Day 2 – Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Imperial Palace & Akihabara

After rising early, we had a false start attempting to make it to the tuna sales at Tsujiki Fish Market. Apparently it was a public holiday (that the rest of Tokyo paid no attention to) and we were not permitted in. After a detour back home to plan, book and rearrange events for the rest of the stay in Tokyo, we were on our way!

Closest we got to tuna!

Back to Shibuya (just can’t stay away) to pre-purchase DisneyLand tickets to prevent queuing at the Park. Next onto Shinjinku and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building for a spectacular view of Tokyo. Of the three most prominent high rise viewing options; Tokyo Tower, Skytree and Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the latter is the best option. It’s free entry, the second highest and not a tourist trap like the others. We chose the North Tower entrance and soon discovered that it was an even better experience than expected! We got a free tour from a lovely guide, who pointed out all icon landmarks and best places to visit (suggesting that perhaps when I visit a shrine, to pray for a boyfriend)!

After the tour ended, we were considering sitting down to lunch at the limited western cafe. However, our guide approached us again and recommended going to level 32 for lunch. I did some shopping at the gift store and then we headed back down to sign in and get visitor passes.

The 32nd floor is a large cafeteria full of government employees choosing their lunch meals from display dishes. Again our guide found us and talked us through the ordering process (pick a specific cuisine, pay at the vending machine that correlates to the meal number, get a ticket and take it to a window to be serve, sit, eat and enjoy). We had an excellent time and I am so grateful for the patience and kindness of our guide!

Miso soup, dipping sauce, rice, panko crumbed fried pork and shredded cabbage.

Next stop the Imperial Palace and its beautiful gardens. This is just a short walk from Tokyo Metro Station and even though we were too late to enter the actual gardens (closed Mon & Fri at 4pm, not 5pm – thanks Google!) we got some great pictures. Interestingly as we stopped at the cafe we were surrounded by increasing amounts of US Military personnel on RnR, so maybe I didn’t even need to pray for a boyfriend!

Above: Tokyo Metropolitan Station. Below: Imperial Palace.

Afterwards, we stopped to doll ourselves up for Akihabara – Electric Town! Walking through the neon streets, we saw Akihabara maid girls, all sorts of electronic goods and then did karaoke at Big Echo! Karaoke was a great experience, you pay for a private room by the hour, select your songs and meals from touch screens and have your order promptly brought to you.

The highlight of Akihabara for me was a visit to the 9 story bookstore Shosen, a must do for any book lovers! It includes everything from a small selection of English/Japanese manga to a large array of erotica and fetish (henti).

The only downside of Akihabara is trying to get your camera to do the district lights justice!

Technology tips with Caitlin: Get a pre-paid sim card with at least data on it (purchase at Narita Airport) to help get around and know which trains to catch. Caitlin has the Google Translate  app that allows you to take a photo and highlight the area needing translation – great for filling in forms or reading menus only in Japanese.

Mt Fuji, onsen and shopping tomorrow, sayōnara!

Steps: 30,000