Day 4: "Swiper no swiping!"
'That bike. That stupid bike!' I woke up this morning thinking only of the bike I couldn't lock because the key bounced out of the basket as I bobbed and weaved back to the train station at a speed approaching sound. The bike that went missing. Matt and Chelsae's bike. Perhaps somebody just moved it. An entirely possible idea considering our current geographical location. Had we been in the U.S. under the same circumstances, I wouldn't doubt the 'theft angle' for a second. But we are in Japan, people don't steal stuff here....right? Alas, an early morning search with my father confirmed that someone stole my bike in cold blood. Jerks.
The main agenda for the rest of the day was simple: R and then some R. Louis caught up on his Japanese TV while the rest of us spent our day chatting, drinking tea and coffee, and some shopping at a nearby mall. We did venture out in the evening for some okonomiyaki at our favorite restaurant in Tsukuba.
Patiently waiting for our food to finish cooking in front of us.
Day 5: Waterworld
Usually when we go to Tokyo for sightseeing, we stick to more land themed events. However, today we decided to go with a more aquatic approach. A major bonus to catching the early train with guests is the insanity of commuter rush hour. Katie and I get some sort of twisted pleasure watching our visitors wiggle uncomfortably as their precious personal space gets invaded by countless commuters.
Consider your personal space 86'ed.
After we had experienced the jammed packed trains that Tokyo has to offer we got off at Asakusa for the Tokyo bay cruise. We arrived early and had a photo shoot with the Flamme d'or.
Monster tongue!
We finally got on our boat and went through the canals of Tokyo Bay for about 45 minutes. It was an eye opening experience for us because Tokyo is so huge that you can easily forget how much of a port city it truly is.
45 minute cruise condensed into 10 seconds. Don't blink.
The ride dropped us off at the Hamarikyu Gardens. We quickly walked through this garden because the list of things to see today was long and the time kept ticking away. Of course, we made time to play around a little.
Hmmm...for some reason my backpack got (only slightly) heavier.
What makes an area like this especially beautiful are not only the gardens themselves, but also the urban landscape surrounding the park. After exciting the park we b-lined it for the Tsukiji fish market.
The Tsukiji market is the world's biggest wholesale fish and seafood market! I have been wanting to go to this place since I first heard about it back in April. This is no "Pikes fish market" like you have seen in Sleepless in Seattle, this is the real deal. The workers are there to sell seafood, not entertain you. In fact, tourists are warned again and again to watch their surroundings and to be careful when taking pictures. One miss step and you could be hit by a truck. One poorly timed flash could lead to a man cutting off his hand. Seriously, it was one of the most chaotic places I've ever been. The whole time we all kept saying:
"Ummm...we shouldn't be here. These guys can't work with us getting in their way."
It was like being the third wheel on a date between the fishermen and the store owners. Awkwardness all around. All things considered, it was still cool just to have been there.
Upper left: Sign warning against flash photography. Upper right: A fish head larger than my head. Bottom: Photos displaying all manner of seafood.
Fresh from seeing an endless array of mutilated sea creatures, we decided to go back to the station and get on the Yurikamome line. We were going from Shibaura Pier over the Tokyo famous Rainbow Bridge to the artificial Island of Odaiba. Odaiba, a place we had never been before, was originally built in the 50's for naval defense, but in the 90's it got commercialized. Now it has several entertaining attractions including...
A 1/4 replica of the Statue of Liberty (built in 1998, the French year in Japan) with the Rainbow Bridge in the background! Whaa?!
Another of the many attractions is the Daikanransha Ferris Wheel. This big baby is 377 ft tall, which made it the world's tallest ferris wheel in 1999...for a couple months. London's Eye took over the title in December of '99. Either way, it was tall enough for us. What's more, you can ride in a completely clear basket. Kate instantly compared it to the Willy Wonka glass elevator.
Mary looking taking in the view on our way down from the top of the Daikanransha. Sadly it was a misty day and we could not get the views that we would have been able to on a clear day.
With our feet back on terra firma, we were on the move again as our day was starting to come to a close. One of the last stops was the Imperial Palace. We were visiting the Palace only one day before the chaos of December 23rd, the Emperors birthday. On this day, the palace grounds are opened up and visitors can walk throughout the grounds. A privilege given only to a select few during the rest of the year. We could see the signs of the preparation for the big day (i.e. port-a-potties, food vendor tables, and rope lines).
We got our group picture taken in front for the royal moat and the glimpse of the place's corner.
After the Palace, we had one last stop in Tokyo: Akihabara. This is the beating heart of Japan's anime/manga/gaming culture. Here we let Louis (drooling from excitement) wander around for 2 unsupervised hours while we took refuge in a English pub for adult beverages. It was a dream come true for this 17 year old boy.
It was finally time for us to head to our hotel next to DISNEYLAND! 30 minutes passed by on the train when my body started to have a very distinct rise in temperature (its like my version of 'spidey senses'). I glanced over at Kate who also had a look of concern. We have learned to trust our instinct in these situations. Luckily, we were quick to figure out that we had to switch trains to get to Disneyland. We arrived at Disneyland just in time for the firework show and checked in to our Disney-themed hotel shortly after.
The following day dad and Louis experienced the vision of Walt Disney first hand! Check back soon.
-Seth
February 5, 2011 at 9:06 AM
You guys seem like you are having a good time! We love reading your blog--much entertaining!
February 5, 2011 at 5:55 PM
What a great read. I am waiting for the post when you tell us that you won 500,000 Yen playing Pachinco.
February 5, 2011 at 11:05 PM
Thanks guys. I really appreciate the positive comments. Jonce, I have a sneaking suspicion that Leon will want to play a lot of Pachinko. So, I might hit the big one when he is here.