Japan - Day 12
- RetiredCormac
- 9 hours ago
- 2 min read
Today was a little more relaxed.
On our to-do list was tracking down a very specific, limited-edition Japanese guitar strap — which conveniently required a few trains to another part of Tokyo. A perfect excuse to explore yet another corner of the city.
While we were out, we took the opportunity to visit a miniature model world. The airport display was particularly impressive, with planes landing, taxiing, and taking off again in an endless, perfectly choreographed loop.
Then came the now-mandatory shrine and temple visits.
We returned to the city centre to see the Imperial Palace — vast, central, and beautifully maintained. We walked around the grounds for a good look but didn’t go inside, as we had a lunch reservation. I suspect we would have needed to book in advance anyway.
Lunch was on the 39th floor of a nearby skyscraper (if that’s still what we call them), with spectacular views across Tokyo and over the Imperial Palace. We opted for Italian — admittedly an unusual choice while in Japan — but a break from Japanese cuisine felt timely. The food was excellent, good value, and the change was very welcome.
Afterwards, we squeezed in an anime exhibition. Interesting, though not entirely my thing. And, of course, another shrine.
Our evening entertainment was sumo wrestling. We had deliberately chosen something more entertaining than educational — a show featuring retired wrestlers, complete with food, rather than observing active wrestlers in training. It was a fun evening and offered a little more insight into the sport.
On the way home we took the opportunity to take the elevator to the top floor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building South where there is an observatory floor. Weirdly its free. The views on a clear night were excellent.
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