Tokyo

A fantastic city!!!! We were spellbound by the bright neon lights and shops, mesmerised by the tranquility of the gardens and gaped at the hustle and bustle yet orderly fashion of everyday life. It is absolutely amazing how one can walk along the busy roads surrounded by branded shops and skyscrapers, then as you turn into a sidestreet, encounter little lanes of small shops or traditional eateries, or even stumble into a huge park which seems so far away from the traffic and hectic schedules just a street away. The food? Absolutely yummy and healthy at the same time (yes, can you believe it?). We tried shabu shabu (including all-you-can-eat for 2 hours!), sushi, sashimi and yakitori.

Even after just two hours in Tokyo, we promised that we would return. Four days went by quickly... We visited the shrines at Meiji-jingu and Senso-ji, enjoyed cherry blossoms at Shinjuku-gyoen, visited Imperial Palace East Garden and Roppongi, checked out the shops at Shinjuku, Harajuku, Omote-Sando, Ginza and Shibuya, and took an early stroll at Tsukiji fish market (also enjoying the freshest sashimi - first time I've had a sashimi breakfast!).

We still have a list of things we would like to see/experience - kabuki, Noh drama (though perhaps I'll save that for Kyoto), Akihabara.... However, after four days and complaints from our feet, we needed to recuperate from all that walking! We will be back though!!!!

I will upload all the photos and captions in the next week or so together with more details on the visit, but here are some for now...

Enjoying a walk at Shinjuku-gyoen...
Cherry blossoms at Shinjuku-gyoen

An early morning stroll to the Tsukiji fish market - the tunas were about my size!!!Hachiko the faithful Akita



















Bright lights at Shimbuya