Tokyo, Take Two
Even though we were outside of climbing season, we decided to spend a few days in one of the small towns at the base of Fuji-San (Mt Fuji). Kawaguchiko is a small town next to a lake, so we decided to relax and see what we could see before heading back Tokyo. We didn’t have very good luck with the weather and didn’t even get to see the mountain, which was shrouded in fog the entire time we were there. We did get a chance to walk around the lake, go to a Japanese pub (no stools here, only seats on the floor) and outline our month in China.
On our return to Tokyo we were greeted by sunshine! We snapped a few pictures on the way to the hostel just in case we didn’t see it again. We weren’t exactly sure what we were taking pictures of at the time, but everybody including locals were snapping pictures of two interesting things. We later learned that one of them is the Asahi Beer Building and the other is the new TV tower, a work in progress. The tower will be the tallest structure in Tokyo when it is finished. The same evening we were treated to a smörgÃ¥sbord of Japanese treats when we met some of Elaine’s Japanese co-workers for dinner. Thanks Etsuko and Eriko!
During our last full day in Japan we raced around the city maximizing our JR Rail pass. We strolled through Ueno Park and the Tokyo National Museum, and found yet another Imperial Palace, the current Emperor lives in this one. We got a bird’s eye view of Tokyo from the observation deck at the Tokyo Government Office, but still unable to see Fuji in the distance. Harajuku was the next stop. Here is where the trendy, hipster crowd hangs out, lots of energy there! We finally got our hands on the new iPad, well new outside of the US. The day ended in Shibuya. Heather had to find the famous Hachi dog statue which is positioned next to the iconic Tokyo street crossing. And guess where you have to go to get the best view of the crossing action? Starbucks! We want to know who sold out.
With a 7pm departure, we had almost a whole day to explore the area around our hostel. Asakusa is packed with things to see and do. Senso-ji, a temple, is the main attraction and was crawling with more school groups. The area around it has lots of shops from super cheesy souvenirs to really fancy tea sets and samurai swords. As we were strolling down a more local street that mostly sells fabric, a kind older gentleman started talking to us and wanted to repay Americans for the kindness he received over fifty years ago in the states. He took us to the closest little cafe and we chatted and had some beer. He was trained in Oklahoma by the FAA to be an air traffic controller after WWII. He had also spent time in San Francisco and Bakersfield, CA. He translated the news to us that the Prime Minister of Japan was resigning that day. After an hour he looked at his watch and said, “thanks for your time, you can be on your way”. He also thanked us for trusting him instead of assuming it was a scam. A thought that had crossed our minds.
Between our chance encounter and our last meal at Sushi-Go-Round, we couldn’t have asked for a better way to finish off Japan. The Narita airport had a little more hustle and bustle this time, probably due to the fact that Delta’s computers weren’t working so they couldn’t check-in people or luggage for about 30 minutes. On the plane we had a small slice of Americana, with a mid-western sounding flight crew, Land’O’Lakes butter, California wine, and USA Today as we traveled over Korea en route to Beijing.