Month: October 2025

Tokyo trains Get a workout

/ brisbanefrannie / 5 Comments

We all passed out last night. After a great night sleep we were up doing our exercises and met in the reception at 9.

Off to TeamLab Borderless. There are two TeamLab Centres. We decided on this one and once again the underground got us there in great time. We ( particularly Jill) is great at google maps and can tell us how to enter the underground, which train, where to stand and most importantly how to get out of the station.

The area it’s in is like everything – spotless. There are women dressed like they are going to the office with sashes, and little white sticks for picking up rubbish. But what rubbish! The street are spotless.

The ladies who clean

We stowed our bags in lockers and entered TeamLab Borderless. What an immersive experience. A maze of rooms. Technology at its creative best. I loved getting lost, & feeling I’d lost perspective.

One of the best experiences was the tea ceremony. You pay a bit extra – the cost of a matcha tea ( or sorbet) then get ushered into a dark room with long tables seating 5 each side of a narrow galley. A lady with a cart emerged from behind a curtain and the tea ceremony began.

Tea ceremony

We were given a bowl and tea is poured and a light show begins on the top of the cup and spreads across the table. It continues until the tea has finished. Then goes black.

Finishing after an nearly two hours we stopped outside for a sweet treat

The bakeries here are exquisite.

We made our way to Toyosu Fish markets. They weren’t what I was expecting. Very modern buildings, clean as a whistle and I couldn’t even smell the fish!

But the food stalls and little restaurants offered wonderful food. We opted for a tempura style meal – though I had the seafood sashimi bowl. It was delicious!

I had to try the matcha ice cream after!

Matcha is huge here. Made from crushed up green tea leaves it has the health benefits of green tea.

Back on the train system we travelled across to the Meiji Shrine. One if the most famous shrines in Japan it is dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. It’s set in vast gardens just near Shibuya.

The straw covered sake barrels at the entrance to the Shrine
The 3 amigos.

It’s a special place. Quite spiritual and moving. Jill and I wrote prayers or blessings to be displayed and also chose a stick to give us access to a poetry drawer where a poem waited for us.

We walked back through the quiet forest gardens and made our way to the not so peaceful Shibuya Crossing. One of the most photographed traffic crossings in the world we found a great place to view it. We didn’t pay to get in. Just the cost of a drink saw us enter the viewing deck.

The calm crossing before the lights changed!
Fashion statements!
On the ground floor of the Magnet where we traveled to the 10th floor to see the crossing come alive.

Back to the hotel in the train we did a bit of people watching and photo swapping.

Friends Pete and Elizabeth.

The Wilson’s called it a day but the McGregors joined us for a drink and a light bite to eat. We’d had such a beautiful lunch we didn’t need much!

I can’t believe it’s only day 2!

More adventures tomorrow with an early start to see the Sumo wrestlers!

Japan : A Discovery

/ brisbanefrannie / 4 Comments

We’ve always wanted to go to Japan but kept putting it off thinking it was so close we could go anytime!

Now’s the time. We rounded up friends Peter & Elizabeth from Crescent Head and Jill & Chris from Brisbane and started planning.

For some reason it seemed quite daunting. So different in so many ways to our previous holidays. But after talking to a travel company we decided we could do it ourselves. Especially with help from friend Aimee, a friend of our sons, who lived here for 6 years Let’s see!

We travelled to Sydney at 5.15. Which didn’t leave much time before boarding. No lounge for us. Pete & Elizabeth were at the gate. So lots of smiles and hugs. They nearly didn’t come. Both have been quite sick. But there they were!

The flight was good. We got the Qantas pjs always a treat. Especially seeing people disappear into the small toilets to wrestle into them.

Arrival into Tokyo was smooth. It was 5.40 when we landed and we were ushered through the priority lane. I’d like to think it’s because we looked important but I think it was our age.

A quick trip to the toilet. The toilets deserve a whole post of their own. They are big, spotless and well appointed. You could be in there for ages.

Note the buttons. Rear cleaning , front cleaning, off, on and flush.
Heated seats.

We met up with the Wilsons who arrived last night. Across the road to a coffee shop and some planning.

A visit to Lawsons kept us entertained. It’s another store like 7- eleven. Lots of everything. I bought an umbrella as it’s overcast and cooler than expected!

Now heading to Tokyo station to book a bunch of train tickets for the longer journeys over the next few weeks.

We navigated the underground quite well. Google maps helped. I’m not sure 6 people giving an opinion is helpful so a few of us butted out!!!

The trains come regularly!
The crew of 6
The peaceful gardens.

Next up was a 2 hr walking tour of the Imperial palace and gardens. You don’t get into any Palace but the other buildings and gardens were lovely. Our guide was an Australian from Wollongong. He’s lived here for 8 years and clearly explained the hierarchy involving the emperor , the shoguns ( they really welded the power) and the samurai.

A guard house

We walked and listened and after 2 hours needed lunch! so it was back to Tokyo station and searching for a restaurant. We found a good one serving salad bowls of salmon , sushi sets and beer!

The weather has been overcast and blowy but no rain. Not hot like I thought it might be.

Back to the hotel to check in at 3 and finally shower. The hardy Jill, Chris and Steve headed straight out to visit a shrine The rest of us are showering, unpacking and resting.

Dinner tonight is at a Yakitori restaurant. Hopefully with a drink on a nearby rooftop.

A great first day.