Extended layover in Tokyo

I'll start by saying that I wasn't super thrilled at the prospect of Tokyo. Hubs and I were newly engaged and dealing with a puppy who has so many random health problems, it's insane. So to say we were exhausted, doesn't do it justice. We had already planned this extensive 10 day adventure (5 cities, two continents, and three states) but as we were getting ready to leave Atlanta I was ready to take a detour straight to the beach. We actually started our first leg of the journey in Seattle (blog post at a later date) visiting my uncles and hubs' sister. From there, we worked remotely for a couple days, then logged off and headed towards Asia to knock that continent off our travel bucket-list.

The flight was about 12 hours, so not too terrible and the jet lag actually wasn't too bad. We actually flew into Narita and took the train into Tokyo (only about an hour). On the platform we met up with one of hubs friends from high school who was stationed in north Japan. He was a life saver, I don't know how a tourist could navigate the subway system without google maps. (Since this trip, I actually learned that you can download the map to your phone before you leave and use it even though you're in airplane mode. That's how we navigated Chile.) Also, if you're planning a trip to Tokyo, be prepared to walk everywhere. I mean, I think half my fitbit steps came from us trying to get to the correct subway platform underground. It's insane. All that to say, really do your research and figure out the best lines to take that are close to where you are staying.

I digress. So hubs' friend met us at the platform, drinks in hand. Apparently, it's frowned upon but legal to drink on the subways there. So we opened our spiked sodas and made our way towards our hotel in Akasaka. Once we got checked in, we did what normally happens and took a quick catnap before getting started on our adventures. Since we were essentially only going to be in Japan for an extended layover (2.5 days) we wanted to maximize our energy. I still remember that nap, I know that sounds strange but I slept so hard and woke up so refreshed. Anyway, we managed to get ourselves pulled together and headed to see the Tokyo Tower. For any with a love affair for Paris, yes is it a Tokyo's version of the Eiffel Tower. So yea, that's partially why I wanted to go but also, what a great way to see just how grandiose Tokyo really is. 

Travel tip - we bought tickets to Level 1 instead of Level 2,  both are high enough that you get great views but it's half the cost and a much shorter line for Level 1. 

Here we come tower!

Us at the tower

Loved these lights on our way to the elevator

View from the top, it goes on and on and on!

We got our fill of views and people watching (let's be honest, it was great too!) and were off to dinner. Of course we settled on ramen and one of the little hole in the wall places. Can't remember the name, unfortunately. It was amazing, definitely lived up to the hype. The next stop was Seven Eleven. Yes, I do realize how random that sounds, but they are everywhere and much nicer than most in the states. We grabbed some drinks and decided to make it a low key night since we had a lot of  stops the next day. 

For fuel the next morning, we chose a local bakery and munched on a few of the Tokyo bananas (gift from hubs friend, a must try!). Since most locals speak limited English, we made our pastry choices on a whim. I ended up with one coffee and one peach, hubs got one potato and one red bean. All were really great and even though the red bean may not sound super appetizing it was amazing. And then we were off! 

Since there was a lot to see, we started by taking the subway Meiji Jingu garden and Shrine near Shibuya. It was a beautiful park so we walked through most of it despite the heat until we reached the Shrine. We washed our hands in the cleansing station and took a few moments of silence out of respect for the culture. The shrine was one of my favorites from the trip since we don't have much that can compare here in the southeast.

Like I mentioned above, it was a warm day (we visited in August) and we still had lots to see. Friend wanted us to see Shibuya Crossing since we were in the area. This is a major intersection in Tokyo where like 7 different streets come together. There's tons of touristy things to do in the area and most places even have seats on the higher levels overlooking all the action. It was pretty intense. 

This is statue of a dog who followed his owner to the subway daily and waited for him until he was back from work. He continued to do even after the man died

Wall art on the way to the subway

By this point we were getting hungry and yes, there was still so much to do! We headed towards Shinjuku to grab some lunch and see another major tourist area. We were hoping to go to the Robot restaurant  (hubs choice, not mine) but it was closed for renovations. Sadly, we were so hungry we settled for Burger King. Before you judge, at least I tried something unique (whopper with avocado). We walked around for a while after that, had a drink at an Avocado themed restaurant and finally it was time for a shower before our evening activities.

I wish you could see just how many people were around. So overwhelming

Next on the docket, Tokyo Bay. It was a 45 minute subway ride from our hotel but it was worth it. We arrived in late afternoon so it was still fairly warm. We went into a seven story mall and walked around for a while before hitting up the food court for dinner. We passed one of the conveyor belt sushi restuarants but ultimately, pizza won our hearts and stomachs. Hubs friend had a caesar salad pizza, definitely different. Once we were finished walking around the mall, it was sunset. I wish I'd been able to capture better photos (only one worth sharing) and then we hopped on the train to go out in Roppongi. We found a British pub that was one of friend's faves and closed the place down.

Every mega mall needs a transformer.

The next morning, we were up and at 'em early and headed towards the Imperial Palace. Sadly, it's only open two days a year so all photos are from afar, but man were the gardens impressive. All the architecture was as well. We probably walked through the city for a couple of hours, it was great to get a feel for Tokyo. On the way back, we tried some vending machine coffee (definitely don't knock it til you try it) and more pastries from our local bakery. (This time I ended up with peach and coffee.) Of course, we finished off the Tokyo Bananas... omg. 

A bit tired but it was gorgoues

And sadly, our time in Tokyo was coming to an end. We parted ways with friend at the subway and headed back towards Narita. We ended up having to take be able to get to our next destination... but we did have enough time for me to get sushi at the airport before our flight. And then we were off to Honolulu! Stay tuned for the next one! Aloha!

Hubs enjoying a mai-tai on the way to Honolulu