Here we are on Day 7 of our Asia trip -- May 14, 2024.
Today started with a final laundry and repack. Our hotel the Mimaru Tokyo Station East has laundry facilities allowing us to wash ($3 including detergent already) and dry clothes $1 for every 20 minutes).This is so convenient. I am not the type to like packing dirty clothes into my suitcase. I do it when I need to, but will always wash whatever dirty clothes I have before packing if there is laundry available.
We are shipping our 2 large suitcases onto our next hotel in Kyoto, the Mimaru Suites Kyoto Shijo. This will make traveling on the Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo to Kyoto much easier as we don't have to haul all the luggage around with us. The Shinkansen luggage rules changed last year in May and any luggage sized 161-250 cm total linear dimension and need to have a reserved spot. That is a large size and all or most luggage allowed on planes need to be no larger than 160 cm linear dimension, so really we can take our luggage on the train. However the real and main reason we are making the arrangements to transport our luggage directly to our hotel in Kyoto is for ease and convenience. No lugging around of heavy luggage up and down staircases and platforms, etc. After 6 wonderful days here -- full of walking and traversing platforms and concourses the last thing we want to do is do it with luggage. So we are shipping them direct. A lot of tourists do that here. In fact when we dropped off our luggage at the front desk yesterday, there were several already there.
I have been on the Shinkansen once before....many, many years ago when I was just a kid. I think this was in 1972. We didn't move to Canada till 1974. I was traveling with my mom and my 2 brothers on a cross country tour of the U.S. and our last stop before going home to Manila was Japan and my dad surprised us when we got to our hotel because there he was!!! We didn't know he planned to surprise us by being there. We spent our last 2 nights/3 days with him with us.
We are all travelling together on the train today from Tokyo to Kyoto. This photo below shows all of us that are here in Japan. Aside from my kids and granddaughter, my sister and her husband as well as their 2 boys and their entire families are here as well. This has made our trip even more fun and memorable.
The trip on the Shinkansen will take about 2 hours and I will blog about that tomorrow on Day 8 after we make the journey.
Today we visited Tsukiji and Shinjuku.
Tsukiji
Tsukiji is synonymous with fish market. When you say Tsukiji, people automatically will say, "you have to go to the fish market". But there are lots of other wonderful things to see and do here.
Tsukiji is located along the Sumida River. It lies on reclaimed land from Tokyo Bay.
The fish market can get very busy and crowded, so patience will be required, lol! It is an experience and a must do when in Tsukiji. Here you can taste fish fresh from the sea, caught just that morning and into your belly before noon. Really a one of a kind experience. You can also learn how to cut fish by watching the vendors expertly handle their knives as they effortlessly cut the freshly caught fish.
We tried some eel.
And of course some freshly caught tuna.
We also visited the Tsukiji Hongwanji Buddhist Temple. This temple is a remarkable fusion of Asian styles. Its architecture is amazing!
Though it is a temple with 17th-century roots, the building itself is very Hindu in style, while also having a pipe organ and stained glass windows. When you enter the temple, you'll see lots of conventional Japanese ornamentation which is so beautiful.
It's really hard to describe the calmness and peace one feels when inside these temples. You have to be there to appreciate it. I made a silent prayer for continued safety for the rest of our vacation and for the trip home, as well as a prayer for loved ones and friends in my life who I know needed some good wishes and prayer.
Shinjuku
After Tsujiki, we made our way to Shinjuku. This is a buzzing place, open around the clock. Here you will find a sprawling area of towering sky scrapers, wide shopping streets and countless cafes, bars and restaurants. Need some high end retail therapy? You'll find it all here! The floors of the Isetan, Odakyu and Takashimaya department stores are packed full of designer wear and their basement floors overflow with sumptuous edible fare.
Spend an afternoon browsing the shops and if you are hunting for something high tech, visit the area west of the station where electronics megastores display all the latest gizmos and gadgets. At dusk, Shinjuku is transformed into a futuristic city of neon with endless opportunities for nighttime entertainment. Get a seat in one of the countless bars and restaurants and join locals and tourists enjoying a meal and a drink. Find a place at the top of one of the many buildings and have spectacular views over the city while you dine. Alternatively, head to the streets of Kabukicho, Shinjuku's entertainment district where tiny wooden bars are quite literally piled on top of each other and spend a night bar-hopping.
For our visit we decided we wanted to spend it outdoors and we went to the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. This sprawling green space combines 3 types of Japanese gardens: Formal, traditional and landscape. Our visit to the gardens was off season, so the rose garden had not bloomed yet and we are about 2 weeks early for Cherry Blossom time, but we did enjoy the visit still and the walk around the gardens was well needed exercise to burn off all the rice and noodles we had been eating!
The more I visit these tourist spots in Japan, the more I fall in love with this country.
Tomorrow we leave Tokyo to travel to Kyoto on the Shinkansen. I don't want to go, but I am also excited to see Kyoto. One thing is for certain, I will be returning to Tokyo. There are still so many things I want to do here and so many places I want to visit.
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