Sunday 12 February 2006

Sunday Day Two Tokyo Japan

We tested out the subway system today, buying a ticket was interesting, all in Japanese but we figured it out and purchased a 1000 yen travel pass. This only lasted the day, not cheap but quick. We later found ticket machines with English options. The Singapore MRT (subway / train) system is much better and cheaper, especially when transferring between lines. Most of the time we had to exit the station when changing lines, thus being charged for two or more trips. I guess there are tricks to learn about travelling their subway.

Today we headed out to Ryogoku to visit the Sumo Museum & stadium, and then wandered up the sumo statue lined road to the Ekoin Temple, aka the Shrine of the Rat Boy. There were interesting stories about the place so a visit was in order, hey plus it was the Shrine to Rat Boy! Next we headed to the Tokyo Metropolitan Edo-Tokyo Museum; this covers the complete history of Tokyo, from Edo to modern times. After a late lunch we headed over to Yoyogi Park where there are youth / pop cultures with rather different sense of dress, including Tokyo Rockabilly Club & Harajuku girls hang out. Yoyogi Park is also the home of the Meiji Jingu Shrine, a rather imposing complex in the middle of the park, with large Torii gates made of ancient cypress. From here we walked down Kyu Shibuya-gawa promenade to Shibuya and its vast busy shopping & entertainment district. We found another Japanese point at the pictures restaurant for dinner, however this time we had green tea instead of water, Jason was thinking bring back the water!

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