Where to begin about Tokyo. Its massive expanse and depth do not disappoint, yet we probably barely even scratched the surface in just a few days. It is busy, it is bright, it is organized, it is tradition, it is pop culture, it is cutting-edge technology, it is Eastern and it is Western (as compared to China).
Whether it was walking the Imperial Palace park grounds or “sardining” onto a train, Tokyo was definitely an experience like nowhere else. After arriving on the shinkansen from Iiyama, we stored our bags at the train station and took off hoofing it. Our picnic in Imperial Palace park felt like springtime after being in the mountains, and I cannot imagine what the park is actually like during cherry blossom season or anytime in the spring. We continued on through the manga and gaming neighborhood, Akihabara. As sunset neared, visited Senso-ji and Asakusa shrine. Senso-ji is Tokyo’s largest and one of the most important Buddhist temples. Once it was dark, we boarded the Hotaluna spacecraft-looking boat at Asakusa port and took the Sumida river cruise to Hinode. On our walk back to the station to retrieve our luggage, we stopped by the Tokyo Tower.
We started Christmas by making the FaceTime rounds with all the family groups. We definitely missed not being there in person, but it was quite a different year being able to see everybody in a matter of hours instead of driving from one home to another for hours. Then we took off to the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world, Shibuya crossing, which we enjoyed from the second floor of Starbucks, sipping on our shared, festive gingerbread latte. Continuing on before our “main event” for the day, we strolled through Yoyogi park to Meiji Shrine and then on to Takeshita pedestrian street.
Our Christmas event was an experience you can’t get anywhere else in the world: the Robot Restaurant. Thanks to a little internet research, we found a discounted ticket for an afternoon show (govoyagin.com). There are giant transformer-esque robots, drums, dancing, lasers, strong female leads in the story in act two, giant animatronic animals, and Rudolph and Santa even made an appearance. It’s something difficult to describe, so thankfully the pictures are worth even more than 1,000 words in this case.
An interesting tradition in Japan is ordering Kentucky Fried Chicken for Christmas, thanks to a KFC ad campaign from 1974, Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii, or Kentucky for Christmas. The manager of the first KFC in the country, Takeshi Okawara, apparently heard foreigners talking about how they missed having turkey dinner for Christmas, so he hoped KFC could be a good substitute. People place their orders months in advance, and we witnessed people waiting in line out the store and around the block.
No products in the cart.