#Tōkyō

Sleeping on the tatami floor was surprisingly comfy. We actually slept better than in a lot of hotel beds. Breakfast was Japanese too: fried fish, miso soup, rice, boiled egg in dashi, yoghurt with fruit, silken tofu, green tea. Much to the annoyance of our fellow travellers, there was one thing missing though: coffee.

We took the bus to Lake Ashi. There we visited the Hakone Shrine; we’d seen its red torii on the water back in 2010 during our ride on a pirate ship. Speaking of which: of course we took a boat like that across the lake this time too.

Then it was off to Kamakura, where we visited Hase-dera and the Great Buddha.

And then we headed to the final stop of our group tour: Tōkyō. Our hotel is in the Asakusa district, right by Senso-ji. Back in 2010, this is where our first tour around the country began.

Back then, the Tōkyō Sky Tree was still under construction. Now it’s finished, and we couldn’t resist going up to the upper observation deck of the tallest TV tower in the world. The entrance fee is ridiculously expensive. We paid ¥3,800 per person, which included access to the fast-track queue and the upper observation deck. But the view of the metropolis from up there is unique and makes you quickly forget what you forked out at the till downstairs.

The weather gods are finally smiling on us. Time for some sightseeing around Tōkyō.

The Emperor’s Palace is a beautiful spot right in the middle of the city, though access ends pretty early on the outside at the Nijubashi bridge. At the Meiji Shrine, we learned how to ritually purify ourselves and pray. After that, we headed up to the 52nd floor of the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, where you get a fantastic view of the whole city. A boat took us back up the Sumida to Asakusa, where we checked out the Sensōji temple. Lastly, we took the underground to the packed, posh shopping street Ginza.

We’re just freshening up now, because we’re about to head out with the group to a Shabu Shabu restaurant. It’s a sort of fondue where you dip meat and veg into a broth.

We’ve arrived in Tōkyō!

First off, we explored the Asakusa district, which is also where our hotel is. After that, we took the metro with the tour group to the Shinjuku shopping district. It’s packed, and the building facades have adverts playing on huge screens, blasting sound over the massive junction.

It’s easy to use the Tōkyō metro. You look up the fare to your destination station on a board, buy a ticket and use it to go through a barrier. If you’ve accidentally gone too far, you just pay the difference at the destination station. Fare dodging isn’t a thing here.

Let’s just hope the weather gets better. During the transfer from the airport it rained heavily, and for the rest of the day it was heavily overcast and rainy.