This was our last day in Tokyo. It was sort of a "make-up"day. We started at the National Museum since it was closed on Monday. What a gem.
Museum feet photo.
We headed next to Akihabara, "electric town" where the insano electronic stores are, along with many Manga shops. We gave the kids money and we split up for lunch and to explore. We went in Yodobashi which is the most insane store I've ever seen. EVERY electronic item you could possible imagine and then some are packed in here. It's like Vegas in there with all the lights. Totally totally totally insane.
For a change of pace we next hit up the Imperial Palace Garden's which were also closed on Monday. We went via a very cool newly restored train station whose name I've forgotten. There was some strange manga cosplay photoshoot happening in the gardens which was very interesting.
Next we walked through the Zojoji temple which is the headquarters of the Japanese Jodo sect of Buddhism. We got there after hours so didn't get to go in, but we enjoyed the grounds. The little jizo statues with red beanines or aprons we learned are to help little babies who have died cross over to the other side (jizo's are helper Buddahs). Kind of sad for something that looks so funny.
We walked by the Tokyo Tower next (It cost a fortune we didn't want to pay to go up. It's like an Orange Eiffel Tower). And then we headed back to Shinjuku to got to Yakitori Alley for dinner. This is one of those meals you never forget. It was SO DELICIOUS. Oh man...unforgettable.
This was our last night in Tokyo. I was surprised by how wonderful Tokyo is. I imagined it as a giant soul-less modern, crowded place. It is modern. It is crowded, but it is also a conglomeration of little neighborhoods with personalities, and shrines and temples, and lovely parks. The other thing about Tokyo is it is so clean!!! For such a giant city I could not believe how clean it was. Bathrooms in train stations? Who would ever use one of those except in the direst of emergencies? Well in Tokyo they are cleaner than your home bathroom. And the food! Oh the food! Also everyone is so polite. No one is loud and obnoxious on the trains. They line up for the trains, so even in rush hour it feels orderly. On one particularly crowded train a woman made a little space for Clara. Everyone was so polite. People come up and ask if you need help. One man, as we were struggling to find our train to Nikko, led us to the TI office so we could get directions. Also it was so easy to get around. All the directions are in English. And the train system is extremely efficient. We had a party of 12 and they went out of their way at every restaurant to accommodate our crowd. Tokyo was not at all what I expected. I loved it so much. Tokyo was never on my bucket list, but it should have been. It was really an incredible place and there is still so much I'd love to go explore there. Also Rob's Japanese was really a big bonus.
