Sightseeing in Tokyo from the river to the sky

Today was our first full day in Tokyo, and like all our days, it was busy. We slept in a bit thanks to some incredibly effective blackout curtains. We grabbed breakfast at a Japanese/French bakery (yummy), then took the subway to our first stop, the Tokyo National Museum. It was the end of rush hour, so the subway was packed when we got on but pretty manageable with just my backpack and no luggage. After a few stops, most of the passengers got off, so we had seats for most of the ride. The walk from the subway station to the Museum was through a nice park, which was being prepared for some upcoming festival. We also saw groups of preschool/kindergarten kids heading to the Tokyo zoo. Each group of kids had matching hats. Very cute. It made us think of Penelope, though.

At the Tokyo National Museum, we visited the exhibit called "Highlights of Japanese Art," which covered art from the medieval times to recent history. It was a great overview of Japanese art and some history, and featured some incredible pieces. We also checked out the garden there, which ended up being not as nice as some we saw in Kyoto.

After the museum, we walked to Senso-ji Temple. It was a really nice temple in the middle of the city, and featured some enormous red lanterns. There were also nice views of the Tokyo Skytree, Japan's tallest structure. The temple forms the heart of a commercial/tourist district, so we bought some souvenirs for folks back home. We picked up a cute kimono pajama set for Penelope, and some snacks for ourselves. We then had lunch at a ramen place that we happened upon. Mmm, that was some good ramen, and a perfect lunch for a cold day.

By this point, we were close to the river that runs through Tokyo, so we decided to take a river cruise to the Ginza neighborhood. The boat passed under many old bridges, and we had nice views of the city and flood control gates (which we found fascinating). The boat dropped us off at Hamarikyu gardens. This was one of the nicest gardens/parks that we have been to in Japan, and it was nice and big and wide open. It reminded us a lot of Central Park, with a great green space surrounded by tall skyscrapers and urban jungle. It was very refreshing (but not free to enter).

After our stroll through the gardens, we took the subway back to our hotel. We enjoyed some much needed rest and relaxation, then walked to nearby Mori Tower to watch the sunset over Tokyo from the 52nd story observation deck. As in Kyoto, I brought my tripod and found that I was one of many photographers setting up tripods to take photos of the city at night. Reflections on the windows were a bit of a problem, but I think I got some good photos. And I got to play with my new tripod with a panorama head some more (thanks Katie for being so patient).

Our tickets to the observation deck included admission to the Mori Art Museum on the same floor, so we decided to check it out. The museum was showing a huge exhibit of just one artist, a famous Japanese artist whose name escapes me (note: it was Aida Makoto. Thanks Internet.) Anyway, his work was amazing, and it was a great unexpected addition to our day.

To end the day, we headed to dinner at a highly recommended (by the Internet) sushi restaurant nearby. It had a 50/50 Japanese/western clientele, and clearly catered to the western business traveler set. We opted for the sushi/sashimi set menu, and in a word, it was amazing. It probably ruined all US sushi for me, because it was so much better. The tuna, in particular, was incredible. No wonder the Japanese are overfishing the tuna here. Anyway, it was probably the best sushi/sashimi I will ever have unless I come back here. Mmmm, amazing.

On our walk back to the hotel, we picked up breakfast for tomorrow. Another full day awaits us, then it is time to head home. We have had a great time so far, and Tokyo seems like a great way to end. It reminds me a lot New york, but with even more urban sprawl. And with subway stations containing supermarkets and high-end shopping. Crazy, but fun.