SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2023

SPECTACULAR MOUNT FUJI AND A FIRST TASTE OF TOKYO

Today started with a very nice sleep-in, and one final hour of soaking in the outdoor onsen where, in some perfect timing, I finished my book. (Seriously could’ve stayed three more days at this ryokan just to enjoy that perfect-temperature indulgence!)

Before heading off to Tokyo later in the day, the morning’s itinerary featured a boat ride on Lake Ashi to see the surroundings and hopefully get a view of Mt. Fuji. We had seen it on and off yesterday between the Shinkansen and ropeway gondolas, so were hoping for clear skies, and boy did Mother Nature deliver! It was a picture-perfect day with barely a cloud in the sky to block the view.

We headed over to the lake, where it turned out that the boat we’d be taking was not some boring boat, but the “Queen Ashinoko” pirate ship.

We set sail, eyes peeled as we looked ahead for the great Mt. Fuji. The scenery was beautiful all around, but as we pulled into a port and still hadn’t seen the mountain, we started to wonder why exactly we had taken this cruise.

Turns out that Fuji was actually behind us the whole time! Though to our credit, it was blocked from our sightline by some hills in front of it. But when the ship turned to head to the next port, we suddenly saw its snowy top begin to peek out, growing larger as we sailed in that direction.

We were starting to be satisfied with this peek of a view, until we continued sailing to the right and were treated to a perfect gorgeous view of Japan’s famous natural landmark.

As one final perfect Japanese nod, an orange Shinto torii gate in the water completed the iconic picture as we sailed into the port, originally skeptical but ultimately satisfied with a beautiful view of the majestic mountain.

Leaving the ship, we got back on the minibus and settled in for our drive to Tokyo, with one final gasp-inducing look at the mountain out the back window as we drove out of town.

Quite the view out the back window of the bus

About halfway to Tokyo, we stopped at a rest stop area to get some lunch. I found a little bakery and got some snacks to keep on hand, as well as some much-needed coffee and a surprisingly good sausage roll thing at Starbucks.

Arriving in Tokyo in the early afternoon, we first settled into our hotel in the Ryogoku neighborhood, an area that's home to all things sumo. Despite being a little out of the way of most of Tokyo’s main attractions, the Gate Hotel Ryogoku was an attractive place with a comfortable room, and after so many days of packing and unpacking every night it felt great to be able to meet our suitcases there and set up in one place for the next few days.

The hotel itself had a unique entrance, as you came up a short escalator from the street into the open-air Ryogoku River Center, a boat terminal on the Sumida River. The entrance to the lobby was on the right, embedded in the river center loading area.

James Bond party boat outside the hotel

Maho had given us tons of recommendations of things to see and do in our free time in Tokyo, and this afternoon & evening was one of those free days, so after we settled in, about six of us took a car over to the Asakusa neighborhood to see the striking Kaminarimon Gate, Nakamise-dori shopping street, and Sensō-ji Buddhist temple. What I didn’t realize at the time is that apparently it’s the most widely visited religious site in the world (!!) with over 30 million visitors a year.

Arriving at the gate (the outermost of two entrance gates to the temple), it was our first taste of Tokyo crowds, and it was quite a taste! Even with the busy tourist parts of Kyoto, I don’t think we had experienced a packed crowd like this since our first night on Dotonbori Street in Osaka.

The characters 金龍山 (Kinryū-zan) on the tablet above the lantern read from right to left and reference the Sensō-ji

Even though this chochin lantern is wrapped in paper, it apparently weighs 1,500 pounds! They collapse it during certain festivals when tall objects need to pass through the gate.

After passing through the gate, you’re met by one souvenir shop after another, selling everything from kimonos to keychains to cosmetics, snacks, and everything in between.

Towards the end of the line of shops and leading up to the second gate, the Hōzōmon gate, one side was taken over by a large group of pretty white chochin lanterns. It was still packed, as you can see.

Then, getting to the Hōzōmon Gate and seeing the Temple and surrounding beyond it felt like a different world, out of the city – more like the rural spiritual places we’d been visiting on the trip, albeit much, much more crowded.

Leaving the temple, I took my first spin on the Tokyo Metro. I was expecting it to be clean, modern, and efficient, and it did not disappoint!

Everything is well marked in Japanese and English, the system makes immediate sense, and I don’t think there was a single train delay the whole time I was there. Absolutely the urban fantasy.

Where I was heading was Ginza, an upscale shopping (and maybe living?) neighborhood. Before eventually meeting back up with some of the group, I wanted to take a short detour. I was looking for the Art Aquarium, which – I’m glad I had checked– is not findable from the street, but on a high floor of a department store. Thankfully there are employees scattered around inside the store, exactly where the dumb tourists like me will go the wrong way, to kindly point us back in the right direction.

The Art Aquarium is exactly what it sounds like; a series of galleries of aquariums and live fish used as art. Honestly, it was pretty breathtaking, even moreso because of the ethereal music and the seasonal cherry blossom addition.

Here’s a short video I strung together, followed by some photos, but one of those times where it won’t do it justice.

Of course had to swing through the gift shop

Leaving the aquarium and department store, I walked through Ginza for a bit on my way to my next stop, the giant stationery store Itoya. This stretch is all international luxury brands, and felt pretty similar to 5th Avenue or E. 57th Street in New York (and I’m sure other similar streets worldwide). This Mikimoto is authentic, though!

After a short walk, I made it to Itoya. The Japanese are notoriously into stationery / writing / art supplies, as is yours truly, so I wanted to check out this 12-story mecca while I was in the neighborhood. When I walked in, right on the main floor, total coincidence, were a few people from the Flash Pack trip. They were just leaving, so we decided I’d walk around the store a bit and then meet them for a drink nearby.

The store was indeed a great store, though it was mostly brands we have in the US. Still a lot of fun to walk around, but definitely not the shopping free-for-all I thought it was going to be. (Probably for the best haha.)

Absolutely loved this display of pens right when you walk in. Allllmost got one but couldn’t decide and then realized it was probably the whole display I loved more than an individual pen. So pretty!

Seems like a lot of pictures of a store, but a higher-than-average percentage of my friends and family will be excited by these 😅

Leaving the store, it was just a quick walk across the street to meet some of the Flash Pack group at a bar they found on the second floor of a menswear store. Unexpected! Though it makes sense – it was an upscale store.

Back at the hotel, I ended up going up to the rooftop to meet Sharon, Allison, and Caitlin who were up there enjoying the beautiful night. We chatted for a bit, taking in the city and looking forward to our next few days in Tokyo.