Prior to Thursday morning Sherryl asked if we could have breakfast at a McDonald's. She informed me that she just wanted to see if they're breakfast menu was anything different from the MCD back home. I asked if she was serious and she replied that she was as she's sick of the plain jane breakfast we have at the hotel. I have to agree the breakfast menu doesn't change and it's not impressive either.
Well morning came around and Sherryl informed me that she feels too lazy to head out to MCD and therefore it was another uneventful start to the morning with our hotel plain jane breakfast. Glasses of OJ, plates of sausages (more like mini hot dogs), eggs, and some fruits. They have other choices but who eats beef curry or fish in the morning?
After breakfast Sherryl and I had to map out our trek to Asakusa. We had to take a different line this time and our trip was a little further out. When we got to the station we walked up and I asked a local where Sensoji was and he just informed me to walk straight and a quick right. We did just that and there's no mistaking it. Sensoji was right in front of us and there's a bunch of people in front of the Kaminarimon Gate.
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After you enter the gate you're immediately in front of Nakamise Dori which is a street that leads to the temple. The street is full of vendors selling everything from t-shirts, souvenirs, toys, and so forth.
After we pass through Nakamise Dori we look to the right and see the Tokyo Sky Tree which was impressive.
We took a few photos in this area and finally made our way into the temple. Immediately we see tour groups and the biggest one was a french speaking crew from Montreal. We're not allowed to take any photos of the shrine but we did anyway simply because we did not know and we did not see any signs.
After we left the shrine we took all sorts of pictures from around the temple. We walked a bit and then suddenly Sherryl remembers Konome telling her about a special shop that sells different dishes of Sweet Potato. Sherryl is an addict of that kind of thing and therefore we go about to try to find it. Luckily the name of the shop is Oiyama San. We couldn't find it initially but there was a police corner and the officers gave me concrete instructions on how to get there. It was a quite a trek but we eventually find it and we ordered two dishes, both of which tasted great, and Sherryl ended up purchasing sweet potato fries or chips that she plans on bringing back home.
With some time to kill we head back to Nakamise Dori so that we can buy some souvenirs. There wasn't anything that caught my attention but Sherryl bought a few things. After some more walking we head out to the station to find out what train to take to head out to the Tokyo Sky Tree.
We couldn't find the train initially but there was a college student that approached us and asked me if I could answer some questions for him. He asked the basic questions on why I came to Japan, how long is my stay, and what did I visit and so forth. I answered the questions honestly and the student then told me that I needed to take a different exit, walk to my left to pass a Burger King (really), and then was a few meters and the train station would be to our left.
We found the station and we take the train to the Tokyo Sky Tree. We were initially in a shopping plaza called Tokyo Solomachi. We were then told to exit the plaza and take the escalators up to the 4th floor. We did just that and I was able to take a photo looking up which you can see above this paragraph.
We then had to enter the entrance and go through a maze like line and wait until make it to the counter. It had the look and feel of checking in for a flight. HD screens were everywhere and the line was long but efficiently moving.
When it was time for Sherryl and I we were lead to the ticket counter and after paying we continued on to our right until we met up with a crowd of people by the elevator. Right before we got onto the elevator I kept thinking this feels like we're in a line for some sort of crazy roller coaster or a blockbuster film. We got into the elevator and immediately it shoots us right up.
We ended up reaching the 350th floor and upon the elevator opening up we could see Tokyo from such a high platform. Everything was visible, we could even see Tokyo Tower and how short it is compared to the Sky Tree. There were kids everywhere some with their parents and many of them with their schools. Apparently today was a day of field trips for a number of schools.
After spending a lot of time viewing and taking photos we started to work our way down. We got down to the 340th floor and just sat by the window as the day was turning to the evening. That's what everything started getting pretty because of the lights.
After viewing Tokyo in all its night time beauty both Sherryl and I worked our way down. We got to the 4th floor and we were looking for something to eat. We walked out and saw a McDonald's, Denny's, and a Cold Stone. Without much hesitation we decided on Denny's. They have a completely different menu than they do back home.
After dinner I was craving ice cream and therefore I got a strawberry shortcake special from Cold Stone. After walking out of Cold Stone we then saw Sky Tree in its beautiful illuminated beauty.
The photo above does not do it justice. We took a slew of photos from different vantage points. After we were done we headed back down the subway and took the train back to Shinjuku. Today was a great day. Got to see some great things and some historic landmarks both modern and traditional.
Before I went to bed I asked Sherryl what she wanted to see, she replied that she wants to see Yokohama. I want to see it too but it seems like a such a long ride away. Nevertheless I agree to it and feel that the train ride there would be interesting and awesome.
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