Tokyo Neighborhoods

For my final honeymoon photo recap, I'll be sharing a few of our adventures from our last few days in Tokyo. We had no set schedules on these days - Jesus picked out a few neighborhoods he wanted to explore, I told him things I'd like to see, and we wandered all day long. We stayed in a wonderful hotel that featured breakfast each morning, a glass of beer along with a bowl of yakisoba at night, and coffee and hot chocolate all day. By this point, the time change was only slightly confusing, and it was fun to think about how we were ending our days as our families were starting theirs. We had mostly figured out traffic patterns, how to work public transportation, and other common cultural norms regarding being out and about in public. And finally, we had been married for over a week!

Day 1

Photos aren't allowed in Tsukiji Fish Market (several AMERICAN tourists disregarded this and got dirty looks from me and some choice words from Jesus - why are we (Americans) the worst when traveling?), but here is the view outside the market, and looking down onto a tiny tiny portion of it.

 

 We took a lovely stroll through the Imperial Gardens:

Then we boarded a water bus to float down the Sumida River towards Odaiba, a man-made island built for shopping and entertainment.

 

Rainbow Bridge (photos at night show why it has this name!)

Our spaceship-style water bus, and Rainbow Bridge in the background.

Did you know Tokyo has their very own Lady Liberty?

This is the Ferris Wheel that's visible from Disney!

A Venice-themed mall (reminded me of The Venetian in Las Vegas)!

Bedtime Beer!

Day 2

In what was not our best decision of the day, we visited a virtual reality "park" in the morning of day 2. Via a headset and a few key atmosphere-creators (fans, sound effects), we explored a haunted house, swam underwater, escaped a building onto a helicopter, and bounced around a jungle on a swing (that's what Jesus in doing in the photos below). While a fun time, doing this the first thing in the morning meant we both felt a delayed motion sickness in the afternoon.

We also learned we have zero crane game skills between us.

Forest Library was a relaxing (and quiet) spot for us to grab some lunch, do a little reading, and even take a short nap!

  

Then we ventured back out, taking our time to maneuver Shibuya crossing, wander Nezu Museum, and visit Roppongi Hills before ending our day at Tokyo Tower and getting a view of the city from above.

   

That's Tokyo Tower in the background!

Who needs the Eiffel Tower?

Can you see Rainbow Bridge and the Odaiba Ferris Wheel way back there?

(a zoomed-in shot)

Day 3

We started this briskly chilly day at Meiji Shrine before heading to Harajuku, the cute/hipster/art & fashion neighborhood of Tokyo.

  

Yes, we got their Chicago mix. Yes, it was amazing.

Jesus has most/all of our photos from Kawaii Monster Cafe. I was a bit overwhelmed by it all and spent most of our quick lunch there staring at the ceilings, walls, tables, and overall atmosphere. We got to see a short song & dance show after we ate, which was really fun to watch. This is one of those super touristy things that basically all American visitors to Japan do, but you really can't get this kind of experience anywhere else!

 

Renovations for the 2020 Summer Olympics were well under way!

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden reminded me a lot of Garfield Park Conservatory. The indoor was a welcome respite from the cold, but walking around outside was super lovely - the trees were all sorts of yellows, oranges, and reds.

The face of a man about to see the famous Toho Godzilla.

We ended our tours of Harajuku and Shinjuku at the Toho Building, where Godzilla (or at least his head) lives. This area of Shinjuku is very metropolitan and commercial - lots of lights, billboards, and nightlife - and is most definitely an entertainment district. These lights are what many people picture when they picture Tokyo, which made it strange for us to see on one of our final nights. We had already seen so many other sides of Tokyo, seeing the "popular" Tokyo felt surreal.

Day 4

Our final (full) day in Japan consisted of sleeping in, revisiting a few of the neighborhoods near our hotel, packing (!!), and ending the night with our traditional last-night-on-vacation Domino's Pizza. Yes, Tokyo has Domino's, and yes, we got something you can't get here!

We ended our trip with one last interactive activity in the airport: woodblock printing (many thanks to the women who guided us through the process!):