We start each day early... I have not been able to get over the jet lag, so we go to bed early when we're tired around 7 or 8 so far and then we wake up when our bodies have had enough sleep which is around 3 a.m. local. I'm guessing that by the time I adjust, it will be time to head back home and go through the reversing process!
We eat at the nice breakfast buffet they have for us in one of the dining rooms here at the New Sanno. What is amazing is that there are not more visitors here. It's really has become another "hidden gem" for the military. Guess there are just too many options now.
So, Tuesday local, our second full day had the Tokyo Sky Tree, the Akasuka temple and shopping area, and the Yebisu brewery museum to end the day.
This is the Tokyo radio/TV tower which looks like the Eiffel tower. It was the main broadcast antenna for many years until they built the Tokyo Sky Tree which replaced all the functions with bigger and better... ah, good old progress.
This is the TST from a distance.
But first, we stop at the Akasuka shopping district and the temple that's the center of the area. This is the gate that fronts the main street. It's a Buddhist temple, so no Torri gate here.
My darling has a bright idea rising from her brilliant brain!
Here's an uncommon sight in most places, but here in Akasuka, they have started these rickshaws as a tourist attraction.
A sign for one of the largest sushi restaurants in Tokyo
My darling at a street corner market for fruits and vegetables.
The street map and the Beauty!
We went to the top of the visitor's center and here is a plaque explaining the primary buildings and layout which you see below,
A good view of the TST from the top of the visitor's center. The golden building is the headquarters of the Asahi brewing company, which is supposed to look like a nice tall glass of beer...
My darling in front of the first gate that leads into the temple and shopping area...
There are hundreds of stores both along the main path that leads to the temple and on the many side streets that branch off from it...
Each little store is filled to overflowing with its own specialty... from these cute cats to kimonos, to cloth, food, housewares, toys, and much, much more...
I like my Beauty in red better! A housecoat shop here...
Coming up to the second gate to the temple, still surrounded by a cacophony of crowds and customers...
A map of the layout leading from the first gate, past the shops along the yellow road, to the second gate, then the temple, and surrounding areas.
The second gate... lots and lots of people, but no chaos or confusion, most move orderly and politely.
The Five Level pagoda on the left side of the temple,
The Buddhist use "sacred smoke" and water to purify themselves before visiting the Buddha, so we both did. The smoke is supposed to help cure ailments...
We finished visiting and seeing the temple, the surrounding park, and went to get a nice lunch at one of the many hundreds of small restaurants there... afterwards, we met up with the group at the visitors center, moved on to the connecting bridge and met this wedding couple...
Here is my darling holding the Asahi Flame...
Waiting to board a rickshaw for an interesting ride to the Tokyo Sky Tree...
Our rickshaw puller... Shohei who was very gregarious and spoke good English, kept us informed and did a great job... takes strong legs!
Here we are moving along a busy, busy road, but the drivers honor the right of the rickshaw to the road and there was never any danger despite what you see of the close proximity...
My Darling with several of the fellow group members... very interesting stories for each one.. the one to the immediate right is a woman whose father was American and mother was Korean. She was sent to America when she was 7 to live with her father, not a true adoption, but the same traumas and experiences The gentleman in the middle is a 95 year old veteran of WWII (flew B-17s), Korean War, AND Viet Nam... quite a story...
The main lobby with a panorama of city around the TST.
The tower is 681 meters tall, the second tallest in the world aftet Dubai cheated and added a spire to theirs, but we went up to the main observatory at 350 meters... still a ways up. The tech is incredible... the elevator took less than 30 seconds, but you hardly felt it moving! Amazing in so many ways. The view below is what a helicopter crew would see flying over Tokyo, looking out towards Tokyo Bay...
My Sweetheart making things looks good!
The view back down towards the Akasuka area and the temple...
The view through the class walkway, looking straight down 350 meters to the ground...
I didn't get any pictures of the beer brewery, didn't seem that important to me... but it's supposed to be a top attraction. Yebisu was one of the first beer breweries in Japan and its American export is Sapporo Beer...
Well, it was a long day with many sights and smells and tastes... we returned to the New Sanno around 5. We cleaned up, had a nice dinner in the dining room, and a good nights sleep in a very comfortable bed...
More adventures tomorrow, which is a "free day" for us to explore on our own. We're planning to visit one of the city's top parks, some of the shopping districts and more... see you later,
Stay well and healthy and happy. May God bless you, guide you, and protect you in all ways...
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