Hello, Tokyo

Finally made it back to Japan twice in the last three months. The purpose of those trips were for work so I was alone, and there was hardly time to explore. Nonetheless it was good to be back to my favorite travel destination.

On my first visit I arrived at Narita which was about an hour’s ride away from Tokyo. I learned the hard way years ago by taking the regular train from Narita to my hotel, and that ride took long to get to Tokyo. So for this trip I purchased roundtrip Narita Express tickets to get to Tokyo Station, and in a little more than an hour I made it to my hotel. I checked in around six thirty, just in time to take a stroll out on the streets of Ginza before grabbing dinner.

The next couple of days were all work. There was one thing spectacular that happened while I was eating breakfast on Day 2. Where I was seated I had a view of the Tokyo Tower and I was taking a photo with my phone. When I zoomed in my eye caught sight of Mt Fuji looming behind. And for a minute I just stared in awe. It was the first time I’ve ever seen it, and I was simply captivated. I looked for it again on Days 3 and 4 but it wasn’t visible anymore.

Day 4 was my departure day and I had time to explore before heading off to the airport. Near my hotel was the Hama-rikyu Gardens. I’ve always been keen on visiting this park but I used to stay farther from it. It is a landscape garden with ponds and teahouse. During the Edo period, the garden was used as duck hunting grounds. The park sits right next to the Tokyo Bay.

It was a good quiet morning stroll at Hama-rikyu Gardens. I liked the red contrast of some trees’ leaves, and the reflection of the buildings on the park’s pond. My visit there was a perfect way to cap my first trip back to Tokyo.

My second trip back to the city happened to be during the coldest week of winter – as my colleagues described it. There was light snow on some areas. The cold reminded me of why I wasn’t keen on traveling during winter when during my first night I opted to walk home from the office to the hotel (just a good 5 kilometers). Halfway through the wind was blowing and pushing me forward, and just when I decided to get a cab I couldn’t find one. So I mustered up of all the self-encouraging words I could think of as I trudged along, and as soon as I saw my hotel’s lobby my feeling of relief was intense.

Needless to say the next few days I opted to settle in my hotel at night so there really was not much exploring done. I did enjoy the food during the second visit though. My favorite was the food from Unagi Shinkawa at Exitmelsa in Ginza. I also discovered Suntory beer and now consider it as my go-to drink. Fortunately I can get them here in the Philippines!

That sums up my recent trips to Japan. Each visit made me determined to go back as a tourist. D and I are planning our annual trip and hopefully we can make it there in time for Sakura. また会いましょう、日本

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