From the middle to the upper to the $$$

Quick update of my first 2 full days here in Tokyo (Internet is expensive here)! I decided to take it a little easy the first day since I didn't want to stress my body too hard after recovering from the illness, so I explored the area around my hostel first, Asakusa. I went to popular tourist destination, the Asakusa Kannon Temple. But despite taking my time, I finished it pretty quickly (and the main building was under construction). I even strolled around the grounds and visited some nearby "attractions".

My first photo in Japan, outside the Kaminarimon Gate (on the way to the Temple).


The area around my hostel...they have a surprising number of Denny's here...


At the Kaminarimon Gate.


The very long Nakamise Shopping Arcade leading to the Temple.


At the Hozo-mon Gate, just outside the Temple. You can see the temple in the background wrapped in white construction covering.


Some of the religious traditions of the Japanese people.


Ceiling of the temple.


Next door to the temple, the Hanayashiki Amusement Park.

So then I headed to the East Garden of the Imperial Palace (the part open to the public). I went at a sloowwww pace, I'm talking senior-after-hip-surgery slow. I still finished it and wandered around (and got lost on the streets before asking an officer for directions to the nearest subway station) before 1:30 PM. But I snapped some scenic pics.

Outside the garden entrance, at the moat.


Some pics from the garden.

So then I went to Ginza, the first area of Tokyo to undergo Western development. I went to the Sony Building to catch a glimpse of their latest gadgets, walked most of the malls, visited the Tokyo International Forum (it's a glass building shaped like a boat; 6th photo). I spent the rest of the day at Ginza, basically just trying to waste as much time as possible, taking pictures of the classy stores hahaha. I really didn't expect there to be so little to see! But let me say this area is only for high-class shoppers. Luckily I stumbled upon the Hibiya Park while wandering around, but that still only took about 30 minutes strolling. So I covered 3 areas!


Then today, I awoke to cloudy skies. I made my way to a less touristy area, Nezu, to walk down Hebimichi (the Snake Street), a narrow, winding residential street, really not much to see except how the middle and lower-middle class lives. Then I went to visit the nearby Nezu Shrine (after getting lost and asking an officer for help again...the tourist maps here are terrible!). It's a designated "Important Cultural Property" and was established 1900 years ago...I was the only tourist there hahaha. But I made the best of it. There were SO MANY crows...and the crows here are huge! Then I made my way over to Shibuya, the area with the famous crossing street. It really is quite a scene to watch so many people keep crossing the same area. I explored some of the many huge department stores, walked the recommended guide path (which was supposed to last 2.5 hours), took some pictures of the notable buildings along the way, and even walked all the way to the nearby Harajuku area to visit the Meiji Shrine (very popular and important amongst the locals from what I can tell), then down the Takeshita-dori (a major "fashion" street), and then walked all the way back to Shibuya along another road. Then I did some more exploring of a nearby area known as the "love hotels hill"...self-explanatory...and then spent the next 3 hours in Starbucks (overlooking the Shibuya crossing) waiting for nightfall...again, I was amazed at how little there was to see. The place is definitely for the upper class, and it's superficial central. Then after my first dinner at a restaurant (I've been eating out of the convenience stores so far), I snapped a few night pics, then made a last minute decision to go to Roppongi and go up the Tokyo viewing attraction, Tokyo City View, to get some night shots of Tokyo at night. Expensive, but worth it (kind of...it says 360 panoramic view, you only get about 180 at best, the rest is cut off unless you want to eat in a super expensive restaurant). The area I went to is the Roppongi Hills, where all the super rich people live and work.

At the Nezu area.


Along Snake Street.


At Nezu Shrine. As you can tell, also under renovation. I stumbled upon the row (very long row) of orange o-torii gates...and as you can see, they were quite short. I walked the path partially crouching the entire time (before I had to leave because of all the mosquitoes).


At Shibuya. The first shot is the famous Shibuya crossing...and I have not tried that McD's burger yet haha.


Yoyogi National Stadium, on my way to Meiji Shrine. It was one of the sites of the Olympics when it came to Tokyo.


At Meiji Shrine. The path to the actual shrine from the gate was dark, secluded, and kind of creepy haha. When I got to the actual shrine, I got lucky and stumbled upon some actual ritual they perform there.


At Takeshita-dori.


Back to Shibuya. This photo was interesting haha.


Some of the "hotels" on the "love hotels hill".


So many shops at Shibuya. This shop had walls of electronics!


The view from Starbucks of Shibuya crossing. I hung out there for so long, and I didn't even buy anything from Starbucks haha (it's over $3 CDN for a tall coffee...sooo...)!


A dad decided to take a little risk...


Interesting statue outside one of the malls.


As night came.


My first meal in a restaurant! And this meager (trust me the portions are small) cost a bit over $10 CDN. It's strange how you order here too (similar to the many other small "value" restaurants here), you buy your meal from a ticket machine first, then hand the ticket to the waitress.


Shibuya crossing at night.


My impromptu trip to Roppongi Hills. On my way to the sightseeing spot, I accidentally stumbled upon some concert.


The night view from Tokyo City View.


Some very fancy stuff on the observation floor.


At the art museum inside the same building (the ticket includes the museum - only reason I went haha).


On the top Sky Deck level. The view was much better up here.

So that's a quick wrap-up of the past few days. I apologize for the rushed feeling of the post, I have to beat my time-limit, and again, it's expensive here. More soon!