Today started at Tokyo Tower, an Eiffel Tower-inspired
lattice structure standing 1,093 feet high, for views over the city.
The
Tokyo Tower's Skywalk had sections of glass in the floor on which we could
stand and look down.
We then had a photo stop near the Imperial Palace, the
main residence of the Emperor of Japan.
Sadly the Imperial Palace is not open to visitors.
Our next activity was a rickshaw ride round part of the
city. I found getting in and out of the rickshaw
quite a challenge. Our rickshaw puller
spoke reasonable English and pointed out traditional food establishments
offering food such as Wagyu beef and matcha, a finely ground powder of green
tea leaves. The Japanese use match to
flavour many food items from ice-cream to beer and even tequila.
We visited the 7th century Asakusa Sensoji Temple which
is the oldest temple in Tokyo.
There is a giant urn in front of the main hall of the
temple where people can light sticks of incense to make wishes. The smoke from the incense was quite thick.
My lunch was yakatori chicken from a street vendor. In Japan the tradition is to eat the street
food next to the stall you buy it from and give any wrapping back to the stall vendors.
In the evening we had a dinner cruise on the Sudima River
on board a traditional Yakatabune boat with beautiful views of the Tokyo's
illuminated skyline. Yakatabune originated
during the Heian Period as a form of entertainment for the aristocracy. We had to remove our shoes before entering
the dining area where we were served with a traditional Japanese banquet
including sashimi and tempura.
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