Day three of our adventure in Tokyo:
It was actually our fourth day in Tokyo, but we caught up on our sleep the first day. We had booked tours on the first days of our trip on purpose. We wanted to get familiar with the city and get our bearings so we would feel comfortable venturing out on our own.
As we planned out our week, we knew we wanted to hit up a few places:
- Kyoto- the former capital of Japan
- Tokyo Disney
- Tokyo SkyTree
- Ueno Zoo
- Shibuya Crossing
- Local Currency
- Credit Card - with no foreign transaction fee
- International Data Plan
- Google Maps
- Google Translate
Our first stop of the day was Tokyo Station. Reviewing our options for travel from Tokyo to Kyoto; there was the 8 hour bus ride, rent a car and drive 5.5 hrs, or 2 hr Shinkansen train ride. Looking at hotel prices in Kyoto, we decided to make it a day trip. Our concierge at the hotel told us we had to visit the Shinkansen ticket sales office in Tokyo Station. After picking up our tickets, we also chose to purchase a subway day pass for all three rail companies.
It's a much more economical option ($17 pp). Google will route you the fastest way possible not taking into consideration you have to travel on different trains. I'll take a moment here to outline what to expect.
As I mentioned before there are three companies:
Keio Line
JR East Line
Tokyo Line
The lines co-mingle in the same station, trust me just buy the all day / all line pass.
We are planners to say the least.So when we mapped out our plans for the remainder of the week, we grouped the places that were close to each other.
First up : Tokyo SkyTree - Currently the tallest structure in the world. 634 m or 2,049 ft.
We used the Tokyo Subway for all travel from here on out. Google Maps was perfect.
If you visit the Tokyo SkyTree website they will recommend you buy an advance ticket for an additional price. If you're visiting on the weekend or during high travel months you may chose to do this. We were visiting on a Wednesday in June, there was no need for an advance ticket. The normal line was fine, it was about a 20 minute wait to get into an elevator to the Tembo Deck, standing at 350 m / 1,148 ft. For an additional fee you can visit the higher Tembo Galleria at 450 m / 1,476 ft.
Total Cost to reach both decks was $18.50 per person.
The view from the top is amazing, here are a few pics:
A view through the floor panels. It was a little unnerving to see how far up we were.
<---And this is the wrong turn we made on the way to the zoo. The subway dropped us off with about about a 15 minute walk and while Google Maps is awesome, it did lead us around to the back entrance of the zoo.
Again the intertwine nature in amongst the concrete jungle.
<-------Yes they have Pandas!
If you have seen this scene from Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift you are familiar with Shibuya Crossing. At it's busiest time almost 3,000 people cross this intersection in the heart of Tokyo.
It was a rainy night so it wasn't as busy as usual.
We wandered down a side street a found a Ramen shop for some dinner. It was the first time I had ever ordered a meal from a machine. It was unique. The machine at the front of the diner had pictures, you entered your cash and pushed a picture. You received a ticket and gave it to the cook.
Quite delish! Check out our other days in Japan:
Day 1 : Getting there and a tour of Tokyo
Day 2: Mt. Fuji
Day 4: Disney Sea & The Robot Cabaret
Day 5; Kyoto
Day 6: Final Day - Owl Cafe & a trip to Wonderland
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