Mathmagicland
Disneyland - the original since 1955
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2014
Monday April 22
Our first day in Tokyo! This is our planned agenda -
Our hotel in Tokyo is right across the street from the Imperial Palace of Japan. With our later report time of 8:45, and we are still waking up a bit of the early side around 5:30-6:00, we decide to take an early morning walk around some of the palace grounds that are open to the public. It is a nice walk and the grounds are beautiful. While we can’t see the palace itself, we can see some buildings, and we found a couple of cherry trees with some lingering blossoms.
There are two restaurants in the hotel and we have a choice of either one for our included breakfast. The later report time allows us also to try out the restaurant “Peter” on the 24th floor which opens at 8:00 a.m.; the lobby restaurant opens at 6:45. It was worth it with the beautiful views of the city; we can also see more of the palace grounds and buildings from up there. It is a buffet and also includes a made to order hot item. With the made to order aspect, breakfast does take a bit longer than the typical buffet only. I’d suggest you get there close to opening & then will have time to finish your meal without rushing before the report time.
First stop today is the Hama Rikyu Gardens and Tea House and Traditional Japanese tea ceremony. We arrive shortly after 9:00 and are met here by a local guide who explains the history of the gardens, which date back to the shogun period. This is like an oasis in the middle of the hustle & bustle of Tokyo.
The tea ceremony was interesting; Japanese sweets are very sweet! After the tea ceremony we have a choice of either wandering on our own or continuing with the local expert. Many of us continued with the local expert, where we learned more about the garden history and plants & trees.
By the entrance, there is a 300-year-old pine tree that is so big! Japanese pines are different from those found in the US, as they grow wider rather than taller, with several large spreading branches. The entire width and height of the tree is what you see in this photo, from edge to edge.
We have a total of 90 minutes here before heading to our sushi making class and lunch. This class was a lot of fun. Several adventurers commented that making sushi is not actually as difficult as it appears when watching the chefs make it, now that we have learned a couple of preparation tips. We make two different types of rolled sushi - a traditional with veggies and tuna, and a California roll. Humorous side note - the California roll originated in California, not Japan, and is rarely if ever found in Japanese sushi restaurants. We saw it on the menu only for the Japanese restaurant in the hotel in Kyoto, and not anywhere else, so it is funny to me that our Japanese sushi making class will teach us to make an American version of a sushi roll. This is likely because it is familiar and a lot of people will enjoy it. The prep session takes about an hour and then we will eat our creations. Mine did not turn out looking too good, so here is a photo of my DS sushi,
One thing to add here - yesterday on our bus travels, the guides asked about anyone who might prefer a sandwich to the sushi. A few of us, including me, raised our hands. They took orders with a choice of three sandwich options, and those were delivered as our sushi prep session ended so we could all eat together.
About 12:45, we start heading over to the Sensoji temple which is in the Asakusa area. Our local guide continues with us. The Asakusa area is one of the oldest parts of Tokyo. There is a lot of traffic driving across town. We get to the temple and will have about an hour to see the famous paper lantern at the front, browse the shopping district, and tour the temple.
This is where my DS and I leave the group. With the traffic, we’ve arrived about 10 minutes later than expected. One of the AbD guides gets us off the bus first, we rush over to the paper lantern for a quick photo and then he helps us hail a taxi for the ride fo the Ghibli as there is not time to take the train and make our timed entrance window...think like a fast pass return time.
For future adventures, I would unfortunately recommend not trying to fit the Ghibli into your free afternoon, as this was really cutting it too close to get to the museum at the designated mid-afternoon time since the museum is about an hour away from the Asakusa area. If your heart is set on getting to the Ghibli, then I’d suggest the 4:00 pm entrance time rather than 2pm. While it is a bit less time in the museum, you would have some breathing room for the trip over plus you’d still be able to do the shopping district and see the inside of the temple.
Because it was quite an adventure to get to the Ghibli, here is a photo of the famous robot on the roof from “Castle in the Sky”. No photos are allowed anywhere inside.
We miss seeing the inside of the temple, the shopping district, and the Sumida river boat ride. The plan for the group was after the time at the temple, about an hour I think, a short walk to get to where the river boat would be boarded. Then cruise the river for a bit seeing the Tokyo skyline, and pick up the bus at the end of the cruise for the ride back to the hotel, arriving back around 4pm for free time and dinner on our own.
We have an 8:30 report time tomorrow morning.
