Click on the galleries below to bring up scrollable windows with full size pictures – the gallery previews may show just thumbnails of the pictures. By the way, the pictures look much better on a tablet or a computer than they do on your phone. Just saying.
A busy, busy day. Last breakfast on the ship. By 9:30 we were off the Orion and on an all day bus tour of Tokyo. Our bags went directly to the hotel. Orion will continue on its 92-day Grand Pacific Cruise to more of Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Viet Nam, Australia, and New Zealand. 92 days on ship would be WAY too much.
To start, here are some random shots from during the day, mostly from the bus tour, including one of the National Stadium and one of the Tokyo Sky Tree.
First stop on the tour was the Meiji Jingu Shrine. Shrines are Shinto. Temples are Buddhist. Buddhist comes later today. We had a long walk around and took lots of pictures (including the last two looking inside the main building which was clearly labelled “no cameras”, but I didn’t see the sign. I was not arrested.)
Then it was off to lunch at Happo-En Garden. What a beautiful site! Lots of functions are held here including a wedding today. And they have a beautiful Japanese Garden. Lunch was excellent – a beautiful Bento Box selection. They provide a fork for Americans who can’t use chopsticks. I’ve been practicing chopsticks and managed the whole meal without using the fork. Only one person at our table for eight used the fork.
Then it was a return visit to the gates of the Imperial Palace. We did that yesterday, so we stayed near the bus and sucked down another gold leaf ice cream cone.
Next stop was the Buddhist Sensō-ji Temple. Tokyo has 14 million people. I think 10 million of them were at the temple site. Lots of women dressed up in kimonos. You can rent a kimono for the day – about $30. Lots of kids. Lots of tour groups. Rickshaw rides. Frankly, it was a madhouse, but it was certainly worth a visit.
Next it was off to our hotel for tonight and tomorrow night, the ANA Intercontinental. It’s an older Tokyo luxury hotel undergoing a big refurbishment. We lucked out with one of their newly refurbished rooms on the 17th Floor. Very nice.
Tired and not wanting to go searching for a restaurant, we opted to try the hotel’s Unkai Japanese Restaurant. We had the set Sashimi and Tempura menu with Sake pairing. Yum. It was dark out, so we couldn’t see the beautiful garden, but the food and service was extraordinary. We added single glasses of New Zealand Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir, one of our favorites, to supplement the sake. Sake is a taste I (we) have not acquired.
Here’s a night shot from our hotel window.
And then B E D. Worn out.
food looks beautiful
Loved pics around Tokyo, took us back to our visit. I live the traditional kimonos. They are elegant and so beautiful. Glad you are enjoying the food too. Weather looks good. We are still hot here, anywhere from 90 to high 80s. Summer is lasting longer and no rain. Fingers crossed, no fires! Take care, stay well.
Fascinating, all of it.
Too bad the Emperor and Empress had to wait until the afterlife to be honored with all that wine and sake! What’s with the scarves and mittens on those statues? I agree with Cindy, the kimonos are so beautiful. I have given up on using chopsticks. More food lands on my lap than in my mouth. Love the night view of the city with all the lights.
Here in the lakes region of NH we are in the midst of comfortable fall temperatures and stunning foliage. But, like Cindy in Colorado, we need rain.
Have a safe flight to Hawaii.
Countdown to Hawaii, correct? Enjoy and safe travels. I went to Japan for business in 1995, so impressed with the subway being so clean. And yes, saved some days for touring, so got pix of the Imperial Palace too. (we just got back from Heathrow last night)