Judy from Boise
Watch out – might take away your
- Joined
- Aug 24, 1999
I hope to add pictures soon !
Part 2: Tokyo Morning
We arrived at our Hotel the Keio Plaza (an Inter-continental ) in the middle of Shinjuku. Shinjuku is the famous area that has all of the neon lights and non-stop nightlife. The hotel is fancy with uniformed doormen in top hats, lots of other uniformed people standing around just waiting to meet your needs, crystal chandeliers etc.
I was quickly checked in, and on my way up to my room on the 38th floor ! I was in a
superior twin room on the executive floor. The room was good size with a desk, table and 2 chairs, and 2 single beds. The beds were much larger than a twin bed in the USA .almost the size of a double. The mattress was futon, very hard but I find it to be comfortable. The bed had 2 pillows on it , one hard and one soft, I thought that was smart. The bed also had a beautifully soft down comforter as the blanket. The neatest thing about the room was the consol unit that ran 1 solid piece as a headboard for both beds. In front of each bed was padded, but in the middle section was a master control board for the room. It had a built in clock/alarm, a built in radio that had a pre-programmed musak station playing soft instrumental versions of American oldies from the late sixties and early seventies, switches that could turn off all of the lights in the room ( except for the bathroom ) and a switch to turn the AC on or off ( the actual thermostat was on the wall ).
The bathroom had a Japanese toilet. When you sit down it makes a flushing noise you can also use the buttons on it for a wash and air dry . The tub was extra large and twice as deep as a typical one. The room also had bathrobes, and free slippers packaged in plastic, since most Asian people change from shoes to slippers immediately, since shoes are considered very dirty . Of course first thing I filled that tub with hot water, took a great soak, and fell into bed.
Our first morning we started out at 7:45 with a breakfast meeting hosted by the Japan Tourism office. Surprisingly I felt fine and ready to go. While we had presentations on how to plan trips to Tokyo for our clients, we ate scrambled eggs ( they cook them the English way soft and moist ) Canadian bacon, fresh fruit, and croissants. And lots of very good strong coffee. In fact the whole trip I was served excellent coffee wherever I went.
We also had a presentation from DoCoMo, who I believe is they powerhouse wireless/phone company in Asia. They wanted us to test a new generation of their phones to see if it was something they should market for visiting tourists. The phones can be used as phones, but also as GPS units, video cameras, and to access the internet ! We used them to send e-mails back home, and could look up maps etc that they had put on their web page for us.
Then off we went for our first day of sightseeing.
We first went to the Meiji Shrine, shrines are simple and are built to acknowledge our oneness with nature and the belief that all things in nature have a soul. Shrines are used to pray for guidance and to celebrate happy occasions. It had a beautiful walking path of gravel ( meant to provide a sensory experience of sound and being one with the ground ) lined with pine trees and Lampposts with lanterns that reminded me of craftsman style. It was an overcast day with lots of moisture in the air, at times I felt like I was walking through the Columbia gorge area in Washington. ( Isnt it a sign of age when everything you see reminds you of something else ! ) Very green, moist, and peaceful.
Next we came to the spot where you are supposed to wash your hands for purification.
Then to the temple itself. We saw priests sweeping the grounds they do not have to be celibate and most have families. The shrine is funded by people who pay to have their wishes written down on a wooden plaque. They hang on a wall by the temple for a few months and then are burned by the priests. The Japanese are very open about their shrines and temples. Anyone is welcome to participate, and they dont mind picture taking etc.
We then went to the Imperial Place, and were able to enter and walk in the east gardens. The Palace compound ( you cant see the actual buildings where the current Emperor lives ) is in the middle of the city. It is surrounded by a moat and a large black rock wall, as it was built as a fortress. Once again, when you are inside you leave the city feel behind and instead are able to picture the shoguns, and feel the tranquility.
We ended the day at Asakusa Temple ( temples are Buddhist and are run by Monks , they are colorful and elaborate compared to Shrines) . The way to the Temple was lined with a shopping stalls, it finally felt like the real Japan. It had throngs of people of all ages and dress. We stopped at food stands and sampled hot rice crackers, and red bean candy, and looked at all of the goods for sale. I have never liked the smell of incense ..but the incense they had burning here smelled great. We stopped and fanned the smoke onto our bodies for traditional good luck . Besides the Temple there was a nice size pagoda ( the top tier is supposed to have a small part of Buddhas ashes ) and some small gardens. We then returned to our hotel for an afternoon on our own which will be part 3 !
