the list to see. Well, we’re in the neighborhood, and our feet just aren’t hurting enough. Wait, yeah, they were, but we did [...]
Akihabara | 秋葉原
Still recovering from yesterday’s marathon walk, we decided today we’d take it easy. We only had one destination in mind, which actually turned out to be two by the time we were finished, but that can wait.
After a long lazy morning, we set out on the Yamanote line for Akihabara. The land of Manga, Anime, [...]
Okachimachi, Ameyoko | 御徒町、アメ横
On the way in, we noticed a temple alongside the tracks near Okachimachi station. We figured, hey its fairly close, we should check it out on the way back. So we got off at Okachimachi, and proceeded to not find the temple, but instead get lost in the street bazaar known as Ameyoko.
I didn’t realize [...]
