Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan (February 2025)

Shibuya Crossing

We took a Shinkansen from Sendai to Tokyo. Shinkansen is the Japanese version of a bullet train with a maximum speed of 300 km/hour. Many countries now have their own version of bullet trains, but when the Shinkansen was introduced, it drew the attention of the world. 

The following map shows the journey we made from Sapporo to Noboribetsu, to Hakodate, to Sendai, and to Tokyo.

From Tokyo to Osaka, we were guided by local guides arranged by Odynovo Travel Agency. It was a private group tour so only six of us took part in the tour. Bea, a quarter Japanese with an American mom, greeted us at the train station and took us to the hotel in Shibuya.

The following day, we went to visit several places. Meiji Jingu Shrine is one of the Shinto shrines located in Shibuya, Tokyo. Shintoism is a pantheism, worshipping many gods. It is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife Empress Shoken. As such, it draws the most number of visitors throughout the year.

Tokyo has the Imperial Palace where the emperor's family lives. We visited its East Garden to stroll around. 

We found Plum Blossoms in the Imperial Palace East Gardens, which bloom earlier than Cherry Blossoms. 

Nakamisedori is the first merchant street in Japan. It is bustling with people from Japan and the world. There were many wearing Japanese Kimonos and they looked beautiful. We made a few stops at snack stores for nibbling and souvenir shops for shopping. It was fun to stroll in the crowd. Sensoji Temple is right next to Nakamisedori and is likewise crowded with people. 

Our hotel was located in Shibuya, in fact right next to the famous Shibuya Crossing, known to be the busiest crossing in the world. When we took the photo, it was not so crowded, but it could be filled with people crossing in all directions. 

For dinner, we found a restaurant specializing in Sukiyaki. The sauce was a bit salty but it was tasty.

Tokyo is a gigantic city with a population of 30 million. We drove by Korea Town on Okubo Street in Shinjuku, Harajuku, a contemporary shopping district, and Omote Sande Shopping Area, an upscale shopping area. But, we only scratched the surface. Naturally, there are a lot of interesting places. But we had to defer other places until a later time. - Jeffrey