Tokyo Day 1- Imperial Palace and Gardens

So I started walking on a bright wintery Sunday morning I search of the Imperial Palace. On the way, I found a steakhouse that said (in English) that it was Tokyo's beat steak, right next to the sign that said "Bring Your Own Cheese." I had hear of BYOB or BYOW, but not BYOC. Live and Learn!

I guess I should mention that I have a love for GoogleMaps when I travel. There are no signs for the Imperial Palace, and I have yet to find a map other than my guidebook. But I can avoid looking like a total tourist (yeah...I...ah...really blend in here), by looking at the map on my phone.

I walked about 4 big blocks, around a corner, down a few more blocks, and came to the Palace. Well.. really to the moat. And this was a moat...wow. About 100 yards across with solid granite block reinforcement. The Emperor knew what he was doing when he built this- this was completely defensible under a land attack. So everyone was running counterclockwise, but the nearest bridge over the moat was clockwise, so of course I swam against the tide. And realized I am the ONLY person going clockwise. Was there a memo on the direction you have to travel in? Seriously....not a single person going in the direction I was going in.

I wandered through a few parks where the cherry trees that would be stunning in the spring covered in blossoms now lay dormant and preparing.

That bridge that I was fighting against the current to get to? Its closed to the public. Seems it was the entrance that the Imperial Family actually used. So I kept walking until I found the next bridge.

I crossed the bridge to the Kitahanebashi-mon Gate. I'm glad I didn't have to pronounce it. At the gate, they gave me a ticket that said I needed to turn it back in when I left. OK....what happens if I lose it? Do I need to stay in the Gardens?

The entrance gate said that there were maps and guide books in English at the Rest House. Did anyone think that people might not be able to find the rest house without the map? I was a bit surprised that there were no maps at the entrance, but figured I couldn't get too lost, right? Ha!

Luckily when I walked in and around a corner, there was a map sign. I took a picture so I could use it as my map. Smart, huh? Well...turns out I didn't need to. they had map signs everywhere, with little yellow dots for You Are Here.

The gardens were nice, but brown and dormant. I folled a bunch of people with nice cameras to the Fujimi-Yagura or Mt. Fuji-View Keep. The former Endo castle had 19 keeps but only 3 remain. This keep was used for storage and for viewing Mt Fuji. The shogun could also see fireworks in Tokyo bay from here. cool! Nothing like building a tall building just so you can see the fireworks. :)

Then I came to the O-bansho guardhouse. This is where the higher level samurai lived and worked out of to protect the castle and grounds. It was the final checkpoint before getting into the castle. It was surrounded by 30 ft tall walls of sloped granite. Again...they knew how to build defenses.


 I walked around the guardhouse into the Japanese gardens, Some of which were remarkably still very green. There was an iris garden that they could flood from the nearby stream in order to irrigate- brilliant!


 
 
There were several stunning ponds with Japanese maples, bamboo and statues. The whole things was beautiful, even when brown and dormant.  I would really like to come by here another time when things are green and in flower. Maybe add that to the bucket list.

Then I went in search of the Nijubashi Bridge- one of the most photographed sights in Tokyo. Behind and to the right of the bridge, you get a glimpse of the Imperial Palace. The only time the palace is open is on New Years, and on the Emperor's birthday Dec 23rd. No Palace viewing for me, I guess.
At this point, the winds were gusting so hard that people just stopped and turned their backs to the wind to wait out the gusts. I was getting cold, so I decided to head towards Ginza for some shopping. It wasn't too far away, several blocks, but I was still feeling good.

Along the way, I met up with this guy- wow, he looked pissed! This is the Kusunoki Masashige Statue, a former Japanese military commander who lived from 1294-1336 (young!). He was also called "Nanko."  He was regarded as one of the most loyal and faithful servents of the Imperial family. The statue was erected when Masashige was 39 years old (1333) and was stated to be the proudest moment of his life. His face is towards the Palace since it is disrespectful to turn your face from the Palace.

I continued on, in search of a geocache into a nice little park across the street called Hibiya Park. As I wandered, I found the Bell of Liberty, a copy of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. There were several tennis courts, a playground, a wedding chapel and several more formal gardens. These gardens include roses that were all in full bloom!

I walked around these gardens and then continued on to Ginza. Now some time for shopping!

 

Tokyo Day 1- getting there

I can't count the day I landed in Tokyo as Day 1. I call that jetlagged fog. I didn't sleep particularly well the night before I left- in part because I was packing and nervous and thinking of all of the things I was forgetting. In part because in my silly wisdom, I figured that it was getting me closer to being on Japan time. Ha!

I guess I can talk for a second about my flight. I flew nonstop on the new(ish) Dreamliner 788. I didn't really notice anything different about it- just slightly larger than a 747. From a business class travel view- it was about the same as any American Airlines flight, not as good as a British Airways or Virgin flight. Service was very good, food was good, but no amenities kit. They cam around with a tray of amenities that you could pick from- eye masks, ear plugs, respiratory masks, and toothbrushes. The windows didn't have blinds- at a touch they lightened or darkened. That was nice because you could still see out even if you had the "blinds" down in order to sleep. We flew over the arctic circle- nothing but ice to see.

The food was good on the plane. It was either Japanese or French. Given that the Japanese guy next to me ordered the French, I decided that was a good choice. I've never been a fan of cold airplane seafood and this would be no exception.

 It took about an hour and a half to drive (well, ride really since I had a car service pick me up) from Narita airport to the hotel in Tokyo. I saw Cinderella's Castle at Disneyland Tokyo as I drove by. When I got to the hotel, check in was very easy. First observation, service personnel, at the hotel, driving the car, everywhere are exceedingly formal and polite. Wow. They are constantly bowing, and they wear formal white gloves with their perfectly pressed suits.

The room was very simple- a nice size and with a very modern Japanese aesthetic. A sliding rice paper door separates the entry from the living area. There is a spot to take off your shoes and put on slippers when you first walk in. First things first- I needed to see the toilet. I had heard about these: heated seats with multiple spray options. I was not disappointed. Althought the warm seat was disconcerting. I think I am used to that first Oh! chill when you sit down. The warmness makes me feel like someone else was just sitting on it. (eek!)


So, the first night was a bit uncomfortable. I had a pounding headache and was way overtired (some wisdom I had staying up). A few phone calls home, some unpacking, and some peanut butter crackers and I finally called it a night around 6pm Japan time (3am EST). I awoke around 6am Japan time after taking a bath, another phone call home, and some reading when I woke up in the middle of the night due to jetlag. Sunrise was starting and I was looking out at the Diet building- essentially the Japanese Capitol building for their version of Congress. I believe I am right next door to the  Prime Ministers office too. Beyond the Diet building, is the Imperial Palace and Gardens. That will be on my list for today.

I showered. Well, let me restate- I stood under a minor waterfall that felt Niagra. The handheld sprayer could be used to remove paint. So freshly exfoliated and clean I headed out for my first day of adventure- wandering. My scheduled food tour for that evening was cancelled so I would be completely on my own. I first stuffed myself with a Western-style breakfast buffet. I had no idea what food was going to be like so I figured I should eat well while I could.

Next door was the Hie Shrine. A Shinto shrine that was reconstructed after the WWII bombings.  As I had no idea about what to do in a Shinto shrine other than what my travel book had told me, I first did the ritual cleansing of my hands and mouth and stepped into the courtyard. I can't wait to do this tomorrow with the tourguide so I can learn about what everything is. But the people there spoke no English, so I just looked around.












I walked out down some steps. Each step had a Tori gate making a beautiful walkway.

Now to find the Imperial Palace!