Extra Time in Tokyo

For the first time ever, I actually got to spend some free time in Tokyo, over thr weekend between one corporate event & another. I could't have been luckier witht he weather - bright, blue autumn skies,  a crisp frostiness in the air that made walking around easy and comfortable, and no significant wind chill that would necessitate heavy coats.

As per usual I spent the extra time walking... a lot... If I did this much walking at home I'd probably be 20kg lighter :/  Saturday was Kamakura, one-time capital of Japan & home of the 2nd largest bronze bhudda in the country. Kamakura is a country town not far from the sea - there were actually tsunami awareness signs posted on telephone poles: "7m above sea level - be tsunami aware". The town is about 1hour by train from Tokyo central station - and it seems like house prices aren't that outrageous (around 40,000,000 yen gets you a 3br house), although I could have been looking at some dodgy properties...

With a multitude of temples & shrines dotted about a fairly picturesque little town, Kamakura is the classic historical walkabout of the kind that I would have hated as a child Maybe if, as a child, I'd been more into photography; or if ther was the same instant gratification that you get with photos these days, those wlakabouts would have been less dull.  Clearly I still lack the killer instinct for a good candid photographer, since there were a couple of wedding parties who would have made great subjects if I had the nerve to ask for a pose - just got the one snap.

Dinner was in Ginza. I didn't find the shabu shabu place that I went to about 10 years ago, but I found another instead which was pretty good - all you can eat in 90 min, which was a good deal considering I didn't have lunch.

On Sunday I took the subway again to Asakusa. The fine weather & Sunday crowds made it a vibrant place to go, and I was seduced by the smell of fresh baked something to a little store selling sweet Japanese bread & apple pies, and playing a 40's recording of japanese boogie-woogie music to the long queue of people eaiting to buy. It was fantastic! Crispy & biscuty on the outside, light & fluffy on the inside, and warm. So good I had eaten it before I even thought about taking a picture.  I'll have to go back next time for, ahh, "research". 

Another long walk through almost deserted backstreets to Ueno park, also lovely in the fine weather. There seemed to be some kind of koi fish competition going on, with some available for sale: 80,000 yen for a goldfish? 

I trawled through Akihabara & found the little video adapter gadget I was after, but nothing else stood out as being super-cheap.  The area seems to be as much about maid coffee shopes and anime model stores as electronics these days. The fashion market on the other side of the river was probably a better find.

Another lesson of Tokyo on weekends: Akasaka is pretty much closed. Only one restaurant in four was open, and I eventually grabbed a basic meal. Maybe near Ueno or Roppongi would have been a better option. 

The next lesson was to check other flight options than just from Narita (which is 90 mins from the city by bus). My flight to Beijing left at 8:20am, which meant I didn't have time to transit from Tokyo & has to camp at an airport hotel overnight. Not the greatest hardship in the world, but it basically wasted an evening with colleagues. 

My last view of Tokyo this time was the ground crew lined up waving goodbye to the plane - surprisingly uplifting & not something you'd conceive of in most places.

 

Finally, one unexpected bonus of the flight from Tokyo to Beijing (and the fine weather) was the epic view of Mt Fuji. If only I'd asked for a window seat!