Tokyo - Spring 2006

( Click on the picture to view with full scale )

We arrived at Narita airport about 7 PM, took airport limousine to get to Tokyo which took 1 hour. Before our trip I booked with Tokyu stay at Gotanda, being naive I only printed out the booking but not hotel address!!. The limousine (don't let the name fool you, despite called as limousine, it just the bus that will take you from airport to your hotel) drop us at Shinagawa Prince hotel, from there it just two station away to Gotanda but we decided to take a taxi and our experience with Japanese start. We told the man at taxi' booth in front of Prince Hotel our destination: Tokyu stay hotel, Gotanda. He nodded, repeated after me: Tokyu stay hotel, Gotanda and leant over the door, he said some things in Japanese with the driver ( perhaps the place to go ) . Great!! I thought and off we go. After a while, the driver stopped in front of Gotanda station and he told me: Tokyu. Looked around, I found no sign of a hotel, instead I read the sign of the building beside us: Tokyu . I knew that the hotel locate right next to the station but this place looks nothing like a hotel. After tried to communicate with our driver, I said: - Tokyu stay hotel? He said: - Tokyu Gotanda . I repeated my question and he repeated his answer, we gave up and got out of his taxi. Gosh, it was mid March - it was hot in Australia and still cold in Japan . We jumped up and down, hailed some passers - by and asked them the direction.We chose young ones but they simple avoid us as it was late and dark and cold. Suddenly one young Japanese man approached us and speaking broken English ( Like my English !! we equally hahaha) he offered to help.Then he got back to the Tokyu ( It 's a shop, a supermarket chain ) and asked the staffs and got back to lead us all the way to .... the other side of the station. Our hotel waa at the East side of the station and right in front of it!!!

Here I got to say something about Japanese: they 're very polite and despite not many could speak English, they used to get out of their way to help stranger. Above I said the young ones tried to avoid us just because it was late and dark and they were so shy !!

The day after we took the train on Yamanote line ( Gotanda serves two lines: Yamanote and Asakusa ) and completed the loop - Yamanote train goes around Tokyo as a loop which is useful - and then transfer to Manurouchi line to visit the Imperial Palace

Niju-bashi bridge and the Imperial Palace at the back ground

Then we went to Asakusa and browsed Nakamise shopping arcade and bough some souvenirs.

Niten- mon Gate

Senso-ji Temple (aka Kannon Temple )

Five - storeyed Pagoda

An artful flower arranged, Japanese style

As we arrived to Senso-ji Templeat midday, we saw a mini show infront of Asakusa tourist information center. And as we waited at Narita airport for our flight to North Carolina via Dallas, we saw two ladies in kimono played Sakura' song with traditional Japanese instrument ( not Samisen, unfortunately!!)

Ladie in kimono play Japanese traditional instrument (click to see and hear)

The Seiko' s mini show (click to see)