Thursday, March 21, 2024

At breakfast in the hotel this morning we had a bit of a surprise. Mel felt something then all of a sudden everyone’s phone flashed up with a yellow “Earthquake warning” message “Say calm and seek shelter nearby” accompanied by an alarming picture of a building bending dramatically to the left with pieces coming out of it! Alarms started going off in the building…In any case, it was quite a small one, a 5.3. An exciting way to start the day.

It was quite a sunny, clear day though a bit cool. I wanted to get the remaining tickets for our longer distance travel next week which I have mapped out on our travel itinerary. We made our way back to the travel centre at Tokyo station, queuing only for a short time before an agent was able to provide us with all of our train tickets, sorry, reservations I should say. With the JR Rail pass we purchased we can use any train without picking up tickets but it is best to obtain seat reservations so you are guaranteed a seat so this is what I did.

The front of Tokyo station has a long colonial-style light red brick facade with white trimmed windows. Inside main street level entrances there some impressive tile floor foyers with a mixture of modern metal and glass surrounded by the old yellow and white colonial interior.

Since we were at Tokyo station I had it in mind we might be able to have tour of the Imperial Palace which is found in the middle of gardens on the other side of the street. Not really knowing what we were doing we ended up going through the main entrance to the gardens but this is not where you catch the tours - despite what Google Maps seemed to imply. Of course, as we passed over a small bridge spanning the moat and through the short slanted walls of the palace grounds we had to go through a security checkpoint where we were scanned.

It was getting close to tour time so we quickly tried following the directions provided by Google Maps only to find the road to where the tours begin was blocked by construction. The area is quite amazing with a meandering path taking in manicured trees and some amazing looking low, black, wood barrack buildings. Having figured out we had to go to a completely different entrance entirely we left the grounds through the gate we had just entered, took a short walk down the street and around the corner to where we found a queue (line) of people already formed waiting for the 1:00 pm tour (it was just 12:00 but we agreed it would be worth the wait).

Research had told me that you can reserve your (free) tickets in advance through a rather overly-complicated online application process but they also have a limited number of (free) spaces available on the day that you can queue up for. I was happy that it looked like we would be able to get in.

As we waited for the tour we were first asked to fill out an application form containing our personal details (as well as show our ID). Once this was done we were given a lanyard for our tour before being taken between two guard stations, over a small bridge across the moat lined with pine tree then, again, through the walks of the palace by a wonderful wooden gate.

Immediately we turned right and went through another even more beautiful gate - This is evidently a security feature that would cause anyone attempting to attack the palace grounds via the gate to have to go through a small enclosed courtyard and change direction, all the while being attacked from above.

We were shown into a large single story building containing a large number of tables with chairs where we were told to wait for our tour to begin. We spend some time reading through a brochure for what we would be seeing in the palace and a television at the front of the room showed further information.

There was a small kiosk selling souvenirs in the corner - mostly guide books and not-terribly-touristy trinkets. Different groups of people were called based on either language or lanyard colour. Eventually we were asked to form up outside and our group was absolutely enormous with about 50 or 60 people with our single guide.

Our first stop was to look at a multi-story pagoda-style building perched above the walkway on the corner of the tall palace walls - The “Fujimi-yagura” (Mt. Fuji-view keep). Interestingly, all of the windows are blocked off as to deceptively provide no easy means of access by invaders. There are secret entrances that Imperial guards can use to give them the ability to attack any invaders coming in from below.

We continued walking up the rather steep road to the palace passing first by the rather boring looking “Kunaicho Chosha” (the Imperial household agency building).

At the top of the hill, through some trees, is the Imperial Palace itself which is a long, low, glass and metal structure that is obviously a product of the year in which it was built - 1968. The building contains a number of large meeting rooms in seven different wings. It is used for receiving state guests as well as holding official state ceremonies and functions.

In front of the palace is a large open square of striped with long white lines where large groups of people (or soldiers) can gather. The square is paved with a special “soft” concrete that is quite pleasant to walk on. Gardens to the left of the palace feature amazing topiary including some large bushes carved to look like giant turtles.

