FettyFun: Tokyo (and all the ramen)

Last time I went to Bangkok with mom, we flew through Tokyo, but I never had been to Japan. Tokyo was honestly much like I expected it to be... It's a massive freakin' city, actually learned it's the largest in the world. The two words that continued to stick in my mind that best describe Tokyo and my short experience in Japan were "calculated" (well thought out) and "considerate" (mindful of others). I think the world in which we live today has a lot to learn from the Japanese in this regard...

I stayed at a pretty basic, but amazing tourist hotel in Shinjuku area which was a great jumping off point for rest of the city. My first evening I explored Shinjuku, which I quickly learned is one of the most lively parts of the city. I spent my first full day walking and exploring my ass off (which I know doesn't surprise anyone who has traveled with me before). I did what ended up being over a 16 mile loop around the center of Tokyo, starting in Shinjuku, dropping down to Meiji Jinju shrine, passing through Shibuya Scramble, on to the Tokyo National Arts Center, Tokyo Tower , Zojo-ji Buddhist temple and then up to the Imperial Palace (where the gardens were closed #$@!) before heading back to Shinjuku. It was a hell of a walk, but I did see SO much in my first day and I do love exploring on foot. I got to see so many areas I would have never seen otherwise. My dawgs were seriously barkin' when I got back to the hotel. Luckily it had a super nice onsen to soak in, which I took advantage of everyday.

Shinjuku

Godzilla!

First ramen!

Meiji Jinju shrine

Shibuya

Tokyo Tower

Zojo-ji

Imperial Palace

My next few days in Tokyo were much more manageable. I took full advantage of the sparkling clean, timely and quiet subway system to cut my mileage to more like 6-10 miles rather than 16. Day 2 I visited the National Gallery where the main attraction was the Hello Kitty exhibit, but I stuck to the traditional works of Japanese art. Samurai outfits and swords were definitely the highlight. The Senso-ji temple, which was total madness and the went up in Skytree tower (sadly Mt Fuji was not visible). Day 3 I visited Tsukiji Outer Market and TeamLab Planets, an interactive art installation, that was quite unique.

National Gallery

HELLO KITTY!

Senso-ji

Skytree Tower

Great view!


Sparkling clean subways!

TeamLab Planets

Floating Orchid Garden at TLP

Walking through a virtual coy pond TLP

Tsukiji Market

But Mark, don't care about anyplace you visited in Tokyo, what the hell did you eat and drink?! Short answer... So much ramen, like every other meal... Amazing conveyor belt sushi... Dumplings... Fried chicken... Matcha tea... Green tea... Beer... Everything was so delicious. Every ramen was different. My favorite was a gem across the street from Tsukiji Market that had a super rich oyster based brother. I was thankful to get there early as the line was almost to the corner when I left...