Sea Date February 28, 2024
I woke at 5:40 am this morning. Jim was up getting coffee. He returned to the room and told me to hurry up to the aft deck to see Mt Fuji. Fuji is like Denali, elusive, often shrouded in clouds so we hurried up to watch sunrise and see the sun hit Mt Fuji.
A ship bus tour today. I much prefer smaller group tours but I did not arrange one today.
Tokyo is an amazing city of 37 million people. One building, bridge, is more beautiful than the next. Just driving around, I was snapping pictures like crazy. You can't get a feel for the scope of the city from my little camera.
First stop Imperial Plaza. We saw the changing of the guard. It is about a 3 minute event so we were lucky to catch it.
Next, the Senso Kannon Temple (Buddhist). This is in the Asakusa district, once a notorious entertainment center in ancient times and now a maze of narrow streets with a variety of shops.
Off to a buffet lunch in a lovely hotel.
Final stop was the Meiji Shrine . To enter one passes through the 40 foot tall Torii gates. The Toriis separate the sacred from the secular.
Back to the ship to welcome Monica and Kevin and Gail and Tom. Then off the ship at night (always a treat!) to drink and gaze at the sparkling city.
Mt Fuji on the left
Crew came out for Mt Fuji pictures
Sun hitting the buildings at daybreak.
Tokyo International Cruise Port
Maritime Museum in shape of a ship
Rainbow Bridge; Elevated highways
Fuji TV Building
Tokyo Tower
The 126th Emperor is now in power.
What a line of succession.
Current Royal Family
Japan's Diet Building
Japan's Supreme Court
This was the moat that surrounded the Imperial Palace.
Imperial Grounds surrounded by ancient stone walls.
Samurai known for his fierce loyalty.
Nijubashi Bridge
Changing of the guards.
Senso Kannon Temple
A golden image of the Buddhist Goddess, Kannon is enshrined here.
Legend states it was miraculously fished out of the river in 628 AD.
Ceiling
The grounds of the temple
Big Koi
A Previa? Tokyo Sky Tree
Asakusa Section of Town
Locals and tourists shop and eat here.
It is too early for cherry blossom trees. But
this tree did not know it. See the green and yellow bird
enjoying lunch.
Lunch at this hotel.
On the walk to the Meiji Shrine,
we passed a wall of sake barrels. They are given by
sake producers to honor the gods.
French producers donate wine barrels to honor the gods.
At 400 ft, some of the tallest Torii gates in Japan.
Sine 660 BC, this has been the symbol
of the Emperors.
Old and new. Torii and Tokyo Tower.
The door. Meiji Shrine.
I loved the sights from our bus on the
elevated highway. We are approximately 10 stories high.
The architecture and size of the city were striking.
Rainbow Bridge
Sky Tree - Day
At night, as we walked to the Hilton Tokyo Bay.
I ordered a Strawberry Popcorn Frozen Daiquiri.
Because - where else could I?
View from the 30th Floor of the Hilton
Stella, he is studying the menu.
Back on the ship for the late show- Japanese Fusion.
Great drumming and dancer including a
talented 6 yr old dancer.:
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