My Japan Trip Part Two

Tokyo

It has been over 6 weeks since we got back to Japan and I’ve been so busy I haven’t had much time to digest our trip properly.

I thought I would go through what we did on our trip but over a couple of posts or more for those who are interested. It is also a good way for me to remember our trip.

Ever since I met Mike, Japan has been on our list of places to go and so this year, also celebrating turning 50 we decided to go. When I turned 40 we went to Vietnam for a month. The stars were aligned this year with almost 3 weeks school holiday (lots of bank holidays in May in France) that Poppy only missed 2 days of school. So April/May we went.

We really missed most of the ‘Sakura’ cherry blossoms although we were lucky to see the tail end of some, a burst of azaleas in Tokyo and flowering fruit trees out in the countryside. It was also very green.

First stop: Tokyo

We spent 4 days in Tokyo although it wasn’t long enough especially as the first day we arrived at 8am and spent much of the day in a state of tiredness.

Our accomodation in Tokyo - attached to a Temple

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We stayed near Shimbamba metro station, 2 stops from Shinagawa station. We had a lovely house connected to the local temple. Just around that area is a fabulous street full of cafes, a shop that makes traditional Japanese sandals (geta) and other small shops. That afternoon in the temple they had a small market with food and drink for sale all related to the Island of Okinawa. Obviously we joined in.

Our arrival in Tokyo

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The next day we went to Tokyo Central because Mike thought there was an Antique market (it was the wrong weekend!!) so we strolled through the streets around Ginza until we arrived at the Tsukiji Fish Market. This was very busy, with locals and tourists but fun to see and try the local delights. We did find a very good sushi restaurant there and not expensive.

Tsukiji Fish Market

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We then headed up towards Ueno where we went on a bit of goose chase to find this paper shop I had been following online. Apple maps can often be misleading. Anyway after much walking around and visiting neighbourhoods that were very calm we found the paper shop and I got a book made up on the spot - they did it very quickly for me. It was called Kakimori. A wonderful souvenir that I have filled with stamps from temples, stations and other places along the way amongst other things.

We then went up to Nezu as we had found out from a friend that there was a shrine/park with Azaleas in bloom. We did go but didn’t queue - so many people. However the area and streets around here were some of my favourite in Tokyo. I would have loved to have gone back and explore more but we didn’t have the time and our daughter was dying to visit other areas.

Our third day in Tokyo we went to Shibuya, we arrived fairly early and before the shops opened. As noted by a friend of ours you cannot seem to buy a coffee before 10/11am in the morning ( and NO I’m not going to drink in a Starbucks!)

As we stood at Shibuya crossing (although the flow of people was much more remarkable at the end of the day) we suddenly saw a group of tourists dressed up and running what can only be described as the Mario Bros gauntlet - NO you definitely would not see us as a family doing that!

We waited for the shops to open, Poppy waiting in anticipation deciding which one we should start at. She is at that age. We spent a few hours around there (it could have been all day for Poppy). We then walked further up from Shibuya to a very pretty low rise district with some very cool shops and restaurants. It’s amazing how quickly the landscape changes here in Tokyo. I even found the exhibition of Nathalie Lété someone I have photographed before.

We then hopped onto the train and went to the ‘bohemian’ district of Shimokitazawa - vintage clothing heaven. Poppy absolutely LOVED it. Lots of restaurants and lots of vintage shops of varying prices! In fact Poppy came away with trousers, t-shirts and sweatshirts. I came away with a pair of dungarees! A really great area to while away an afternoon or more.

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On our final day, we left quite early and headed towards Asakusa and to visit the Sensōji, also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple A Buddhist temple and one of Tokyo’s most colourful. Already at an early hour there were quite a few people, instead of walking down the centre we walked on the side (very few people).

I am sure most people are attracted by these temples but to be honest too many people, too touristy and I could have missed this off the list. On the way back to Ueno we walked down quiet streets and finally walked into a shop selling kimonos (I did buy one) and at the same time got this wonderful portrait of Shizuka a dancer.

We then went to Akihabara Electric town which was too much for me but Poppy liked the ambiance of the area.

Finally we went to Yanaka area where we had a wonderful bowl of ramen in a small restaurant where we sat on stools and watched them prepare our food. In these kind of places you actually put the money into a machine and choose your food but they did it for us. I’d have never guessed to order like that!

We arrived towards the end of lunch and so it was quieter but I imagine in the morning the hustle and bustle of daily life would be more prominent.

That was all we managed to fit into our first few days in Tokyo - I know we missed a lot of things out, how can you not in such a busy city? I felt we managed to see a bit of everything to get a taster of what Tokyo has to offer.

I would definitely go back. Poppy said she will too but when she is 18 and with friends!

• There is so much to do in Tokyo it is impossible to do it all in 4 days (obviously).

• As a first visit - 4 days was a good amount of time. Like all cities they can be tiring

• From a teenager perspective - Poppy loved Tokyo - well not so much the smaller quieter areas but the more exciting bright lights big city. She loved using the metro/underground. There is a lot for teenagers/children to do.

• Photographically like all big cities there is so much to see and photograph. I switched between my phone & camera.

In part 3 - I will talk about our camping car trip!

Thank you once again for reading and following me along

Joanna x