We are back in Tokyo discovering more of the city. After settling into our hotel we took Iona's advice went to Shibuya to see the a pedestrian crossing. Why we questioned but when we got there we understood. It's known locally as the Shibuya Scramble. Madness. The whole place is like this millions of people everywhere. Bright lights and very busy.
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| Hotel foyer, Halloween is already ramping up. |
2nd Oct (Day 19)
Bit more of a relaxing day. We visited Shinjuku the business district of Tokyo and we ascended to the 45th floor of the Metropolitan Government Building. (Observation Deck) to view Tokyo City from above. We were hoping to see Mt Fuji but like most large cities the smog restricted the view.
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| Metropolitan Government Building. |
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| Mount Fuji should be in the distance. |
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| Shinjuku Gyoen Gardens. |
Once again our feet were really tired so we headed back to the hotel to chill out. Once we had recuperated we decided to return to Shinjuku and ascend once more the Metropolitan Government building to view the city at night. (did we mention it was free). After 7pm there was virtually no queue and no where near as busy as during the day.
3rd Oct (Day 20)
Today was a train trip record. Two local trains, a Shinkansen, another local train, a switchback railway and a cable car to reach Sounzan station in the Hakone area. We were hoping to see Mt Fuji but it was a really cloudy day so foiled again. Also the ropeway was partially closed due to volcanic activity.
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| Road Kill. |
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| Wallabies supporter. |
4th Oct (Day 21)
It's another hot and humid day in Tokyo as we had quite a bit of rain overnight and then the sun came out. We decided to head to some nice cool gardens. Rikugien Gardens were established in the 1700's and they were very peaceful. We heard and saw quite a few birds which is something that has been missing from a lot of places.
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| I dare you to eat one. |
We picked up a car in the afternoon and after tea we drove to a rest area on the expressway to check out the local car scene. There was an eclectic mix of vehicles ranging from a turbocharged Suzuki Sierra 4x4 (with a bicycle on the roof) to Lamborghini's and Ferrari's. Cars were coming and going and doing flybys onto the Expressway and then a few minutes later they would return to the rest area.
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| Possibly the oldest car there. |
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| Nah. Definitely older. |
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| Hang on. I recon this is the oldest. |
While we were chatting to a guy about how it all worked the police showed up to clear the car park. The procedure was nothing like at home when the police show up.
The trip home was the biggest challenge. We circled one area that many time looking for our exit we got dizzy.
5th Oct (Day 22)
More car stuff today. First stop was a visit to JDM heaven (Up Garage). Ken finally found his souvenir from the holiday, a front strut brace for the Subaru.
Then it was off to Nissan to have a look at their car gallery, wouldn't mind one of their GTR's.
Then we checked into our hotel in Yokohama. Where the hotel is, its like Surfers, tourist trap. People everywhere and lots of jewellery, handbags and women's clothing shops. We ventured across to the other side of the tracks looking for somewhere for tea and found the real Yokohama, and we had the best noodles by far, made on site to order.
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| Trash and Treasure |
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| Pachinko (Pokies sort of) Nobody was smiling. |
6th Oct (Day 23)
Our final day in Japan it dawned cool and windy. We drove to a little place called Itako which has canals where you can take a gondola ride. However it only operates during the spring time when all the Iris's are in bloom, so we were a little disappointed. We then dropped the car off at Narita Airport and caught the shuttle bus to the terminal for our evening flight home. All in all it has been a very successful trip we really enjoyed our trip in Japan. At the airport some idiot tried to get his leatherman through security. The staff couldn't have been more helpful, making sure it was packaged and checked in as luggage.
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