Tokyo Trip Part 3

After our afternoon of Sumo we took the bus back to the hotel and then headed out to see some more of Tokyo! The New Sanno Hotel is a little less than 1/2 mile from the nearest train station, so pretty convenient to walk. It's also in a great central location so it's only a few stops to some of the most popular areas. We decided to check out Shibuya, an area "popular with young people with lots of restaurants and like Times Square" according to the hotel concierge. I think it was 2 stops away on the train. I don't really know if it's like Times Square because I've never been to NYC, but I have to think it's similar. Shibuya has an intersection that is famous because all the traffic stops to allow pedestrians to cross in all directions at once. It's a very busy intersection. This brings me to mention something that I DON'T LIKE about Japan (there aren't that many)...there is no consistency with what side of the sidewalk/stairs to walk on! Ugh, every time I meet someone on the sidewalk I never know which side they're going to pick, and if I try to always go right I think sometimes I would just get run off the sidewalk. In the train stations, one will have signs saying the right side of the stairs is up, but then the next station up will be on the left. Same with escalators. Sigh, it's not that big of a deal, and it's probably like that some in the USA I just never noticed it. Haha, ok off my tangent...

This is the major intersection in Shibuya.

We found a yakiniku restaurant to have dinner. It was called Anrakutei. I think we had a couple types of beef and some pork. 

The light above our table was a little low...
it was hard to see each other if we sat up straight.

The restaurant was on the 3rd floor,
the windows are above the red signs.

And here's the intersection when it's time for pedestrians to cross. It was nuts!

From Shibuya we took the train one stop back toward the hotel to the neighborhood of Ebisu. Ebisu is a little area with lots of small bars and restaurants, we just wanted a place to have a little nightcap. We found a unique place...check out the "tables" and "chairs"! Somehow we didn't get pictures of the pinup girls hanging on one of the walls. Beer was cold and that's all we needed.

Day 3...September 21, 2013
Since we hadn't been to Tokyo before I really wanted to go on a tour to get a feel for the city and see as much as possible. I also felt like seeing a little bit of a lot of places would help narrow down where we'd like to spend more time on our next visit to Tokyo. I think it worked. Here's the first couple stops on the tour, the rest will be in the next post.

First stop was Tokyo Tower. We got to check out views from the Main Observation Platform (150m).

Next stop was Meiji Shrine. The shrine is dedicated to the souls of the late Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. It was built in 1920, if I remember right they passed away only a few years before the shrine was built.

We passed a Wendy's on the way to the shrine,
first one we'd seen

These are straw wrapped sake barrels. Each year sake breweries
bring them as offerings to the souls of the Emperor and Empress.

Massive torii gate!

Main shrine building. The original was burned down in WWII.

We happened to be there right when a wedding procession came through!

Our guide told us weddings are usually pretty small, but elaborate. Sometimes the guests have to pay an admission fee. She said the customary gift is cash in the amount of 30,000-50,000 yen ($300-$500) depending on your relationship to the bride or groom, meaning friend or family member.

There are over 100,000 trees in the shrine's forest,
all donated and planted by volunteers.

Apple ice cream! It tasted like frozen applesauce and
had chunks of apple, but it was soft serve. Delicious!

 Up next: Tokyo Trip Part 4 (the last part, I promise!)