Today was my last day in Tokyo. I caught the bus back to Sendai at 5pm. Mum, Hannah and I went to the Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa and had lunch with my friend Boon who is currently living in Tokyo. We got fortunes at the temple:
Some people got bad fortunes
Others got, and I quote, 'the best fortune!!'
Posted in Mum and Hannah Sep 2011, Temples, Tokyo, Visitors
The main gate at the Meiji Jingu Shrine
The Shrine itself
So on Sunday morning we set off for the Meiji Jingu (Meiji Shrine) which is one of the main Shinto shrines in Tokyo. We left this shrine for Sunday as I’d read online that this is when weddings are held. A new wedding party came out of the shrine every 15 minutes so we were able to see some of the lovely traditional clothes.
The priests in front with the bride and groom being shaded by the umbrella (it was very hot!)
Two 'Miko' ( or 'shrine maiden') followed by the groom, bride and bride's mother
After this morning of culture we headed out to Tokyo Disney. We had tickets to see the Cirque du Soleil show ‘Zed’ which has a theatre near Tokyo Disney. This is a kind of circus with trapeze artists, clowns, jugglers, acrobats, etc. It was amazing! Now I want to see all their other shows! The show finished just before 6pm and I bought us evening tickets to Disneyland as a surprise. Since we were right next door it seemed a shame not to go! The park was packed with people and most big rides had queues of about 2 hours (and all the fast pass tickets were already gone!) but we were very lucky: on our first ride (Space Mountain) a lady gave us 3 fast passes (!!), on our second ride (Big Thunder Mountain) the 2 hour wait time only took an hour (yeay!), on our third ride (Splash Mountain) we discovered there was a very well hidden ‘single riders’ queue so our wait time was about 5 minutes and our last ride (Pirates of the Caribbean) had no wait at all as we jumped on it just as the park was closing. All in all: 4 hours in the park, 4 rides, lots of popcorn, many cute things bought. Great day!
Me on Splash Mountain. You can see I'm doing the same pose as 3 Japanese girls. We chatted through out the ride (in Japanese!!) and they were very happy that I would pose with them.
Today was a bit of a shopping day. Actually doing shopping (me and Hannah), taking pictures of shops (Hannah) or looking bored while Hannah took pictures of shops (me). Mum was annoyingly un-bored.
My one and only picture of shops....only because it's Harajuku.
We also went over to the Imperial Palace Gardens. Firstly, you can’t actually see any of the Palace really from the outside which is disappointing. Second, it’s not really gardens….more like a park. Booo.
Entrance gate to the Palace Gardens (looking back out towards Tokyo)
They don't allowed Scotties?! This should have been our first sign that it would be disappointing!
Nice view though
This was taken outside the Palace Gardens
For dinner we went to an Izakaya which is like Japan’s version of a more sustanial tapas bar. Lots of fun.
Mum and Hannah try to decipher the menu.
Some of the food we ordered. Yum yum.
Posted in Culture, Mum and Hannah Sep 2011, Restaurants, Tokyo, Visitors
Today we met up with my friend Boon who has just moved down to Tokyo from Sendai. We decided to go to Mount Takao which is about 1 hour away from the centre of Tokyo as it has some good views of Tokyo and also associated with the Japanese kami (‘revered spirits’) called Tengu (‘heavenly dogs’) and it has the buddist temple, Takaosan Yakuōin Yūkiji. We weren’t completely adventurous as we took the funicular railway half-way up before walking the rest. It was fun though!
Going up!
One of the 'tori' or gates on the way up
Boon, Hannah and unlucky fortunes that people have left behind
View on the way up looking towards Tokyo
View from the top. We should have been able to see Mt. Fuji but it was a bit too cloudy.
After all that exercise it was time to relax! Boon took us to a fun restaurant near her apartment where you cooked your own food on mini BBQs.
Restaurant from the outside
Inside
Getting hot while we cook our food!
Posted in Mum and Hannah Sep 2011, Temples, The Outdoors, Tokyo, Visitors
It’s Thursday so I should be working but today and tomorrow are exam days at school so it was easy to take some annual leave. Plus Monday is a public holiday so that gives me a nice long weekend in Tokyo with Mum and Hannah. I took the bus down to Tokyo this morning (Saving some money! It was about 1/5 the price of the train!) and got into town at lunchtime. I met up with Mum and Hannah and we had a very late lunch before going out to explore the area around our hotel. We found some good shops and bought some things before we stumbled on this exciting place:
Krispy Kreme!! (to be honest I prefer Mister Donut!!)
Then we went up to the observation deck of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building for some lovely night views of Tokyo:
Tokyo
Hannah and Tokyo
Taking a picture of you taking a picture of me taking a picture.
Posted in Fun things, Mum and Hannah Sep 2011, Tokyo, Visitors
Mum and Hannah have left for Kyoto and I’m back at work (booo!). Only a three day work week as I’m taking some annual leave to meet them in Tokyo on Thursday. Comforting myself with our fun photo booth pictures.
Hannah and I. Mum, Hannah and I took a set as well but I cut them up to share before I thought to take a picture.
Posted in Cute, Fun things, Mum and Hannah Sep 2011, Visitors
Today I was working again. We met up with Joyce and Amanda for some Okonomiyaki (Japanese savoury pancake type things). After that we had some dessert at Mister Donuts. Joyce and I both had enough points to get a lucky dip and we both one a toy! I got Pinga and she got Pingu! 
Pinga and Pingu!
Posted in Fun things, Mum and Hannah Sep 2011, Visitors
Today I was back at work (awwww!). Mum and Hannah came over to my place for dinner and we made Stroganoff (yum!). We also had a delivery:
Guess where we are going?! We already had tickets to Cirque du Soleil which is right next to Disneyland in Tokyo so I bought us evening tickets
Today was the day for looking around Sendai. We took the sightseeing Loople bus to some of the major sites.
Loople bus
Hannah is loving the bus
Sendai Zuihoden
Pretty for a Mausoleum
Orange and Happy!
View from the site of Sendai Castle (it's no longer there)
Met some Samurai. Roared.
Grape fanta?! Yum!
Gate for the Hachiman Shrine
Hachiman Shrine
Who invited her? Seriously, can't take her anywhere!!
Posted in Mum and Hannah Sep 2011, Visitors
Today we went out for a breakfast of pancakes. Yum yum!
Hannah loves pancakes
Yeay! Visitors!
Then we went to the Mediatheque. This is a building that Hannah heard about in some of her architecture lectures. I really only know it because it has the city library on 2 of its floors. Hannah took about 5 million pictures.
Hannah and Mediatheque
After Mediatheque we went to Cafe Mozart for lunch. Yum yum. That evening we headed up to Izumi for dinner with Amanda, Joyce and Mayu followed by some karaoke!
Don't they look happy?! It's because I'm such a good guide.
Posted in Mum and Hannah Sep 2011, Visitors