Of course, the emperor does not live in the palace. His house is in private gardens behind the palace in an area that the public cannot visit.

Walking past the palace we briefly passed through the palace ground walls onto “Seimon-ttsu-bashi Bridge” or “Nijubashi Bridge” which has intricate metal railings and commands amazing views of the surrounding city as well as the walls surmounted with another keep, “Fushimi-yagura”, towering above the moat.

We returned past the palace then turned left to proceed behind the palace and down “Yamashita-dori” street which led to another section of the moat. This area is lined with cherry blossom trees and is open to the public for 10 days every year to take in their magnificent blooms though, sadly, there was only one tree in bloom for us.

Returning back to the visitor’s centre we had a quick visit to the toilets before leaving the grounds once again. We both agreed it would be good to return back to the entrance we had used earlier to look around what we have learned are the public gardens at a more leisurely pace.

This time of year in the gardens there are not a lot of plants to look at other than the trees, most of which have no leaves on them. There are some magnificent evergreens though. At the top of a steep road leading into the gardens there is a large green space with the remains of “Edo Castle” at one end which we made our way towards, passing the modern hexagonal shaped “Imperial Household Agency Department of Music” building decorated with a colourful mosaic.

All that remains of “Edo Castle” today are the low, steep-walled foundations on which the structure would have been built. We climbed a ramp to the top of the foundations to take in the view of the city and park surrounding us as well as sitting down for a few minutes to rest our weary legs from all of the walking we had been doing so far today.

We left the gardens from the north, “Kita-Hanebashi” gate, which is quite high up the walls and has great views of the surrounding moat. This is another area that is evidently lined with many cherry blossom trees that, again, are not yet blooming for us.

We made our way to the nearest subway station to catch a train to Shibuya. With massive numbers of people and high, modern buildings Shibuya could not have been more different than the quiet tranquillity of the Imperial Palace. It is generally always busy and today at just after 4 pm was no exception. Leaving the subway station I got a bit confused about which way to head but a quick check of Google got to where we wanted to be - The famous “scramble” crossing. It turned out it was just a short distance away, the other side of an underpass.

The scramble crossing is at the junction of four massive roads surrounded by tall skyscrapers decorated with colourful billboards and electronic signs (including, interestingly, one for Ikea which has a shop nearby). Every few minutes the traffic stops as the lights turn red and the chaos begins as huge numbers of pedestrians (and the occasional bike) all cross the junction in any direction they wish, pretty much ignoring the wide white stripes painted on the road. Despite the chaos no one seems to run into anyone and they all seem to get to where they are going before the lights turn green again. A number of tourists joined us in standing in a local tree planter to get some height to film the action on their phones while others filmed from the middle of the crowd, crossing the road themselves. We did a bit of both.

The scramble crossing is in the heart of the Shibuya area of Tokyo which caters to tourists and locals alike with lots of restaurants, shops and attractions. A bit like Times Square in New York except think much cleaner and many more things to look at. I only remembered later that there is a small statue of a dog here, “Hachikō Memorial Statue”, that commemorates a loyal dog that waited for his owner outside the subway station even after the owner died. The statue is a popular meeting spot in the area.

After crossing the scramble we headed into some of the surrounding streets to find some dinner stopping briefly at another “capsule toy shop” to see what they had on offer from the huge number of machines spread out over two floors. Eventually I put some money into a machine for a “Gundam” character and Mel got a metal “Hello Kitty” souvenir from another as she is a HUGE fan (this is me being sarcastic, she really “despises” Hello Kitty).

We walked through the narrow alleys, some quite steep, looking for somewhere interesting to eat. Many places were typical sort of fast food including burgers and pizza so not really that inspiring. Much to Mel’s relief having wandered around for quite some time we eventually settling on a tiny “conveyor belt”-style (“kaiten”) sushi restaurant called “Ganso Zushi” (evidently this is a chain with many locations) down a small street away from the huge crowds elsewhere. Finding a seat we quickly realised we recognised very little of what was on the belt as it came around. We helped ourselves to the tea on tap (at our seat) and got stuck in.

