Tokyo Rose
Trip Start
Oct 05, 2009
1
3
17
Trip End
Oct 20, 2009
Where I stayed
Tokyo, Kanto, Japan
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Touchdown... we're in Japan.
An overnight flight, or one very early in the morning is sometimes called a "red-eye". So it is with five sets of red eyes that today’s log is transmitted to you dear friends from the land of the rising sun. We find it hard to believe that we are here in Tokyo – this huge bustling, frenetic, giant metropolis of a place. We could not have imagined how beautiful and accessible this mega city is for a simple Aussie family on our first overseas jaunt.
Despite all of us being so dog tired we found it hard to have a decent sleep on the flight from Singapore – except Archie of course; being half the size of the rest of us has it’s certain advantages and he was able to sprawl across a couple of seats. The announcement as we taxied to the runway that we had to take a detour of sorts to avoid the typhoon (TYPHOON???) and that we may expect some slight turbulence didn’t help our slumber much either. Any sleep was short-lived anyway as we were awoken at 5:00am (Japan time) for breakfast. It was a bit hard to stomach but we had a pick and were mostly able to keep it down!!!
We touched down into a rainy Narita morning and were given priority through the customs check in because we had a young child with us – hint for travellers; rent a young child to bring on your next overseas holidays and you too can be whisked through customs. Rob, Michelle and Michael were all finger-printed on entering Japan and had our photo taken for their records. This of course has thwarted our plans of robbing the Bank of Japan.
We managed to take care of validating our Japan Rail tickets and organising subway tickets into Tokyo. We met Rick, an Irish fellow visiting his son in Tokyo and yes the Irish do love a chat. Upon arriving at our eventual destination of Asakusa we were greeted by drizzling rain which we happily trekked through to reach our hostel. It seemed to refresh us as a good walk in the rain does. The area of Asakusa is so absolutely beautiful (check out some of the photos) and we were knocked out to be staying just five minutes from one of the most historic and venerated temple centres in all Japan – the Senso Ji.
The Sakura Hostel was warm, dry and so very friendly. We felt at home right away – Archie of course winning hearts and making smiles from the word go. We enjoyed a shower, got into some dry clothes and then with borrowed umbrellas went for a walk to check out the lay of the land. We were all so hungry that the priority was to find some local cuisine and we found a charming little restaurant which served us Ramen (a noodly soup) and some fried rice. We each ordered something separate and shared the dishes around – and how proud were we that Archie took to the chopsticks and new tastes like a duck to water.
Returning to our room, we sorted luggage, made beds, did a couple of loads of washing and got to know the friendly staff and guests of the hostel. Sleep was still a priority so Michael and Megan soon got to know their beds and slept from late afternoon until the next morning. Archie soon joined them so Rob and Michelle took an evening stroll through the historic alleys and back streets of the Asakusa area in a light rain. Warmed by a couple of Wild turkeys it was just a beautiful time and among the sites was a glimpse of a Geisha entertaining her guests in a little restaurant, the lanterns around the temple area and the neon lights shining through the light rain.
Sleep was welcomed finally...
Sayonara dear friends, until tomorrow.
