Turning Japanese

We have b in Tokyo now for about 12 hours or so and I still can't believe it. We were in a Japanese garden that actually is in JAPAN instead of some American tourist attraction. We both feel like we have entered an alternate universe from where we just came from. Nobody honks, nobody jaywalks, there is absolutely not one piece of litter anywhere to be found. Tokyo seems like the country compared to Saigon and Hanoi. Everyone appears to be well mannered and organized.

Back in Hanoi, our taxi came right at 8 sharp and we were at the Hanoi airport in plenty of time to panic about where to go and what to do. Nothing but shear chaos. Found the JAL counter and got in line. There were lots more lines after that until we boarded. Flight was uneventful, got some sleep, and landed a little bit early around 6:30am.

Bleary eyed we made our way to the Airport Limo counter and bought a round trip bus ticket to the airport combined with a 2-day subway pass. Had to wait around for the bus but we didn't care. We enjoy taking the bus into town because you can stow luggage and you get a free tour of the city. However, Tokyo does have its traffic problems and we didn't get to the hotel until 10:30. Could not check into the room we booked because it was too early. We could check into an upgraded room, however. Fine - just give me a bed!

We settled in, got a little rest, a cup of coffee, a shower, and we were good to go. First order of business was to go to the travel agent downstairs. This is a branch of the same agency I used in Boston. We had to figure out the timetable and the logistics and getting to the airport our last day from Hakone. I had emailed Yuki, our agent in Boston, and she alerted the team downstairs and told me to see Linda when we got here. Linda is great! A gal from Hawaii - so no language problem. We got the whole thing sorted out and ticketed and paid for without having to go running around town. Makes staying in this gigantic hotel worth it. Did I mention that this hotel is like a city.

From the travel agency, we attempted to go to the Imperial Palace and see the East Gardens. First we kept getting lost in the hotel itself trying to get outside. They do have their own nice gardens, however. Then someone sent us in an entirely different direction and we wound up at the Emperor's Palace (no getting into that). Turned around and retraced our steps. Lunch seemed appropriate. Found a French cafe and had a seat. Chatted with a guy from Chicago who now lives in Tokyo. He gave us some pointers.

After a couple of delicious omelets, we walked around the corner back to the hotel to get the metro passes that I forgot. It seems the Imperial Palace is farther away than we thought. We also touched base with Linda to see how the arrangements were coming along. That was taking some time so we hopped into a cab to get to the gardens before they closed. For whatever reason, we picked the one cab driver that didn't have clue where to go. Got close enough, paid far too much money, and walked the rest of the way.

Made it into the East Gardens with an hour to walk around before closing. Not too much is accessible and not too much is in bloom. There was one cherry blossom and everyone was taking pictures of it like it was the Messiah! (Myself included). The park closed at 4:30 and we headed toward a subway station to go to the Akasaka region for some sushi dinner on the recommendation of Mr. Chicago. Negotiating the streets are tricky. The signs and maps don't always match. Sometimes it is the western alphabet and more often than not, Japanese characters. There is a lot of guess work involved. We did manage to find the right station. It was 5 o'clock and I was expecting pandemonium. Nothing. The train was practically empty and everyone was cordial.

Arrived at the Akasaka station and it felt a little like Times Sq. There is a big complex for the TBS station (Tokyo Broadcasting Service). Didn't have a clue about where to go. There were no little tourist agencies like in Vietnam. We roamed around aimlessly for a while and then I went into the Family Mart and asked the guy "where can you get good reasonably priced sushi?" Turns out he went to school in Michigan - Christian school, very proud of being baptisted. He took off his apron and escorted us to a restaurant and told us of another down the street from that. He was awfully cute. Thanked him and went for our first sushi in Japan.

No one spoke English but we made ourselves understood. The sushi was like butter and the price was extremely reasonable. We were both getting tired and we had to make our way back to the hotel. The gps helped us out. Even though it couldn't read a lot of the streets, it still pointed us in the right direction. We just kept moving with the arrow and then we heard "Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Sullivan." How many can there be in? Turned around and there was our good friend Linda from the agency. She had left some messages for us and was glad she caught up with us. It was bizarre hearing your name in the middle of this huge city that you've only been in for a couple of hours. Anyway, we answered her questions and we will pick up our tickets in the morning.

Coming into the hotel, we found an alternative (if we want it) to their mega$$ breakfast buffet. We may just have coffee in the room and pick something up in route. The plan tomorrow is to hit the fish market, another garden, then hopefully catch a boat over to Askusa. We'll see. For now, sleep is definitely the name of the game. Oh, I forgot to mention, we had bright sunny skies and warm temps all day today. Not sure it will stay like that but we've got our fingers crossed.

Next time... Exploring Tokyo