After a long and busy day of travel yesterday, today is all about immersing ourselves in Tokyo. We don't have much time to see all that must be seen so we head straight to the train station in Narita to begin our hour long train trip into the city. During the trip we breakfast on power bars and coffee while reviewing our guide books and discussing all the things we have to pack into our day. Tokyo in only 3 full days is not for the faint of heart. But we have a strategy.
Our first stop today is at the Hama Rikya Garden where we will board a boat for a Sumida River boat tour. We're boarding the boat at the mouth of the river and sailing upstream as far as Asakusa where we will disembark and spend time. For several hundred yen we were told that we could rent ear pieces to listen to translations of what the Japanese tour guide is telling the other passengers. But after reading reviews, we found that it is only descriptions of the 13 bridges that we are passing under and the Tokyo skyline which we can see for ourselves. So we have decided to save the money for later in the day. The boat ride takes about 1.5 hours and is a nice way to get to Asakusa while photographing the Tokyo skyline from the water.
The bridges that we pass under vary in architecture and size but they are all impressive. In all the trip is well worth the $9 we paid for passage. The views of the Tokyo Sky Tree from the water are magnificent. It's a great opportunity to fill a memory card. But be sure if you go to get a window seat near the front. The boats that you might cruise on vary also. Most are enclosed but many have glass roofs to allow photo taking. Also obviously, we are in Japan at the wrong time of year. The time to take this boat trip is in May when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom or during Sakura. Below are some pictures taken from the cruises with the final one being during Sakura. It is breathtaking!
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| The Sky Tree from the water |
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| One of the boats you may take your tour on. |
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| People enjoying Sakura on the river. |
The boats vary from old boats that resemble an American river boat to this crazy looking thing to the left that looks like Captain Nemo from
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea should be at the helm. But all of the boats are intent on the same thing giving the passengers unbelievable views from the water like the one below during Sakura with the Sky Tree in the background.
Once we reach our destination, we disembark and follow the crowds through the markets toward the Sensoji Temple. The temple is one of the top tourist attractions in Tokyo but it will take us a while to get there since we are going through an old world market and that means shopping time! The reviews on Trip Advisor say that there are multitudes of great shops here. But the ones that interest me the most are the ice cream shop and the any places to buy inexpensive hand crafted Japanese paper products (stationary, cards, postcards, etc.) and of course tea. The guide books say that we will only need one to two hours for this portion of our day. But the reality of it is that Jenny and I can spend several hours just browsing through the market. I'm not one for shopping during a vacation. You'd practically have to drag me into a mall or department store. But an outdoor market like this is a whole new ballgame. You might have to drag me out!
As we finally exit the market with numerous shopping bags in hand, we approach the temple and the crowd begins to thin slightly. The Sensoji Temple is the oldest temple in Tokyo. The first temple was built on the sight in 645. It was destroyed by bombs during WWII and rebuilt afterward. It now represents peace and rebirth to the Japanese people. To the right you can see the temple gates coming from the market. After a few hours spent wondering through the market and another hour spent walking around the temple taking photos and just absorbing, we decide to move on
with our day but come back after sunset so that we can take a few night photos of the beautiful temple. The photo below was one that I found while looking for images taken at Sensoji Temple. I was intrigued by it and tried to look up more information. My query took me to the photographers blog. I looked for more information on the posting of prayer blocks in Japan and haven't had time to research it. But I found it interesting.
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| A photo of prayer blocks at Sensoji Temple taken by Anderwaimet and posted on his blog http://temporarilylost.com |
Our final stop of the day before heading back over the Sensoji Temple for night photos will be Shimbashi Endujo for a Kabuki theater experience. Before reading the reviews on Trip Advisor I would have told you that I wouldn't want to spend 3 or 4 hours of my few days in Tokyo sitting in a dark theater for any reason. But now, I'm not so sure. I mean seriously, how many chances am I going to get to see Kabuki in Japan? Right?!!????! So, we'll stand in line and purchase tickets paying a little extra for an ear piece that will give us an English narrative of what is going on. Tickets are available on line. But on the advise of TA reviewers we have decided to get our tickets at the box office. The experience can take as much as 4.5 hours. So at times they offer options of buying a ticket for just a single act or two. You can even decide which act you want to go in for. Apparently most of the action occurs in the final act so it is the best time to be there. Another interesting piece of advise from TA is that you can buy hot food to take in with you. But they warn to be sure and bring your own chop sticks. I'm not sure if it is because they do not supply you with chop sticks or because you wouldn't want to use what they offer. But be advised. We read the TA reviews before making the trip, so we are well supplied with chop sticks in our backpacks. Also the theater contains small coin operated lockers so that you can stow your backpack while enjoying your show. This sounds like it might be a nice place to rest, be entertained and enjoy a meal all at the same time.
Upon leaving Shimbashi Endujo after being sufficiently entertained and filling our bellies, we head back over to the temple where we get our lovely night time photos and then head to the train station to make our way back out to the suburbs for some much needed sleep. Tomorrow is going to be another day packed full of Eastern adventure. So, get a good nights rest!
The bridges that we pass under vary in architecture and size but they are all impressive. In all the trip is well worth the $9 we paid for passage. The views of the Tokyo Sky Tree from the water are magnificent. It's a great opportunity to fill a memory card. But be sure if you go to get a window seat near the front. The boats that you might cruise on vary also. Most are enclosed but many have glass roofs to allow photo taking. Also obviously, we are in Japan at the wrong time of year. The time to take this boat trip is in May when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom or during Sakura. Below are some pictures taken from the cruises with the final one being during Sakura. It is breathtaking!
As we finally exit the market with numerous shopping bags in hand, we approach the temple and the crowd begins to thin slightly. The Sensoji Temple is the oldest temple in Tokyo. The first temple was built on the sight in 645. It was destroyed by bombs during WWII and rebuilt afterward. It now represents peace and rebirth to the Japanese people. To the right you can see the temple gates coming from the market. After a few hours spent wondering through the market and another hour spent walking around the temple taking photos and just absorbing, we decide to move on
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