Tokyo – The Tail End

We arrived in Tokyo at noon and dropped our bags at the Yaesu Terminal Hotel to wait for the 2 pm check-in. Lunch was at the train station in Ramen Alley where we had been before for a salty but delicious bowl of pork ramen.

After checking in to the hotel, we all gave one final push to see any sights that were previously missed. While Maneau, Jake and Yogi went shopping in Ginza, Monica, Ryan and I headed to Shibuya. The “Shibuya Scramble” crosswalk was fully busy on this Wednesday afternoon. It’s incredible how 1500 people can interweave from five directions without any major jam-ups or collisions. We strolled amid the skyscrapers to visit the Shibuya Parco Mall for an amusing wander through the gaming stores; Nintendo, Play Station, Sega… they are all here.

Ryan left us at this point and went to Akihabara to see some more anime stores while Monica and I carried on to Shinjuku to catch the laser show on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. We were a bit early so we found a quaint little bar and enjoyed a cocktail while we waited for the show to start. It was amazing and I took many photos of the spectacle.

Finally (after a wrong turn or two), we made it back to Tokyo Station and joined with Ryan at Il Viaggio restaurant for a fine Italian meal of appetizers and spaghetti.

The next day was a waiting game as our flight to Canada was delayed several hours. It gave us lots of time at the airport to chat and reminisce. What a fantastic vacation it has been… insightful, educational, beautiful, and a surprising discovery of how civilized Japan is with its clean, quiet, orderly and respectful culture. We love Japan!

🇯🇵⛩️🏯👘🎎🍜🍡👺🍶🎍🍱🗼🏣🍢🎌