On our last day in Tokyo, we slept in, checked out of our hotel and headed to Imperial Palace on the subway. It was a short 15 minute ride but once we got off the subway, we had to walk around a bit trying to find where to go. It was a nice day out, the sun was shining and I was actually able to take my jacket off for a while. Our flight was not until 8 pm so I was excited to have a full day of exploring, without a planned schedule.
We followed the posted signs to Kokyo, where Imperial Palace is located and entered a large park area with beautiful trees, fountains and gardens.
The gorgeous colors and quiet ambiance made for a relaxing walk.
After a short stroll, we found the palace which is the residence of Japan's Imperial family.
Unfortunately, this is as close as we could get to seeing the palace. The palace buildings are only open to the public twice a year, on new years greeting-January 2nd and the emperor's birthday-December 23rd. On these two days, visitors enter the inner palace grounds and see members of the imperial family, who make public appearances on a balcony. This stone bridge is called Meganebashi, meaning "glass bridge." You can see the roof of the Imperial Palace in the upper right corner of the picture.
The castle was rebuild after being destroyed in WWII.
Business center in downtown Tokyo.
From Imperial Palace, we took the subway to Harajuku Street. Harajuku is a large shopping district with Japanese and Western clothing stores. Harajuku has stores that blend everything from Hello Kitty to Hip Hop to British Punk. We were told Harajuku is a popular spot for Japanese teenagers.
The streets were packed and people were a bit pushy. Jessica and I decided to split up and meet back up in a few hours, I was taking a little long shopping, making up for lost time =) I shopped in H&M and looked in Forever 21 but quickly left because I was not able to walk without being surrounded by pushy people.
Japanese teenagers near Harajuku street, trying to bring back mullets and baggy pants!
While walking along Harajuku Street, looking for a sushi restaurant, we spotted this sadium. It's called National Yoyogi Stadium, which hosted the 1964 olympic swimming competitions.
We walked up and down Harajuku Street and the surrounding area for what seemed like forever, trying to find a sushi restaurant. I walked in several stores and asked "Sushi?" while motioning to eat. Everyone said "Not here" or made an X with their hands. I was starving but determined to eat sushi before heading back to Okinawa. After about 45 minutes, I figured my best bet would be finding sushi around our hotel. We took the subway back to Shinagawa. As we were entering our hotel courtyard area, I spotted a sign that said "sushi!" among a list of restaurants. I walked downstairs and found this cute little sushi bar. Jessica doesn't like sushi so she ate at a American food restaurant while I ate at the sushi bar.
There were only a few other people in the small restaurant. I ordered salmon, tuna and crab rolls with a large glass of Orion beer. The chef made the rolls right in front of me and they were deliciously fresh! Two older ladies came in and sat next to me, they spoke a little English and told me they were studying "how to wear komonos." I didn't know there was such a thing. They were very nice and wanted to hear all about the United States.
Sushi chef preparing my food.
I was thrilled to finally have authentic sushi! It was a perfect ending to a fun packed weekend. After eating, we picked up our bags at our hotel and headed to the airport.
One last picture in our hotel lobby.
When we arrived to the airport, it was very crowded. A big change from when we arrived to Tokyo. After waiting in a long line, we were told we needed to check in at the self automated machines. The lady at the counter told us we didn't have to wait in line again, we could come right back to her. So, we checked in on the self automated machines but when we went back to the counter, a different worker was there. A lady waiting in line thought we were cutting, so she got angry and started yelling at the worker in Japanese. I laughed, I guess I would get mad too if I thought someone was cutting. haha. Needless to say, we checked in and had two hours to spare. Our flight got delayed from 8 pm to 845 pm. It was a packed flight and by the time we got in the air, it was after 9 pm. On the flight, they served haagan dazs ice cream again! What an upgrade from peanuts and pretzels! We made it back to Okinawa after 11 pm, Rocky was waiting for us and we filled him in on the trip during the 30 minute ride home. It felt weird coming back to Okinawa after being in Tokyo. I felt like I should be going back home, to the U.S. after being "away."
It was an amazing vacation, I am so glad I was able to experience the many adventures Tokyo has to offer. I am now officially done posting my Tokyo pictures! It only took a few weeks =)
Now on to the Christmas update.
XOXO
Kristen
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