On The Road (figuratively since it’s actually an airplane) Again

 Kon’nichiwa from Japan! 

It was a while in coming and we weren’t really sure it would be real but we made it, skis and all.

Three nights in Tokyo for starters. Long flight, some generalized confusion but we got the skis shipped to Nisekoat the airport and made our way to the Shinjuku Prince Hotel. Shinjuku is supposed to be a lively location with plenty of food and nightlife. We tried to stay awake as long as we could to get over the lag so we wandered a bit. Lots of restaurants and bars within walking distance. A bite to eat, some wandering then to bed, tomorrow is another day!

Good morning, after a pretty good sleep, made it to 7:30, so feeling pretty good. Had a time finding breakfast since things are arranged differently here. The 7/11 can provide but not what we are looking for. We do have a schedule you know, there is a Guru Walk booked this morning so we have to get there.

As an aside, the 7/11 has ATMs. Only 1% service fee, not bad! Since they are everywhere it makes getting cash easy, if we need it. Lots of tap and everyone uses their phones.

The tour is in the Asakusa area of Tokyo, a little closer to the city centre than Shinjuku, about 30 minutes by subway. Wow, the train system is amazing and we found out that Shinjuku station is the largest in the city, and our hotel sits on top of it! Very convenient.

Asakusa area is one of the oldest parts of Tokyo and the oldest Buddhist shrine and the oldest Shinto shrine in Tokyo. The walk was very enlightening but I had no 100 yen coins so could make no wishes or retrieve a good fortune, maybe another day. An interesting tradition they have is the use of amulets, you can purchase one for a specific purpose but they only last one year. At the end of the year you have to return it to the shrine your got it from. They have large receptacles specially for this purpose, and they are busy, but that may be because of the proximity to New Years Day, the Japanese are rather superstitious about New Years probably due to the Shinto tradition.

There are also a lot of shops associated with the Buddhist temple/shrine. In the old days it was a long trip to visit the shrine so people needed food and other amenities when they arrived. A little weird but understandable. And as you would expect, people, lots of people. Luckily we are far enough away from the New Year that it’s not too crowded.

A lot to take in around here, fortunately the weather is fine, sunny and reasonably warm (around 10 C). We walk a lot and sometimes get a little turned around but the subway is everywhere, once you know what station you are at and where you want to go it’s not too difficult to plan a route. We have the App ro pay and we look a little like we know what we are doing. Well, tomorrow is another day, again!