We started out the day in search of breakfast originally but I thought maybe we could get breakfast at Tokyo Tower so we decided to march on up there. We probably set out around 8am. The day was very sunny but it was a bit brisk in the morning. We really aren't far from where we were at Shiba Park Hotel so it was not difficult to find our way up there. We passed through the Zojoji Temple and its graveyard on the way up and the signs of Sakura season were really evident in the temple grounds. We took our time through there and by the time we got to the tower there was about minutes before opening. We decided that we should just go in and visit the observatories. We bought our tickets quickly and headed up to the 2nd floor observatory where we took pictures for a few minutes until we were allowed by our ticket numbers to go up to the special observatory which is much higher. I figured I would be very unhappy with the elevator ride up but it turned out I managed it well enough even with the message telling us we may hear a cracking sound and it is perfectly safe. When we got up there though I definitely felt a weird equilibrium shift that made the initial couple steps feel strange and the rest of the time up there had a sort of swaying feeling. The day was indeed so nice though that were were able to see Fuji from the observatory. It was very cool to see. I hope the pictures came out well for that. After a few minutes up there we worked our way down to the lower observatory decks and then into the tower village where we had breakfast at a waffle place that really mainly had dessert waffles. Ronni and I had the triple berry waffle which was a blueberry waffle with blueberry sauce and blueberry icing. It was good. I had an organic coffee to go with that which also wasn't bad. Brien had a berry waffle ice cream bowl thing that was not really legitimate for breakfast at all. After breakfast we hit the shops in the tower for a few minutes.
From the tower it had warmed up fairly nicely and we walked back to Hamamatsucho Station where we took the Yamanote Line to Ueno to visit Ueno Park. The park was incredibly mobbed with people as this is officially Sakura season and the blossoms are starting to really be evident. They had all sorts of picnic areas set up for people and in the main aisle of the cherry trees it was almost tough to get through. Along the upper area there were a lot of food vendors but we opted not to eat there as it was a touch early still. Some of it looked very interesting and very tasty though. Some of it was obviously very Japanese. We wandered around a bit after that and ended up falling outside of the park area for a few minutes before finding our way back in. In front of the National Museum there was a Christian signing group we watched for a couple minutes. They were singing in Japanese but there was no mistaking the music as Christian music. From there we walked back to where the train station was and did a short run up and down the streets in the area mostly in search of a fast food joint but not finding one then headed to Hamatsucho Station again by the Yamanote Line. Back at home we ate at the local Mossburger and then took a couple minutes to reset at the hotel.
Brien had wanted to see the Sengakuji Temple on this trip. It is the temple where the 47 Ronin are buried so in the short stop I researched how to get there and we set out on the Yamanote Line to Shinagawa and walked back towards our hotel for a few minutes where half way between Shinagawa Station and Tamachi Station we turned into the temple itself. We walked around that and looked at the graves but didn't go into the museums. From there we decided that since it is a completely straight shot to the hotel we would just walk all the way back from the temple. It took us maybe about 35 minutes but I wasn't really watching the clock or counting. When we were probably about 5 minutes away from the hotel Marina called me and we agreed to meet her at our hotel to do something for the evening. We got her gifts and met up with her. She is looking well and was very happy to see us. I hope she liked our gifts from America.
We walked with her through a few back streets and the Italian district to Shiodome where we watched the fancy clock that the TV station there has. It is a gigantic mechanical and musical affair and was quite neat. I took a video of it but will probably have to post that from at home. From there we went inside and had dinner at a Japanese restaurant. Everyone had pork of some sort mostly katsu with my sweet and sour pork dish rounding things out. The food was very good though perhaps the sweet and sour was a bit stickier than I typically enjoy. The restaurant didn't serve coffee so we went around the corner to Excelsior to have coffee or hot chocolate. A few minutes later we got over to the monorail and paid for a one stop ticket then rode mostly out to the end and then back to to Shimbashi. The monorail goes through to Odaiba and the islands out in the bay. I think the circuit took probably an hour.
Getting out at Shimbashi we found Brien a replacement suitcase since the one he is borrowing from his niece is broken and then headed back in to Hamatsucho Station where we walked back to the hotel and parted ways with Marina. It was fun to hang out with her and definitely was good to see her again. We should be able to meet up with her a couple more times before the trip is over.
I took a fairly large number of pictures today and they are currenly uploading. I will post the link after they are done.
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