Yokohama (Tokyo)/Japan

13.4.2024 Yokohama

First of all, we had to find our buses, which was not that easy given the large terminal building.

Then we went to Tokyo to the Shibuya Sky high-rise. From there you have an excellent view of what are probably the busiest pedestrian crossings in the world (Shibuya Scramble Crossing): When the light is green, up to 3,000 people cross the streets there.

From the observation deck you have an excellent view of this gigantic city. The two striking towers, which we would later see up close, also caught our eye.

I left the building via the escalators, circling most of the floors because there were shops and restaurants there.

But my goal was something else: the statue of the famous, loyal dog Hachiko, whose true story was made into a famous film. I found it and arrived at the agreed meeting point on time.

We then went to the Skytree Center to see the first of the two towers, the Skytree, and the shopping arcade underneath.

Then we went to the Sensoji Asakusa Kannon Temple, the oldest and most important Buddhist temple in the city. It was a real nightmare. I fled from there relatively quickly and looked for a restaurant on a street in the neighboring district. I chose one that was celebrating its 100th anniversary. I had a cheap and pretty decent lunch there. Then I continued on by bus.

From a park by the river, where the cherry trees were in full bloom, we were able to admire the Skytree in its full length.

We also visited the Meiji Jingu Shrine, but my interest in religious buildings had waned.

I found the Tokyo Tower, the Japanese version of the Eiffel Tower, more interesting. It's a shame we couldn't go up there - we didn't have enough time.

On the way back we made one more stop: In front of the DiverCity Tokyo Plaza shopping center is the Unicorn Gundam statue. We arrived just in time to admire the "show" of this 18 meter tall robot figure: music, light effects, small movements. Quite nice.

On the ship we were treated to "Japanese Roots and Rhythms". Musically, I like China better.