Tokyo New Year Holiday.

Liam made this with Legos after we got back, I thought it was fitting as the opening picture for the trip.

For the New Year holiday we decided to go to Tokyo and explore.

On Dec 31 we loaded into the Diva and I drove to Hoshakuji station and dropped the family off. Then I drove home and walked to the station to meet them.

We all loaded onto the JR rapid train bound for Ebisu. The Shinkansen is faster (about 50min compared to 1hr45min) but about 4 times more money. From Ebisu we took the subway to Roppongi and our hotel.

The train is faster than car or bus from Utsunomiya. They are very clean. As you get closer to Tokyo they get more and more crowded, but we started our journey outside of Utsunomiya so we were able to sit the entire trip. We were not so lucky on the return trip.

Below is some footage from the train before it got crowded. A little boring, but shows the experience of riding a train in Japan.

After dropping our things off at the hotel we headed for Tokyo Tower. This is my third time in Japan, but I had never made to the tower. It is 333 meters tall (the Eiffel Tower is 320). It was built in 1958 (69 years after the Eiffel Tower) As a result it weighs 4,000 tons which is 3000 tons less than the Eiffel Tower due to advances in steel manufacturing and processing.

Before going up we decided we should eat lunch. I read there was a restaurant at the base of the Tower called the Tokyo Curry Lab. It was conceived by the creator of The Iron Chef TV show. Actually I would recommend this restaurant. The curry was exceptional. They had a children's menu. The price was reasonable. We were very glad we went.

After finishing our meal at the Curry Lab we headed off to wait in line to purchase tickets to go up the tower. When we finally arrived at the counter I explained that I wanted to purchase tickets to go to the top. I was informed that I could not purchase them on the ground I had to purchase them after making it to the first observatory. 40 minutes later we made it to the first level (150 meters). We discovered that there was also a line to purchase tickets to go to the special observatory. I convinced everyone that we had made it this far we should go to the top. Kate was stoked about the decision. You can see it in her face below. 45 minutes later we were on our way to the 250 meter high observatory.

It is difficult to explain how big Tokyo is. I am not really sure where it starts and where it ends. when we take the train from Tokyo to Utsunomiya the buildings never really stop, they just get smaller and farther apart. Below you can see in the picture from the tower that as far as you can see there are buildings. The view really was incredible.

Next we waited in line 20 min. to go back down to the first observatory at 150 meters. After arriving at the first observatory we found we would have to wait more to go down to the ground level, so we decided to take the option of walking down. It was a good and bad one. We were able to get fresh air, but 150 meters = a whole lot of steps.

Half way down the children were losing it. I took this picture while they were still in their oxygen deprived state.

In the end it was still worth it. Next was Harujuku. It was interesting to see. Many youth clothing shops and some children expressing their individuality. I did not take many pictures here. Maybe some day we will go back to see it in the day and take more pictures.

On to Shibuya. I wanted to show the family the famous intersection. It has been in a number of movies. (including Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift) There are maybe 5 roads that come together at the intersection. The lights cycle through all the vehicle traffic, and then the walking is signaled all at the same time. Walking occurs from all sides. The night we were there was New Years eve. It was dead. Below are two videos, the first is New Years eve, the second was taken on Jan 2. when we went back. You can see there is a big difference.

Finally we went to the Hotel to rest and ponder whether we should go out for the new year or not. Final decision (everyone did agree) was to head for Asakusa to the Senso Ji temple to ring the new year in. I am not sure how many people were there. This was the largest crowd we have had the children in, but it was very orderly and I never felt the children were in danger. In the end it was an extraordinary experience. At midnight the bells were rung and everyone slowly moved forward to make a new years wish and throw money into the shrine as an offering. It was amazing to be part of this tradition.

Both of the children were very tired at the end and although they probably won't appreciate this until they are older it was well worth it.

After passing the shrine there are many options for souvenirs and for eating. One of my favorites it tako yaki. It is breaded octopus that is baked in a cast iron pan made specially for cooking it. Kate took a picture as they were making it. These stands are scattered throughout Japan.

The subways ran all night for the New Year and we did not make it back to the Hotel until after 3:00am. As a result the next day got off to a late start. We walked around Akihabara, shopped at Tokyu Hands and then headed back to Asakasa to catch a water bus to Tokyo bay. The water bus is a boat that is very relaxing. It is nice to sit back and see the city from the water. The roof is glass to you can see all around. It was definitely worth doing.

Dinner and off to bed to prepare for the Emperor's Palace.

Jan 2. The Emperor's Palace is only open 2 times a year to the public. December 23 and Jan 2. We set out in the morning toward the Imperial Palace. After getting off at the station it was not hard to tell which way to go. We just followed the massive crowds. On the way everyone was given a paper Japanese flag. We passed through 2 security check points and then entered the grounds. We lined up in front of the Palace with everyone else and waited. We were able to determine that the Emperor would speak at 1:00 (about 45 minutes waiting). Yet another amazing thing to participate in.

I only have a short clip of the Emperor speaking as I had to hold Liam up to see. I am also including a clip that was actually a mistake. I was trying to take a picture, but accidentally had the camera on video. I still think it is interesting as it show the number of flags and the sound they were making from waving and the wind as everyone held them up.

More shopping and we rounded the day off with a trip to TGI Fridays. The menu is a little different, but the food is basically the same. The decorations on the wall are even American. If you did not pay attention to the waitress you may forget you were even in Japan. I ended up with the biggest burger I have had in years. I left Fridays completely stuffed.

Feb3 We explored Roppongi a little. We stumbled onto the giant spider sculpture at Roppongi hills. It is a huge sculpture. The children ran under it so you can get an idea of the size.

We finished off the trip by visiting the Meiji shrine. It was also unbelievably crowded. We were able keep the family together as we waited, but while standing in the crowd we decided we were finished after this one.

Here are giant barrels of Sake at the shrine.

This is a view just prior to entering the shrine. This shrine is actually very plain, so I have not included a picture of it.

This did finish us off. We caught the subway to Ueno and boarded the JR train headed back to Hoshakuji. For the first half of the trip it was standing room only. About half way we were all able to sit down. While riding the train the family decided to just walk home from the station rather than have me walk home, get the car, and drive back. It is about 1.6 kilometers from our home, but it was at night and pretty cold. I was happy that everyone agreed to walk and we made it home pretty quickly and with no concerns. In the end I am glad I have a couple of days left before going back to work to recover from the vacation.

Hope everyone had a great holiday.