Tokyo

My first trip to Tokyo and it was a blast!!! This is Tokyo Tower...look familiar? It was inspired by the Eiffel Tower - I think it's neat that I've been to both! At 333 meters (1,091 ft), it is the tallest self-supporting steel structure in the world and the tallest artificial structure in Japan.


We decided to save the observation deck for another day, but still had fun at the tower. Andy and Tiffany played a pinball style baseball game and gathered a crowd!

Then we had a waffle with ice cream from the Pink Dot. They had several different flavors, one with beans on it, I chose mango - yum! It was a really hot day, so ice cream hit the spot!

Okay, so this is the random group of pictures. First - that's not an elevator...it's a bathroom! (It seems that almost every post I've got something to say about a bathroom - and if I don't write it, I've probably just chosen to leave it out!) Next we have the Tokyo Tower mascot. I'm not sure what it is, but it's not the first unusual/unidentifiable mascot I've seen here...it was just too bizarre to leave out! Last but not least, it's a green wall...yes those are plants. (I told you these pictures were random!)

I had always imagined Tokyo as this extremely busy, populated city. The area around the Tokyo Tower wasn't what I expected at all - very quiet, not a lot of people around, just a normal place. Then we took the subway to a different area in Tokyo - Shibuya. The picture above is a famous intersection in the heart of Tokyo where thousands of people cross every few minutes. It's known as the Times Square of Tokyo and it did NOT disappoint. It was exactly what I imagined...people everywhere, loud, tons of restaurants and businesses. It was fun taking the picture (which doesn't do justice to the number of people) but it's not a place to just hang out...way too crowded!!!


We ducked off a side street from the crazy intersection and found this restaurant. It was an interesting eclectic meets traditional Japanese style...

...and I had my first Chu-hi! Pronounced chew-hi - it's an alcoholic drink that originated in Japan and seems to be a favorite among the Navy (it's the only drink here I've heard rumors about long before tasting it!!!) The Chu-hi stands around base are known for having no taste of alcohol but packing a serious punch! You can get Chu-hi in a variety of flavors - we chose lemon and grapefruit - at this place we actually squeezed the juice ourselves and poured it into what tasted like carbonated water and alcohol. It was very tasty and refreshing!

Oh, and the little bowl...I have no idea what it is...they brought it out as soon as we sat down and it tasted about as good as it looks. Fortunately the rest of the food was good!