Tokyo is the capital of Japan and was formerly known as Edo. Like Yokohama, it is an old city, but looks modern now as it has had to rebuild after the earthquake and WWII damage.
The iconic Mt. Fuji peaking out from the buildings, as seen from our ship in the morning before the fog covers it. This was the first and last time we were able to see it.
We took a bus from the pier in Yokohama to Tokyo on a ship’s excursion. It is 35 miles east of Yokohama, and without traffic, takes about an hour by bus or car – faster by subway or train. On the way, we drove over the Yokohama Bay Bridge which connects Yokohama to Kawasaki, the largest factory city in Japan. One million people work there where there are 30,000 small companies.
The average commuter time for Tokyo (if going by train or subway) is one hour and 10 minutes. 30 million people live in the Tokyo area and during the day, there are 18 million commuters working there. They have “push men” whose job it is to literally push people into the subway or train cars to get everyone in. They wear white glove to do it!
We passed the domestic airport in Tokyo – the 2nd busiest in all of Asia. 180,000 people use it daily. They have an international one abut 45 miles outside Tokyo, but are soon adding some international flights at the domestic airport.
What we didn’t realize until this bus trip was that going from Yokohama, through Kawasaki, and into Tokyo, is all just one huge city – or at least that is how it appeared. Without a guide, we would not have known where one started and ended!
Most residents of Tokyo live in apartments – 60% rent, 40% buy. An older 700 square foot apartment costs about $500,000 (USA money) and a newer one $700,000. It gets more expensive as you move closer to the city center. To be able to buy a home, workers average 12 hour work days.
Our first stop was the Imperial Palace area. This is considered the center of the city with everything building out from it. This is the major park/green area in the middle of downtown Tokyo amidst skyscrapers all around it. It consists of 284 acres including the partially ruined former Shogun’s castle, the Imperial Palace where the Emperor and his wife currently live, and the lovely gardens and grounds around it.
We only saw the Imperial Palace Plaza which is partly a park with beautiful black pines in it. These pines look like large Bonsai trees in the way they are trimmed and manicured. But they are pines in the ground, while Bonsai are grown on a plate or dish. 
The Shogun’s castle and the famous Nijubashi bridge in front.
The actual Imperial Palace is behind the trees and can’t be seen. There are only two times a year when the public can go into the Palace – New Years and the Emperor’s birthday.
As we left this area, we saw the statue of the only Samurai warrior who fought for the Emperor – most fought for the Shogun. His name was Kusunoki Masashige.
Our next stop was the area known as Asakusa. This is a neighborhood of more tradition with smaller buildings and small family owned businesses. It is also where Tokyo’s oldest and most revered shrine is – the Senso-ji or Kannon Temple. There were many people visiting here and began with the purification process of water and smoke. After that you go up the stairs to see the Buddhist shrine.
Next to that is a five story pagoda where the Buddha’s ashes are supposed to be buried. You are not allowed to go inside.
The neighborhood around this area is festive with stalls along Nakamise Street which sell souvenirs and snacks. At the entrance to this street is the landmark Kaminari-mon (“thunder gate”) known for its red lantern inscribed with its name.
Looking back at the entrance gate having come through it. Paper lanterns hang along the street.
There are also two “shoes” that were supposed to belong to Buddha (they look like they are made of straw.)
We had about an hour to stroll down this area and do some shopping. We found an old abacus and an old jar that we were told was used for sake. It was a beautiful day, so it was fun to just be walking around.
Next was lunch on the 36th floor of the Ana Intercontinental Hotel. It was on ok lunch buffet, but very crowded. But we did have a wonderful view of part of the city. We also sampled Kobe beef (pretty darned good!) and Sakura sorbet (cherry blossom) which was very good. We had time to walk around the courtyard in the hotel after lunch where they had a beautiful water feature and a very unusual way of displaying flowers which we hope to try back in Sarasota (on a smaller scale!)
Our last stop was the Ginza shopping area which would compare to Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills with all the upscale shopping. We were looking for a Bento box (which is like lunchbox for the Japanese) which we found in a department store. We also bought an Iphone case for Brittany at the Apple Store. It was a great store with 4 levels. The glass elevator worked automatically and stopped on each floor. We were excited to buy a Japanese case that can only be purchased in Japan – with its cartoon figures on it. She will be the only one in Springfield with one like that!
On the way back to the port, our guide shared some other information. Most women are housewives after they marry and run the home. Pay day is the 25th of every month. On that day, the women line up in front of the bank and collect their husbands paychecks. They then give their husbands the pocket money they will need for that month and use the rest to pay the bills, etc. 40% of Japanese men smoke, so some of their pocket money goes for cigarettes! [Only 10% of women smoke.]
She also showed us a picture of a typical wedding outfit worn by the Shinto bride and groom. The bride wears a special hat so that it covers her “horns” on this one day. That means on her wedding day, she has to be more quiet and patient.
Japanese people really like electronics, video games and animation (adults as much as children). You can see more comics being read on the commutes than books. They have a whole area dedicated to these items called the Akihavara area, and it has department stores that only sell electronics.
The Tokyo tower (which used to be the tallest building) is now being replaced with a newer one that is near completion. It is intended to be the highest in Japan.
They are also designing a new bullet train (called Shinkansen) that will exceed the current 200 plus mph to 300 mph.
We had a good day seeing this large city and are glad to have seen it. We came to the conclusion that we prefer the smaller cities we have seen in Japan so far (like Kagashima and Kyoto.)
We had dinner with our regular table tonight and had good conversations about Japan and all that each of us had seen and done. After that, Doug downloaded computer stuff since we were back in open sea and I went to see the movie, Snow Falling on Cedars, about a Japanese-American family and the prejudice that took place in the USA during WWII. I had a hard time trying to read the book (never finished it!) but enjoyed the movie.
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