It wasn't as busy as usual since we were there around 10:30 a.m. and the businesses don't open until 11 a.m. - something we missed when we planned our day.
The Japanese are still into masks
Interesting items on Mickey D's menu
With no shopping open, we called an Uber and made our way to Tokyo Station. Yes, we could have taken a train, but we have had our fill of trains and the Ubers have been terrific and comfy. We have ridden mainly in Toyota Alphards with incredible legroom, even for us long-legged folks 5'10" and up.
On the drive, we spotted the first graffiti we saw in Tokyo. We have been impressed with how clean the city is, so this was a surprise.
We heard that the shopping at Tokyo Station was worth seeing, so that was our mission. We arrived and took a quick look around.
We went underground and walked around the underground food selection.
So many choices
We picked up a couple of small snacks - a creamy, breaded crab roll and a fried potato snack, and went back outside to eat and get our plan together. The flakey coating on our snacks crumbled and fell as we ate, prompting a visit from this guy.
A Eurasian tree sparrow
Arlona shook out the rest of the crumbs
The proximity of our legs didn't faze it one bit
Nom nom nom
We saw several of these noiseless wind turbines spinning away, generating electricity
We decided to tour the 13 floors of the Daimaru department store adjacent to the station. They had an amazing selection of clothing, furniture, jewelry, watches, and more. Quite the destination to shop.
We made the requisite restroom stop where Arlona was again entertained by the toilet tech.
I thought this was neat - a rental battery pack to top off your cell phone. They cost about $1.10 US.
Next up was a short stroll to the Ginza District - Tokyo's version of Rodeo Drive.
An impressive sculpture in front of the Tokyo Midtown Yaesu mall
A pair of mirrored rocks you can walk between
Police museum
Chanel, Tiffany, Coach, Hublot, Louis Vuitton - they have it all
Checking the time in front of the Bvlgari building on by Bvlgari watch
The Seiko Clock
Oh no! Godzilla!
Me, enjoying our final Uber ride back to the Viking Orion
We grabbed a quick pool grill lunch and tossed in a load of laundry. We have all port days for a while so we took advantage of the time.
This is the end of Tokyo - at least for us on this trip.
We hit up the Explorers' Bar before dinner and then enjoyed a lovely, albeit long dinner at Manfredi's. We were seated at 6:30 and wrapped up the meal at 8:45. They really need to speed up the massive lull between courses. That being said, the meal was fabulous.
Thursday morning through Friday early afternoon, we will be docked in Shimizu, Japan. Tomorrow, we venture to Mt. Fuji.
2023 Alaska, Asia, Australia, Arabian Peninsula Trip Day 24/105 - Tokyo, Japan - Farewell and hello
Today is a busy day for Viking. This marks the end of the Vancouver-->Tokyo cruise and the beginning of the Tokyo-->Hong Kong cruise. Lots of folks disembarking and many more embarking. Rooms to clean, supplies to load and distribute - the entire drill needed to turn a ship around. We needed fuel, so a bunkering vessel came alongside to deliver the go-juice.
We dealt with it all by leaving and going to the Tsukiji Outer Market - a fish and food market.
We shared an Uber with our friend, Betsy, and headed out. On the way, we drove over the much-celebrated Rainbow Bridge. I think I forgot to mention yesterday that this was also a highlight of the tour yesterday. To describe the experience - imagine driving over a bridge, any bridge. Got it? That's what it is like going over the Rainbow Bridge. It is a suspension bridge. Whoopie.
The place was bustling with end-to-end people.
It was fun to see all the unusual, at least to us, foods that are commonplace here.
Right across the street is modern, sparkling, Tokyo
The market has a life of its own
Mouthwatering
We saw several vendors using propane torches to cook meals
Waygu beef was all over
Next up, we wandered over to one of the many shrines that dot Tokyo, the Namiyoke Shrine.
A shrine within the shrine
Arlona liked these laughing figures
The weather was absolutely beautiful today with blue skies and warm temperatures. We decided to take advantage of the weather and head to the Tokyo Tower.
The Tokyo Tower was built in 1958. It stands 333 meters (1093 feet) tall and was designed to serve as a symbol of Tokyo's rebirth after World War II. It was the tallest tower in the world for a time, even taller than the Eiffel Tower that it was modeled after.
We rode the elevator to the main deck and took in the views.
Arlona used the restroom and came back with these photos. Pretty amazing tech for a public restroom.
A dual-flush toilet with a multi-stream bidet and privacy music to mask your own "music"
Toilet seat cleaner was available - with instructions for use
The sink had an automatic soap dispenser (left), automatic faucet (right), and automatic dryer (front of the sink)
Even the Tokyo Tower has a shrine
Next up was the elevator to the top observation deck.
Our Viking Orion
A robot showed us the way down
Back on the lower platform, we found several downward-facing windows
Me, at the elevator door, being a rebel
The inspiration for SNL's Coneheads?
We had enough and headed back to the ship. As we approached the gangway, who did we see? Our neighbors and friends, Jon & Margo are joining us for the Tokyo to Hong Kong, and Hong Kong to Bangkok segments of this journey. We showed them around the ship and eventually wound up in the Explorers’ Bar for a pre-dinner celebratory cocktail or two.
They had a few long days between traveling to Tokyo and acclimating to this time, so after a nice dinner in the World Café, we all headed back to the staterooms. We’re still trying to decide what to see tomorrow, so stay tuned tomorrow to see what adventures the day will hold.
