If you asked anyone to describe a city of the future, they'd probably describe a place much like Tokyo. It's a city of gleaming buildings, high tech transportation and spotless streets with citizens who are well dressed, well behaved and healthy.
Tokyo is the largest metropolitan area in the world with 35 million people. We only had three days to see the city so we booked a half-day tour to get us to the main sites. Our tour had an unexpected addition - snow! It impacted our tour a little as you'll see below but it made for some great photos.
Our first stop was Tokyo Tower. It's a communications and observation tower modelled after the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It normally provides great views of the city but on a snowy day you don't see much.
Next up was Meiji Shrine - a Shinto shrine dedicated to the Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. The Emperor is revered in Japan as he led the transformation of Japan into a global power beginning in the second half of the 19th century. He opened Japan to western influences resulting in rapid industrialization and militarization and creating great wealth and power.
The last stop on our tour was the Imperial Palace which is the Emperor's residence. It was a very quick stop as most of the palace isn't open to the public and we were frozen after a morning of touring. We snapped a couple photos and then headed for our warm bus.
We had better weather when we visited the Shibuya shopping area. The centrepiece is Shibuya Crossing - a very busy intersection similar to Times Square in New York. It's a great spot for people watching.
Here are a few more photos from Tokyo.
Three days was just the right amount of time to sample what Tokyo has to offer. There's definitely more to do if you have more time but be warned ... Tokyo is the most expensive city we've ever been to so you'll need a thick wallet if you're planning a long stay!
Blake and Vanessa
Tokyo is the largest metropolitan area in the world with 35 million people. We only had three days to see the city so we booked a half-day tour to get us to the main sites. Our tour had an unexpected addition - snow! It impacted our tour a little as you'll see below but it made for some great photos.
Our first stop was Tokyo Tower. It's a communications and observation tower modelled after the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It normally provides great views of the city but on a snowy day you don't see much.
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| Looking up at the tower |
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| The "view" from the observation deck |
Next up was Meiji Shrine - a Shinto shrine dedicated to the Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. The Emperor is revered in Japan as he led the transformation of Japan into a global power beginning in the second half of the 19th century. He opened Japan to western influences resulting in rapid industrialization and militarization and creating great wealth and power.
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| The shrine's torii (entrance gate) |
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| Us in the shrine's main courtyard |
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| A Shinto monk helping with snow removal |
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| The grounds looked great but we didn't stop to walk around |
The last stop on our tour was the Imperial Palace which is the Emperor's residence. It was a very quick stop as most of the palace isn't open to the public and we were frozen after a morning of touring. We snapped a couple photos and then headed for our warm bus.
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| One of the palace's guardhouses |
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| One of the palace's watchtowers |
We had better weather when we visited the Shibuya shopping area. The centrepiece is Shibuya Crossing - a very busy intersection similar to Times Square in New York. It's a great spot for people watching.
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| Shibuya Crossing viewed from street level |
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| Big crowds gathering to cross the intersection |
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| It's a scramble intersection meaning you can cross in any direction including diagonally |
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| High heels, short skirts and tights are the standard attire for most women |
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| Blake on one of Shibuya's pedestrian streets |
Here are a few more photos from Tokyo.
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| A map of the subway system - there are a ton of lines |
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| Boy bands are just as popular as they are in North America |
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| View of the Ginza shopping district near where we stayed |
Three days was just the right amount of time to sample what Tokyo has to offer. There's definitely more to do if you have more time but be warned ... Tokyo is the most expensive city we've ever been to so you'll need a thick wallet if you're planning a long stay!
Blake and Vanessa