Part 2: Tokyo Morning
We arrived at our Hotel the Keio Plaza (an Inter-continental ) in the middle of Shinjuku. Shinjuku is the famous area that has all of the neon lights and non-stop nightlife. The hotel is fancy with uniformed doormen in top hats, lots of other uniformed people standing around just waiting to meet your needs, crystal chandeliers etc.
I was quickly checked in, and on my way up to my room on the 38th floor ! I was in a
superior twin room on the executive floor. The room was good size with a desk, table and 2 chairs, and 2 single beds. The beds were much larger than a twin bed in the USA .almost the size of a double. The mattress was futon, very hard but I find it to be comfortable. The bed had 2 pillows on it , one hard and one soft, I thought that was smart. The bed also had a beautifully soft down comforter as the blanket. The neatest thing about the room was the consol unit that ran 1 solid piece as a headboard for both beds. In front of each bed was padded, but in the middle section was a master control board for the room. It had a built in clock/alarm, a built in radio that had a pre-programmed musak station playing soft instrumental versions of American oldies from the late sixties and early seventies, switches that could turn off all of the lights in the room ( except for the bathroom ) and a switch to turn the AC on or off ( the actual thermostat was on the wall ).
The bathroom had a Japanese toilet. When you sit down it makes a flushing noise you can also use the buttons on it for a wash and air dry . The tub was extra large and twice as deep as a typical one. The room also had bathrobes, and free slippers packaged in plastic, since most Asian people change from shoes to slippers immediately, since shoes are considered very dirty . Of course first thing I filled that tub with hot water, took a great soak, and fell into bed.
Our first morning we started out at 7:45 with a breakfast meeting hosted by the Japan Tourism office. Surprisingly I felt fine and ready to go. While we had presentations on how to plan trips to Tokyo for our clients, we ate scrambled eggs ( they cook them the English way soft and moist ) Canadian bacon, fresh fruit, and croissants. And lots of very good strong coffee. In fact the whole trip I was served excellent coffee wherever I went.
We also had a presentation from DoCoMo, who I believe is they powerhouse wireless/phone company in Asia. They wanted us to test a new generation of their phones to see if it was something they should market for visiting tourists. The phones can be used as phones, but also as GPS units, video cameras, and to access the internet ! We used them to send e-mails back home, and could look up maps etc that they had put on their web page for us.
Then off we went for our first day of sightseeing.
We first went to the Meiji Shrine, shrines are simple and are built to acknowledge our oneness with nature and the belief that all things in nature have a soul. Shrines are used to pray for guidance and to celebrate happy occasions. It had a beautiful walking path of gravel ( meant to provide a sensory experience of sound and being one with the ground ) lined with pine trees and Lampposts with lanterns that reminded me of craftsman style. It was an overcast day with lots of moisture in the air, at times I felt like I was walking through the Columbia gorge area in Washington. ( Isnt it a sign of age when everything you see reminds you of something else ! ) Very green, moist, and peaceful.
Next we came to the spot where you are supposed to wash your hands for purification.
Then to the temple itself. We saw priests sweeping the grounds they do not have to be celibate and most have families. The shrine is funded by people who pay to have their wishes written down on a wooden plaque. They hang on a wall by the temple for a few months and then are burned by the priests. The Japanese are very open about their shrines and temples. Anyone is welcome to participate, and they dont mind picture taking etc.
We then went to the Imperial Place, and were able to enter and walk in the east gardens. The Palace compound ( you cant see the actual buildings where the current Emperor lives ) is in the middle of the city. It is surrounded by a moat and a large black rock wall, as it was built as a fortress. Once again, when you are inside you leave the city feel behind and instead are able to picture the shoguns, and feel the tranquility.
We ended the day at Asakusa Temple ( temples are Buddhist and are run by Monks , they are colorful and elaborate compared to Shrines) . The way to the Temple was lined with a shopping stalls, it finally felt like the real Japan. It had throngs of people of all ages and dress. We stopped at food stands and sampled hot rice crackers, and red bean candy, and looked at all of the goods for sale. I have never liked the smell of incense ..but the incense they had burning here smelled great. We stopped and fanned the smoke onto our bodies for traditional good luck . Besides the Temple there was a nice size pagoda ( the top tier is supposed to have a small part of Buddhas ashes ) and some small gardens. We then returned to our hotel for an afternoon on our own which will be part 3 !
