We both slept well, with the special treat of being in an ordinary off-the-floor bed for the first time in nearly a week. Sleeping on futons on the floor has actually been very comfortable, but getting up out of them takes a bit of work. Are we getting old?
With 4½ days in Tokyo we didn't need to push ourselves to the limit to see everything we wanted to, so set off at a leisurely pace just after 9am. Our first destination was the famed Tokyo Skytree, just 20 minutes walk away. At 634m tall, it was the second tallest structure in the world when it was built in 2012.
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| The Skytree is a very impressive building |
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| Liftwell interior |
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| Support structure |
Both the lower deck at 350m and the highest observation deck is at 450m gave a stunning view of Tokyo. It was a clear sunny day when we went up, but unfortunately the potential distant glimpse of Mt Fuji was obscured by haze. However, we did get a grand view of the extent of Tokyo - built up in every direction as far as the eye could see. For some reason, and we can't quite work out why, neither of us were particularly wowed by the view. Perhaps it was too remote? Or perhaps it was the extensive display of all manner of Barbie doll paraphernalia around the inside of the viewing deck and on the walls, combined with the opportunity to sit on a huge pink plastic shoe and have your portrait taken? Why Barbie?
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| View from 650m, like being in a plane |
The ultra-fast rides up and down the tower in the lifts were impressive, if slightly disconcerting, but we exited back at ground level feeling we'd taken a hit in the pocket that we'd rather have used at a fancy restaurant. It certainly wasn't worth paying extra for the higher floor. However, onwards. Nearby was the Senso-ji Temple, Tokyo's most impressive temple. On the way there we had crossed over the river and were spoilt to see lines of cherry trees starting to blossom. Some were even starting to lose their flowers, though most are still coming on. They should be even more spectacular in a few more days.
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| Blossoms along the river |
The entrance to the temple, which was built in 628, is via a lane which has always been lined with small shops. It is still the case today, mostly souvenir stalls today but they added to the bright atmosphere of the place, as did the large number of people obviously enjoying visiting and, in many cases, praying at the temple. We were keen to explore the temple gardens but unfortunately they were closed so we ended up just wandering back to our hotel.
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| Senso-ji Temple |
Unusually for us we spent a few hours during the afternoon just resting up. We'd struggled to keep up with the blog during our trekking week and had a fair bit of that to do, plus other research for the next few days to catch up on. The Asakusa area we are in is full of fascinating small shops and little eateries and is a fun place to wander around. We went out again in the evening and picked up a very tasty Chinese meal for the grand sum of NZ$7/dish.
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| Nice ukiyo-e graphics on shop shutters |
We are both starting to turn our thoughts to returning homewards in just four days' time. Our tenants vacate by the end of the week, but we have a few days in Melbourne and in Auckland before returning to Walters Bluff. We are both desperately in need of haircuts. I have been loathe to get a haircut here, in a land where 99.9% of the 38 million population have straight and often spiky thick hair. I've opted to wait until Melbourne for a hairdresser who is used to cutting wavy hair.