Goodbye Tokyo, Hello Harbin
Pardon my delay in writing, as I promised several people that I would be posting, not counting on bad connections or even social media being blocked by the People's Republic; I knew it could happen, but not to ME. Anyway, I have a lot of catching up to do, so sorry if it seems like I'm throwing up a lot of information.
Tokyo was a blur, one day out for Mt. Fuji and then one day to walk around and see all of Tokyo, Yeah, I'm delusional. I did pack a lot into one day, I think I hit over 22,000 steps. I also learned how to navigate the Metro, which is very easy once you figure it out. It's very clean and I felt very safe.
I walked (stumbled across really) to the Imperial Palace but couldn't go inside the gardens due to the New Year's Holiday. Dang it. Okay, I walked around and found the Metro entrance and went to Shibuya Crossing and the Hachiko statue.I'm sure the Shibuya Crossing is cool to watch with masses of people (it's an intersection of 6 or 7 roads, and the lights change at the same time so it's a coordinated crossing), but on New Year's Eve day it didn't seem so cool to me.
I spent some time just hopping on and off the Metro (you can buy an all day pass), just trying to take it all in. I headed back to my hotel to rest up for my next adventure which was to go to the Tokyo Skytree. If you've been here before, you know I like my tall buildings, whether I have to climb them myself or not. Thank goodness I didn't have to climb this one, I might still be there (because I'm stubborn and don't quit when I should). Tokyo Skytree is 450 stories high with several observation decks and activities for visitors. I bought the skip the line ticket, which is available for foreign visitors, and worth it (I don't think it costs too much more, but it can save a ton of time standing in line). The elevator ride was 10 seconds or something ridiculous like that, and no ear-popping. I went up at night, on purpose so I could see the city lit up.
I'm glad I did it, but when I was trying to get out, it was one of the most infuriating moments; for all of the efficiency and smoothness in getting up, I could not believe how chaotic and stupid it was to leave. I may have elbowed one or two people when they got in my space. I finally escaped, but couldn't bear the thought of taking the Metro back. New Year's Eve and I was tucked in by 10:00 pm, getting ready for Harbin.
If it was only that easy. I was going to be the international traveler, and take the train to the airport. That almost ended in disaster because your faithful narrator has the worst sense of direction (which you know by now) and can be an airhead; in spite of this, I sometimes have good fortune, and a helpful person at the train station got me in the right direction. Whew, made it.
Two days in Tokyo wasn't nearly enough, but it was enough to make me want to come back. Sayonara.
Harbin, here I come.
Tokyo was a blur, one day out for Mt. Fuji and then one day to walk around and see all of Tokyo, Yeah, I'm delusional. I did pack a lot into one day, I think I hit over 22,000 steps. I also learned how to navigate the Metro, which is very easy once you figure it out. It's very clean and I felt very safe.
I spent some time just hopping on and off the Metro (you can buy an all day pass), just trying to take it all in. I headed back to my hotel to rest up for my next adventure which was to go to the Tokyo Skytree. If you've been here before, you know I like my tall buildings, whether I have to climb them myself or not. Thank goodness I didn't have to climb this one, I might still be there (because I'm stubborn and don't quit when I should). Tokyo Skytree is 450 stories high with several observation decks and activities for visitors. I bought the skip the line ticket, which is available for foreign visitors, and worth it (I don't think it costs too much more, but it can save a ton of time standing in line). The elevator ride was 10 seconds or something ridiculous like that, and no ear-popping. I went up at night, on purpose so I could see the city lit up.
If it was only that easy. I was going to be the international traveler, and take the train to the airport. That almost ended in disaster because your faithful narrator has the worst sense of direction (which you know by now) and can be an airhead; in spite of this, I sometimes have good fortune, and a helpful person at the train station got me in the right direction. Whew, made it.
Two days in Tokyo wasn't nearly enough, but it was enough to make me want to come back. Sayonara.
Harbin, here I come.
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