On our only full day in Tokyo we spent a lot of time being lost. The train system in the city is a combination of an underground subway as well as several above ground train lines, all owned by different companies charging different fares and using different tickets etc. etc. Calum was especially exasperated by this system.
Our first stop was the Seiko museum of clocks, as Calum is a huge fan of Seiko watches. The museum is free and you can conduct a self-guided tour via an Ipad loaded with videos and extra information on each of the displays (in English, as well as several other lanugages).
Between the Seiko museum and a visit to Meiji shrine was a couple of wandering aimlessly in search of lunch. We ended up settling for a Western-style café, not our first choice, but yummy and filling! By the time we reached Meiji we had only a few minutes to run (almost literally) through the center of the temple and take a few pictures. Again, not our usual sight-seeing style, but it is what it is.
Tuesday evening (May 16th) was the highlight of our short time in Tokyo. Through AirBnb’s new service called “Experiences,” we booked a bike tour of Tokyo that lasted from 3pm to about 7pm. The host, Bradley, is an American expat who has been living in Japan for 25 years and owns a biking studio in Tokyo.
This biking tour was not your typical touristy, sightseeing expedition. Bradley took our group through Tokyo’s backstreets and quiet residential neighborhoods—places that tourists would rarely think to visit. He also showed us a local temple and a shrine in his neighborhood…though famous shrines like Meiji are beautiful and magnificent, these smaller, lesser-known religious sites show how spirituality is really embedded in the lives of some Japanese people.
To be honest, I almost felt bad coming to these sites as a tourist, because I know that these places have deep meaning for many local people who come there to pray and reflect. However, I was impressed with the way everyone in our tour group, people from all around the world, walked these sites with a quiet, respectful attitude.
The tour ended with dinner at a pork dumpling restaurant, which most of the other tour participants stayed for. We had some great conversation with the other people in our group—hailing from the US, Australia, Taiwan and Korea.
One of the biggest themes of our trip was awesome people!
Our only regret in Tokyo is not booking more time there. We were so charmed by this city.
Until next time…
P.S. Here’s a link to our bike tour experience! Thanks Bradley!
