10/04/18 Tokyo is surprisingly not as busy as I imagined. At least not in the centre where my capsule hotel is located, close to the fancy boutiques. I was expecting a lot of traffic, streets so busy you can’t cross without bumping into people. I saw homeless people for the first time in Japan. I guess Tokyo is no different to any other big city in the world. As promised to Pascal, I visited Shibuya and took a picture on Hachiko square, where a statue of Hachiko, a famous dog, is attracting tourists. Loyal Hachiko was waiting every day at the train station for his master to come back from work. One day, his master died and never came back to the station but the dog kept coming every day at the same time hoping to meet his master. There is even a movie about it with Richard Gere. On my way back, I found a big food court area where I bought yummy dumplings for lunch and dinner (little thought for Morgane who loves them ?).
11/04/18 I arrived at the address I had for a pancake restaurant, but it seems like it did not exist anymore, so I stopped by a ‘french’ bakery instead for breakfast. They have a picture of Jean Francois Lemercier, a french baker on the wall to prove the recipes they use are legit. The pastries taste authentic, so I assume it is true. I explored Shinjuku area before getting groceries and going back to the hostel. I took a trip to the hostel where I sent my small suitcase as I didn’t hear from them since I sent it, and they confirmed the suitcase was still there waiting for me. I also extented my stay there as I realised my bookings did not cover the last 3 days of April, I probably kept it free in case I wanted to book a multi-day trip.
12/04/18 i want to take pics of Mt Fuji today as it is sunny so I went to the station to get a highway bus to Kawaguchiko lake. The first bus was full so I had to wait until 12.20, so I went to the info centre to grab a few brochures to check what I can do in the next few days.
The bus trip offered a good scenery as the area around Mt Fuji is very green and very hilly.
I arrived in Kawaguchiko around 2.40pm. I caught the first train to the pagoda area, to get a few nice pics from Mt Fuji. You have to climb about 400 steps to get up there, but the view is really worth it! I was lucky as they were not too many people when I arrived, more people arrived after me. Again, I was expecting so much more crowd in a famous spot like this one!
13/04/18 I woke up too late to go to Nagano, and I booked a drum session for next Tuesday so my only options are free activities for a few days. Today I go to the imperial palace, where they only let 300 visitors in twice a day. The site is massive, surrounded by trees and the typical stone brick wall. A lot of guards in uniform ensure no one gets in. They have mini cabins with a chair and a phone, it feels a bit like a military site. A few black motorbikes with side cars get out, a few important black cars get in. I am not sure whether they are cops or some sort of diplomatic delegation. For sure important things happen here.
So to get inside the palace property, you first need to queue to get a numbered ticket. Then an hour later, you queue again to get a numbered badge around your neck. The staff then checks your ID or passport. They let people in in waves. They offer a free app to guide you through the palace. Once inside, the screen the bags, then ask you to fill in a form with personal details and passport number before sitting and watching a little movie about the palace before taking us on the guided walking tour for about 1h. Unfortunately, we can’t get inside any building, but the free app tells me what I need to know about each of them. Reception halls, signature room for political decisions, guest rooms to welcome foreign state representatives, private quarters for the emperor and his wife… Multiple generations owned the imperial palace and some buildings had to be rebuilt due to world war 2 bombings. Located in the heart of the city, it is nicely contrasting with the modern skyscrapers.
In the evening, I chased the night lights and stopped first by the Shiodome city centre tower. There are a few nice bar/restaurants with a view on the city 42 levels above the ground. Instead of paying ¥1000 for the skytree tower, that many tourists visit, I ordered a nice dessert wine in one of the Shiodome restaurants. Then I took the metro to get to the observation deck of a government building, which stays open until 11pm and provides a great view as well on the 45th level for free. The last stop before going back to the hostel is the Hyatt hotel park, where Scarlett Johansson met Bill Murray in the movie Lost in Translation. The view from the bar on level 52 is also breathtaking! P&P would love the place.