Our first day in Tokyo! This is our planned agenda -
- Hama Rikyu Gardens and Tea House
- Traditional Japanese tea ceremony
- Sumida river boat cruise
- Sensoji Temple
- Asakusa district tour
- Sushi-making class and lunch - make and eat own sushi
- Afternoon on own in Tokyo
- Dinner on own in Tokyo
Our hotel in Tokyo is right across the street from the Imperial Palace of Japan. With our later report time of 8:45, and we are still waking up a bit of the early side around 5:30-6:00, we decide to take an early morning walk around some of the palace grounds that are open to the public. It is a nice walk and the grounds are beautiful. While we can’t see the palace itself, we can see some buildings, and we found a couple of cherry trees with some lingering blossoms.
There are two restaurants in the hotel and we have a choice of either one for our included breakfast. The later report time allows us also to try out the restaurant “Peter” on the 24th floor which opens at 8:00 a.m.; the lobby restaurant opens at 6:45. It was worth it with the beautiful views of the city; we can also see more of the palace grounds and buildings from up there. It is a buffet and also includes a made to order hot item. With the made to order aspect, breakfast does take a bit longer than the typical buffet only. I’d suggest you get there close to opening & then will have time to finish your meal without rushing before the report time.
First stop today is the Hama Rikyu Gardens and Tea House and Traditional Japanese tea ceremony. We arrive shortly after 9:00 and are met here by a local guide who explains the history of the gardens, which date back to the shogun period. This is like an oasis in the middle of the hustle & bustle of Tokyo.
The tea ceremony was interesting; Japanese sweets are very sweet! After the tea ceremony we have a choice of either wandering on our own or continuing with the local expert. Many of us continued with the local expert, where we learned more about the garden history and plants & trees.
By the entrance, there is a 300-year-old pine tree that is so big! Japanese pines are different from those found in the US, as they grow wider rather than taller, with several large spreading branches. The entire width and height of the tree is what you see in this photo, from edge to edge.
We have a total of 90 minutes here before heading to our sushi making class and lunch. This class was a lot of fun. Several adventurers commented that making sushi is not actually as difficult as it appears when watching the chefs make it, now that we have learned a couple of preparation tips. We make two different types of rolled sushi - a traditional with veggies and tuna, and a California roll. Humorous side note - the California roll originated in California, not Japan, and is rarely if ever found in Japanese sushi restaurants. We saw it on the menu only for the Japanese restaurant in the hotel in Kyoto, and not anywhere else, so it is funny to me that our Japanese sushi making class will teach us to make an American version of a sushi roll. This is likely because it is familiar and a lot of people will enjoy it. The prep session takes about an hour and then we will eat our creations. Mine did not turn out looking too good, so here is a photo of my DS sushi,
One thing to add here - yesterday on our bus travels, the guides asked about anyone who might prefer a sandwich to the sushi. A few of us, including me, raised our hands. They took orders with a choice of three sandwich options, and those were delivered as our sushi prep session ended so we could all eat together.
About 12:45, we start heading over to the Sensoji temple which is in the Asakusa area. Our local guide continues with us. The Asakusa area is one of the oldest parts of Tokyo. There is a lot of traffic driving across town. We get to the temple and will have about an hour to see the famous paper lantern at the front, browse the shopping district, and tour the temple.
This is where my DS and I leave the group. With the traffic, we’ve arrived about 10 minutes later than expected. One of the AbD guides gets us off the bus first, we rush over to the paper lantern for a quick photo and then he helps us hail a taxi for the ride fo the Ghibli as there is not time to take the train and make our timed entrance window...think like a fast pass return time.
For future adventures, I would unfortunately recommend not trying to fit the Ghibli into your free afternoon, as this was really cutting it too close to get to the museum at the designated mid-afternoon time since the museum is about an hour away from the Asakusa area. If your heart is set on getting to the Ghibli, then I’d suggest the 4:00 pm entrance time rather than 2pm. While it is a bit less time in the museum, you would have some breathing room for the trip over plus you’d still be able to do the shopping district and see the inside of the temple.
Because it was quite an adventure to get to the Ghibli, here is a photo of the famous robot on the roof from “Castle in the Sky”. No photos are allowed anywhere inside.
We miss seeing the inside of the temple, the shopping district, and the Sumida river boat ride. The plan for the group was after the time at the temple, about an hour I think, a short walk to get to where the river boat would be boarded. Then cruise the river for a bit seeing the Tokyo skyline, and pick up the bus at the end of the cruise for the ride back to the hotel, arriving back around 4pm for free time and dinner on our own.
We have an 8:30 report time tomorrow morning.
I did accidentally go to the same garden and have tea at the same tea house though. I chose it on a whim when I decided to not go up to Nikko on my last full day. I really enjoyed that that they use salt water from the ocean - you can walk along a sea wall and see the sluice gates there as well if you have time. The brochure says you can even see eels and other fish depending, but I did not see anything like that.
SO cool!
