I recently begun revisiting a story of our great trip to the mysterious Japan on my blog and figured I could also be posting the same remastered photos here as well...
In April 2010 me and my wife spent four amazing weeks traveling on the Shinkansen bullet train across Japan and also South Korea. We begin our trip in the megacity of Tokyo at the Narita airport.
Back then Narita was the only international airport in Tokyo as Haneda much closer to the city was still serving mostly domestic travel. It was a fairly long train ride from NRT to city center on the cool-looking Narita Express.
While note a bullet train, Narita Express travels fast and as one approaches the city, tall buildings such as Tokyo Skytree (which was still under construction) became visible in the distance.
I have always been mesmerized by the rail network around Tokyo. Even today, there is nothing like it anywhere in the world.
Bustling crowds everywhere.
We had booked a room at the New Hankuy Hotel where all rooms enjoy an amazing view. We were lucky to get a room on the 37th floor with a view to die for...
Sudima River flows by the hotel.
Rainbow Bridge
Shinjuku skyscrapers in the distance.
Minato business district.
The largest metropolis on Earth with a population of almost 39 million people.
Tsukiji fish market nearby our hotel. We would visit here on another day.
As the sun went down, the view became even better.
During night time tokyo is one glowing ball of light that can be seen from the space.
An urban ocean of one billion lights.
This was a first of many more posts to come. I hope you enjoyed!
Training across Japan is a must do for travellers. Some of my fondest memories are from Shinkansen'ing/training from Tokyo to Hiroshima or Tokyo to Sapporo.
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"The destructive effects of automobiles are much less a cause than a symptom of our incompetence at city building" - Jane Jacobs 1961ish
Following our first night in Japan it was time to start exploring Tokyo and so we made our route to check out the more traditional Asakusa district.
Senso-ji is a significant Buddha temple in Tokyo and hence it was super busy on a weekend!
We were lucky with the timing of our trip as the world famous cherry blossom season was just about to hit its high and so we got to enjoy a beautiful sakura with thousands of Japanese.
Tokyo Skytree is the tallest structure in the world, reaching an impressive 634 metres (2,080 ft) in height. At the time of our trip the tower was only half completed but already in the super tall ball park. At the time of completion it also had the highest observation deck in the world before the renovation of Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
From Asakusa we continued our day in the nearby Ueno district.
The big Ueno Park was absolutely packed with people that were there to enjoy the beautiful sakura.
Rail transit options are plentiful in Tokyo and the most efficient of them all is the Yamanote Line that circles the central Tokyo. Some 3.2 million people travel on this line daily and this is also where the famous people pushers operate during rush hour but we didn't get to witness this in person.
We took a train to Harajuku which is where the fashionable youth gather on weekends. Also here streets were completely packed with people as seemed to be the case in most of Tokyo.
A great free show in Harajuku is a talented group of rockabillies that perform there on most days. There guys had some serious skills and seemed to enjoy what they were doing!
__________________
"The destructive effects of automobiles are much less a cause than a symptom of our incompetence at city building" - Jane Jacobs 1961ish
Training across Japan is a must do for travellers. Some of my fondest memories are from Shinkansen'ing/training from Tokyo to Hiroshima or Tokyo to Sapporo.
Absolutely and we would be making our way from Tokyo all the way to Fukuoka in West-Japan.
Quote:
Originally Posted by xzmattzx
Nice pictures! I was wondering if you were there during the cherry blossom season. What do you mean about Asakusa being the traditional quarter? Is it like the "Old Town" that so many cities around the world have?
Yes, we got luck with it being the peak of cherry blossom season in early days of April. Akasuka has several temples and it has that Old Town feeling. Definitely worth visit to experience a bit different side of Tokyo.
One way to take use of sleepless nights caused by the jetlag is to head out super early in the morning to check out the world-famous Tsukiji Fish Market!
Even before 5am the market is already busy as 60,000 people work there and fishing ships arrive throughout the night.
One of the main sights for a tourist is the famous tuna auction where massive fish sell in some cases for thousands of dollars.
There is no way to know what all the ocean creatures being sold are as there are over 400 edible species available for purchase!
With all the fresh seafood available it is no surprise that there are a dozen small sushi restaurants in the area selling probably world's freshest dishes! It is interesting to be enjoying exotic seafood for breakfast but man was it tasty!
very nice to see. looks like we were there same time as you per the status of the skytower construction. except you were wise to go during cherry blossom time and we came later that summer.
Great pictures, look forward to the rest! Was lucky to visit Tokyo, Yokohama and Nikko in 2018 and Japan is now my favourite country. Missed cherry blossom by a month or two. Visited Tokyo Skytree, amazing views there! Also went up Tokyo Tower and Metropolitan Bldg.
After taking a nap following our super early morning at the fish market, we made our way to Odaiba which is an artificial island in the Tokyo Bay.
The most convenient way around the island is onboard Yurikamome Line which back in 2010 was Tokyo's only fully automated subway line.
To reach Odaiba, one has to cross Rainbow Bridge which has a really cool 270-degree loop to approach it. The subway runs really high from the ground, offering some really urban views of Tokyo.
Ship-shaped building on Odaiba.
Our destination was the Miraikan science museum which is a really cool place to visit!
Miraikan's top attraction was and probably still is the small Asimo robot! This little guy is today already 20-years-old and puts up a cool show! Keep in mind that these photos and videos are from 2010.
Next up was exploring the super-busy Shibuya district where the world's busiest intersection is located.
Walking around Shibuya.
There are lots of things to see in the district and Love Hotel Hill is a strange place. Love hotels are surprisingly popular places to... have a cup of coffee.
Possibly world's thinnest building?
Pachinkos are really loud places and everywhere in Japan. While gambling is officially prohibited, Japanese have found a way around it with Pachinkos.
Love me some Shibuya and there are a ton of decent izakaya if you get a few blocks away from the crowds/tourists.
__________________
"The destructive effects of automobiles are much less a cause than a symptom of our incompetence at city building" - Jane Jacobs 1961ish
It has been some time since the last update, so here are some more photos of Tokyo's amazing streetscape.
Our next destination was to tour Shinjuku , which is the main office district in Tokyo and where many of the tallest skyscrapers are located. It's a super busy area during weekdays and the local train station is the busiest in the world with some 3.64 million daily passengers!!
Our walk took as to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building from 1991. At 243 meters of height, it is one of the tallest buildings in the city and has a free observation deck at the top!
Views from the top are simply fantastic with the city extending into the horizon.
The distinct Park Hyatt Tokyo hotel next door was prominently featured in the 2003 movie Lost in Translation with Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson.
While mostly a business district, our experience of Shinjuku was a very positive one and the free views are definitely worth the trip!
Except that you have to enter from the B1 which makes it quite sterile at the street. Crazy to think that it is a post-secondary school.
__________________
"The destructive effects of automobiles are much less a cause than a symptom of our incompetence at city building" - Jane Jacobs 1961ish
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