Konnichiwa Japan

At long last, Lisa and I made it to  Japan!!  It was a 13.5 hour flight from Chicago to Tokyo. This was the longest flight either of us have had to date.  ANA Airlines treated us well with a care package of slippers, eye mask ear plugs, toothbrush and noise canceling headphones all of which were well used and much appreciated. We were able to watch 3 movies on the flight and had 2 proper meals with real silverware!

Not surprisingly, after arriving in the early afternoon Tokyo time, we hit the ground running to explore and keep ourselves awake until bedtime.  This was easy to do as there was so much to see and do.  We navigated our first of many subway trips and by “we” I mean Lisa.  She is a navigation pro!  We checked a few items off our ‘to see’ list such as the 3-D cat billboard, Godzilla head on a building, dining in Memory Lane, walking through Golden Gai area a locale with 280 bars. We also went to an observation deck that had great views of the City.

Our next several days were filled with much walking, exploring, eating and adventure.  Some of the many places we saw included:

The Imperial Palace

It is the residence of Japan’s Imperial Family. It was built in the 1600’s and is surrounded by a large moat.

Tsukiji Fish Market

Here we saw an incredible variety of sea creatures for purchase.   Some items you purchase to prepare later and others you eat at the vendors area.  We saw a young man eating mini octopuses on a skewer which we had to take a picture of! We also ate delicious scallops prepared with a small grill and blow torch.

Note:  we tried dried squid which we were not fans of.  We also tried matcha ice cream of which I shan’t try again.

Temples and Shrines

• Sensoji Temple. This is the oldest and most significant Buddhist temple in Tokyo.  It has an impressive 5 story pagoda and many other beautiful structures and ponds with large koi. It’s beyond picturesque. Many visitors rent kimonos and walk around the temple and nearby shopping area.  Lots of fun photo ops for folks.

• Meiji Jingu Shrine.  This is a very important Shinto shrine in the heart of Tokyo. It is surrounded by forest and is quite lovely.

We also saw the Shibuya Crossing which is said to be the busy pedestrian intersection in world.  It has 5 crossings and was intense.  It was fun to watch people crossing from a nearby tower.

Team Labs

• We did two immersive and interactive experiences at Team Labs Borderless & Tram Labs Planets.  Both were awesome yet very different.  Some of the super unique photos were taken there.

Sumo Wrestling Show

Another notable highlight was attending a Sumo wrestling dinner show.  We enjoyed a traditional hotpot dinner and an incredible show.  We learned some things and laughed a ton!

Step counts are coming in around 16,000+ a day.