16th May - Today was an 8 hour flight from Brisbane to Narita Japan.
Our first glimpse was what looked like rice fields with water shimmering... we were in Japan.
We breezed trough customs and caught the shuttle for the 60km trip into Tokyo..we only had one hiccup when we were briefly dropped at the incorrect hotel...thankfully the shuttle hadn't left!
The city-scape by night as we drove in was spectacular!!
We stayed at the Hotel Mecure Tokyo Ginza ...an awesome Motel in a brilliant central location.
After dropping our luggage we headed out on foot in search of a restaurant for dinner. This evening turned out to be one of the most memorable dining experiences of our trip. We happened upon a lovely little restaurant... and perched ourselves on some stools at the kitchen window.
We then attempted to order from the menu... no easy feat.... not one of us reads Japanese and even with English translation it was quite different to our usual diet.
The chefs were entertaining...and using google translate we enjoyed some conversation...and laughs.
We thoroughly enjoyed every mouthful and this set the tone for our eating experiences in Japan...we couldn't rave enough about how we loved the raw and simple foods with such amazing flavours.
Journal quote - "So glad of our beds. Toilet has more buttons than my dishwasher"
17th MAY - First stop today was the Tsukiji Fish Market ... the largest in the world.
It was bustling with activity and although it seems impossible for the size of it.... it smelt as fresh as the ocean and not particularly fishy at all which sort of surprised me because of the sheer size of it.
From the fish market we navigated the Metro to the world famous Shibuya Crossing..
"Rumoured to be the world’s busiest, this intersection in front of Shibuya Station is famously known as ‘The Scramble’. It’s an awesome spectacle of giant video screens and neon, guaranteed to give you a 'Wow – I'm in Tokyo!' feeling. People come from all directions at once – sometimes over a thousand with every light change – yet still manage to dodge each other with a practiced, nonchalant agility."
Thanks Lonely Planet for the spot-on description.
We spent quite some time in a food court trying to choose lunch.... in the end we settled on some 'oishii' (delicious) Bento Bowls. They were divine.
Journal Quote " Rained steadily all day.... regretted not bringing an umbrella or rain jacket" In hindsight..I have no idea why we didn't buy one right then and there.... you have no idea how many days of rain we endured before we conceded defeat and purchased one...almost at the end of our trip I might add.
Wandering the city was such a thrill...honestly...I cant speak highly enough of Japan... it was our second visit and equally as wonderful as our first. The locals were so helpful and obliging with our lack of language...and the respect they show each other on trains and in the street was heartwarming. The atmosphere... the street food... sights...smells... LOVED IT.
The constant rain and exhaustion of the last 24 hours saw us spending the remainder of the afternoon in the comfort of our Motel lounge having a few drinks... making plans and then dining in the Motel restaurant. We were early to bed because the next day was already stacking up as a huge one.
Loved reading this recap and photo's - how amazing was these first couple of days - we have to go back to Japan x
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