Early in the morning the
captain announced that our expected 8 am docking would be greatly delayed,
because the port was closed because of the storm and the danger of passage into Tokyo Bay. Kirk laid on entertainment and we were allowed to
stay in our suites until after lunch. The Intrepids enjoyed the services of our
wonderful waiter, Alejandro, one last time at lunch. We had a bonus lecture on
the life and music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, and a bonus trivia round as well. Although
the Intrepid 8 achieved our worst score of the trip, it was enough to tie with
the H-Bomb for first place. We were rewarded with a corkscrew each. They’re
very nice, but we don’t need 3 of them, so gave one to our substitute player,
Myrna. Finally, around dinner time we disembarked in Tokyo, found a taxi and
got to our hotel. It had been a surprisingly tiring day, so we searched out a
tiny café for sandwiches, reserved a shuttle to the airport for Sunday and a
tour of the city for Saturday, and turned in early. Our tour pick-up was at a
different hotel at 8 am Saturday, so we took a taxi there around 7 and had
breakfast in the hotel resaurant there. Prices are steep, and the continental
breakfast was about $35 each, but what an experience! The room was lovely, with
views of garden and water. The service was impeccable, including bringing a
little basket to set beside the table for all our belongings. The bill was a
little metal tablet that the server set into a holder on the table. The others
around us were all Japanese, eating from the buffet. The atmosphere was very
peaceful except for the heated conversation at the next table. It was a nice
way to start our day. From the hotel we were driven to the central bus
terminal, then sorted into groups and put on other busses for the various
tours. Our guide “Minnie” (she said, “like the mouse, call me Minnie-san") was the best we’ve had in
Japan. Her English was near-perfect, though slightly accented, and she was
responsive, humourous and engaged.
We visited the Meiji Shinto Shrine, the Imperial Palace East Gardens, the Sensoji Buddhist temple (very busy) where we watched a wedding party moving through various areas in solemn procession.
Lunch was Western-style and very good. Then we took a short cruise around the
harbour. As we came back we could see a wedding party arriving to one of the
other cruise boats, with a fancy red car
that appeared to be a wedding gift sitting on the dock. After a short stop at the Aqua Centre in Odaiba, where we saw the replica Statue of Liberty, we crossed the Rainbow Bridge and were dropped at Tokyo Station, the hub of the train and subway lines for the city. Minnie had given us careful directions to go to Akihabara, where Larry wanted to check out the big electronics area of the city, and from there to our hotel, all by train.
It was confusing, but with her instructions we first got to
Akihabara. What a crazy place! Minnie had warned us it was where all the geeks,
nerds, and gamers hang out. People in costumes, and crowds everywhere. We
wandered for a bit, then found an English pub, where we had dinner. The trip to
the hotel was much more of an adventure. First, we had trouble figuring out the
right train to get on, but finally succeeded. When we got off, she had
suggested we take a subway to a closer stop to the hotel, but we decided to
walk. It was very dark, and we were not sure of the route. Luckily, an
English-speaking young woman offered her help. She had to involve the local
police, who gave good directions through her, and we arrived back safely. Hot
and very tired once again, and ready for bed.
Tokyo photos Oct 2 Oct 3
Click for more details on all the stops of the cruise
We visited the Meiji Shinto Shrine, the Imperial Palace East Gardens, the Sensoji Buddhist temple (very busy) where we watched a wedding party moving through various areas in solemn procession.
that appeared to be a wedding gift sitting on the dock. After a short stop at the Aqua Centre in Odaiba, where we saw the replica Statue of Liberty, we crossed the Rainbow Bridge and were dropped at Tokyo Station, the hub of the train and subway lines for the city. Minnie had given us careful directions to go to Akihabara, where Larry wanted to check out the big electronics area of the city, and from there to our hotel, all by train.
Tokyo photos Oct 2 Oct 3
Click for more details on all the stops of the cruise
