 |
| In front of the torii at the Meiji Jingu Shrine entrance |
 |
| Barrels of sake donated to the Meiji Shrine |
 |
| With my cousin Tao Tao (and another family) |
 |
| Main shrine building |
 |
| Prayers left by visitors |
 |
| At the Shibuya crossing with Jing, my cousin's husband |
 |
| With Hachiko, an Akita dog who would meet his owner after work at the Shibuya station everyday. He was so loyal that even after his owner's death he would be seen waiting for him. Hachi was one of only 30 purebred Akitas. |
 |
| Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office |
 |
| The view from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office |
 |
| Oh Paul |
 |
| Another view from the top |
 |
| Walking around Shinjuku |
 |
| A huge Uniqlo store! My cousin Amy would love this... |
 |
| Paul is full after a big dinner |
On July 24, we finally did our laundry and then went to a baseball game. It is hard to find a laundromat in Tokyo. First off, they call it coin laundry. Secondly, looking on Google Maps was a little frustrating. Genius idea? Ask the hotel staff. They gave us a map and directed us around the corner.
Later that afternoon, we headed to watch the Yakult Swallows play the Hanshin Tigers. The Swallows are the home team at Jingu Stadium but you couldn't tell with the number of Tigers fans.
 |
| Paul is enjoying laundry day |
Later that afternoon, we headed to watch the Yakult Swallows play the Hanshin Tigers. The Swallows are the home team at Jingu Stadium but you couldn't tell with the number of Tigers fans.
 |
| Heading to the stadium |
 |
| Of course it was raining when we arrived |
 |
| But the seats filled up despite the weather |
 |
| We did not have umbrellas |
 |
| Go Go Swallows! |
 |
| Backpack beer ladies |
 |
| I got an Asahi beer |
 |
| Go Go Swallows! |
 |
| There was just a dark cloud over the stadium...see, it was clear over there |
 |
| Rain |
 |
| Tigers fans |
 |
| This guy was eating a hot dog with chopsticks! |
 |
| One of the mascots |
 |
| The Tigers (away team) Ryoto Arai made 2 home runs - check out how the crowd goes wild in this video |
 |
| We left before the game ended but it was 11-0; final score was 12-0 |
 |
| Yay! We weren't completely drenched |
 |
| More Tigers fans celebrating |
On July 25, our last full day in Tokyo, we decided to explore some more - there really is a lot to see! I really wanted to go to the top of Tokyo Tower but it wasn't as easy to find as we thought. Four Square led us astray! But we saw some nice things along the way despite the muggy weather. We first walked through the Imperial Palace since it was right next to our hotel.
After this nice long walk, we got in the subway and headed to the Tokyo Tower.
So, we decided to go to the infamous electronics district Akihabara instead.
After the craziness of Akihabara, we finally figured out how to get to Tokyo Tower.
We finally made it out and headed towards the Shimbashi area where there is supposed to be great bars...
 |
| Inuibon Moat |
 |
| Completed in 1638, the Tenshudai Donjon Base was the highest donjon ever built in Japan (58m) |
 |
| But it was burnt down in 1657 and has never been reconstructed |
 |
| Obansho Great Guardhouse - strictly guarded by samurai guardsmen |
 |
| Hyakunin-bansho Guardhouse - biggest guardhouse set up in front of the Ote-san-no-mon gate |
 |
| Otemon Gate |
 |
| The door at Otemon Gate |
 |
| Otebon Moat |
 |
| Here's a map of the Imperial Palace |
After this nice long walk, we got in the subway and headed to the Tokyo Tower.
 |
| FAIL. See that pointy structure all the way over there? That's the Tokyo Tower. |
So, we decided to go to the infamous electronics district Akihabara instead.
 |
| We had heard that a lot of strange people come here... |
 |
| Taking it all in - it's a bit overwhelming |
 |
| It really is a sensory overload |
 |
| There are restaurants where these maids are your waitresses...we did not go |
 |
| However, we did go to Club Sega! |
 |
| Paul is obsessed with driving games lately so we tried one out at Club Sega |
After the craziness of Akihabara, we finally figured out how to get to Tokyo Tower.
 |
| Hooray! We found it. |
 |
| Entrance to the Zojo-ji Temple |
 |
| Cool door |
 |
| Daiden (Main Hall) of the Buddhist compound of Zojo-ji and Tokyo Tower |
 |
| Slinky shot of the Tokyo Tower |
 |
| The Tokyo Tower is 333 meters hight - 13 meters higher than the Eiffel Tower |
 |
| View from the Main Observatory at 150 meters high |
 |
| Looking East along the Boso Peninsula from the Main Observatory |
 |
| We also got tickets for the Special Observatory at 250 meters high...Paul isn't that impressed |
 |
| 100 meters higher, the view is a little better looking East towards the Boso Peninsula |
 |
| Lookdown Window |
 |
| Looking down |
We then headed down but inadvertently stopped on the kids level. Paul tried to fit inside Pokemon...
 |
| He fits |
 |
| This is a better picture |
 |
| He then drop kicked this robot |
 |
| And was convinced he could fit inside it as well... |
 |
| We don't know why Hitler was here |
We finally made it out and headed towards the Shimbashi area where there is supposed to be great bars...
 |
| We didn't really find one but it looked like a happenin' place! |
 |
| This is the smoking area |
 |
| Our last stop of the night was the Shibuya Crossing - I wanted to get a better photo of people crossing the street |
