Tokyo Time!

Yay for Tokyo! So today was the blitz tour of the city. Of course I didn't get to see everything but I did see some of the more major sites. Started off the morning with the train ride up there. Once out of the first stop we went over this bridge to look at a few buildings, one of which is this famous brewery. We didn't go in but I did take pictures of the weird sculpture on top... It has been called many different things but I will refer to it as the giant golden yam... 

So, after the quick stop we headed up this cool little alley filled with street vendors getting ready for the day. For such a big city it still doesn't really wake up until about 9:00 so walking through at 8:30ish most of the stands were still being set up. The main reason we went there was to visit this area outside of Asakusa was at this location a long time ago one of the Japanese Emperors tried to combine the two religions in the county (Shintoism and Buddhism) by putting a Buddhist temple and a Shinto shrine on the same piece of land. Culture and history aside this place was really cool and was my first touch of "old" Japan. Here are some photos of the giant yam and the shrine/temple.

After that trip we headed to the gardens near Ueno. Only the plum trees are in bloom so when the cherry trees start this is a place I am sure going to be returning to. This time the place was fairly desolate. 

After this we made the trip to the royal palace. Like Ueno things are still kind of dormant so only the evergreen trees are there but I did get some good photos of the palace exterior. They wouldn't let me in though :,( 

From there we caught the subway to Roppongi Hills which is one of the better high points in Tokyo. Nice area with some neat architecture, actually now that I mention it most of the buildings here are really neat. If they don't carry some unique design to the shape some are kept so clean that they reflect other buildings around them. Makes for some great sights and fun photos.

Roppongi left us a little hungry so my supervisor (who I have been doing most of my traveling with) and I went to the Hardrock Cafe in Tokyo. First time ever in a Hardrock and kind of funny it was in another country. One main reason we went was for the 15% off for showing our military IDs.

The last stop we made was Shibuya. It has been claimed as the busiest crosswalk in the world and I believe it. You have to see the photos. Once the cars stopped and the little crosswalk man turned to green it was like someone let class out of high school on a friday with the sun out. I mean there was hundreds of people crossing all at the same time in all directions. Then just like they appeared everyone cleared the area and the cars moved again. Of course though being the busiest intersection everything around there is busy too. Including the worlds busiest Starbucks! Yep, had to get a drink from there. The place was about the side of a shoe closet but man were they quick. I think in the five minuets I was there I must have made 20+ orders. I added in a few photos and also a shot of the guy in charge of making sure everyone got their drink. He wasn't a happy camper but I did get what I ordered in close to the fastest I ever have when ordering a fancy coffee. 

After our coffee we were both very spent. We took a few subways to get to the express train home. It took about 20 to 30 min to ride the express back and I think I fell asleep at least once. After a little rest we went out for probably the most traditional Japanese meal I have had while here. They even had me remove my shoes before entering the restaurant. Oh, and have I mentioned that the food here is absolutely amazing? Well tonight topped it all off again, as if I needed any reminder to the fact. 

So now with the day over I am off to bed. Lots of little things fit into today also, and as I remember them I am sure to share. Enjoy the photos, I added a few to my older galleries, including some new ones in the "Random" file. Including my first sight of graffiti, a sick looking packman bad guy.