Most of the sushi was “nigiri” - A rice rectangle with a piece of meat (normally fish) on top. The pattern on the plate indicates the cost which is then added up when you leave. I tried an unusual dish that, I swear, tasted like soap but I am sure was a rather oddly textured fish. There were some things we recognised including tuna and egg. There was no wasabi available to use as the chef added it to the sushi himself though, of course, soy sauce was there for dipping.

The chef stood in the middle of the circular conveyor belt preparing plate after plate of sushi in front of us, concentrating on one offering at a time, producing a number of plates strategically added to the belt as it goes by. Nice to have our first bit of sushi here and it was a bit of fun. I can’t say it was the best sushi I have ever had but it was quite good.

As the sun set we made our way back to the scramble crossing, stopping to look in the interesting shops along the way including a collection of shops selling food for takeaway.

Shibuya Sky is located on the top of one of the buildings beside the crossing. We took an elevator (lift) in that building to a floor with a Starbucks so Mel could have some coffee while I attempted to find a table (she also got me a mango slush…).

This Starbucks is, nominally, in a “book store” but believe me it is mostly coffee shop with very few people reading, most of them drinking coffee, playing with their phones and listening to music while being surrounded by a bookcases jammed with unread (and unsold) books. As it is a few floors up the section of the shop that provides amazing views of the surrounding buildings and the scramble crossing charged an hourly fee to visit but even this was full of people (still mesmerised by their phones). I found a wonky table in the free section, without the views, and we sat for a few minutes before our 7pm time slot for Shibuya Sky.

On the top of the building, Shibuya Sky is what you might consider an urban park with grass, places to sit surrounded by glass panels providing amazing views of the surrounding city. The lift to the 14th floor predictably let us out in a queuing area for the attraction then into the exhibit area where there were some interesting modern art exhibits and video displays.

Of course, it also had floor to ceiling glass windows with great views of the surrounding area but we were still not in the “urban park” section yet. To get there you have to pass through a set of glass doors with attendants blocking anyone that has not followed the rules such as “no hats” which I had ignored due to the fact we were so high up, it was windy and it was so cool (cold) outside. We had put our bags into a nearby locker (requiring a 100 yen coin which is returned when you retrieve your stuff) but they still stopped me at the door and had me put my hat in the locker as well (despite it being under a hood…they wouldn’t even let me put it in my zipped pocket).

Outside it was generally quite dark with only a minimal amount of lighting provided, the city surrounding us provided all the light we really needed to be able to see. The whole effect of this is you can see with incredible clarity, even though there are tall glass panels surrounding the space, the city lit up around you. You are high enough as well to be able to look down at everything including an amazing view of the scramble crossing 15 stories below us (the people look like swarming ants as they cross the road). Really neat to watch the scramble crossing from up here as well.

The corner sections, predictably, were the busiest as people queued to take pictures with the city as a background. There was some outdoor furniture here so we sat for a few minutes on a sofa, bundled up as tight as we could against the cold and wind, taking in the view of the city while people continually walked by in front of us.

There looks to be a small bar area here but it was closed likely due to the wind and/or the cold. At the top of a series of lit stairs (where the helipad is) there are a series of lights pointed up like search lights that change colours, rotate, and blink on and off, providing an interesting display. The garden is actually on two levels, the roof and half of one floor below accessed via a (lit) staircase.

Before leaving I had a look at the small gift shop which, for some reason, featured a large number of Snoopy-themed souvenirs. We found the very modern looking Ginza Line station at Shibuya for the trip back to the hotel. We stopped briefly at a convenience store for something to eat – I had seen someone in the hotel the other day having a deep-fried chicken cutlet from here so wanted to give it a try and we picked up some buns for breakfast tomorrow morning as we would be heading out before the hotel lounge would be open.

>> Next: Day 7