Japan: Tokyo & Yokohama (Typhoon, food, history & rugby)

Hi, everyone! We just finished our first 10 days in Japan, and was it a wild time. We spent a couple of days exploring Tokyo, but then had to stay in our hotel for 36 hours as Typhoon Hagibis hammered Japan. In the end, we were lucky to not have too much damage in Tokyo, but other parts of the County were severely affected. The people of Japan were already mobilized to help those in need and clean up after the devastating storm.

As a special note, I would like to say that the Japanese people are wonderful and we have enjoyed many conversations with people around the greater Tokyo area. It has been difficult, but also fun trying to communicate when we do not share a common language. People around here are -much- better at speaking English than we are at speaking Japanese.. including elementary schoolkids who approached us in groups at a tourist spot to practice their English with scripted questions as some part of a school assignment.

We spent a few days visiting beautiful Shrines, including many in the wonderful seaside town of Kamakura, where we put our toes into the Pacific Ocean. Jos also found a wonderful area (Yanaka) north of Tokyo. It was like stepping back in time 70 years: old homes, beautiful shrines and a Buddhist temple, along with an ancient grave yard.

Funny story.. The first hotel we stayed at was pretty cool. Although it was advertised as a hip place for a young, dancing crowd, the average age was actually over 40. Guess they will need a new marketing campaign. Anyway, the hotel was in a suburb north of Tokyo, which we discovered was also in one of the many “red light” districts in Tokyo. For those of you who are familiar with the “red light” district in Amsterdam, don’t let your imagination run wild. Japan is a very respectful place, so although it was obvious that there were dance clubs, etc, you saw nothing in the windows or on the street, with the exception of a few fully clothed women handing out flyers and the men inviting locals into their establishments. Nevertheless, the hotel where we stayed was great: a short walk to the subway, and many good restaurants and bars in the area.

After 5 days in Tokyo, we headed down to Yokohama. We stayed at a quite luxurious Sheraton that was well located just outside of the major subway/shopping area of Yokohama. I thought Yokohama was a quiet city, but it turns out that it is full of life with restaurants, shopping, and bars. We also found a great jazz bar that had a very talented local trio. It is nice to hear some good jazz!! We also had a very fun and delicious meal at a conveyor belt sushi place!! Very fun.. check out the pictures.

We also had an opportunity to catch up with some old friends. We had a wonderful shabu shabu lunch with my friend, Richard, who I worked with in Japan while with GE. We also met with Jos’ friend, Maurits for a nice sushi lunch in Yokohama. Always wonderful catching up with friends!! Thank you both for hanging out.

The big event on the 19th was rugby game day... New Zealand vs Ireland. Jos loves both teams, but decided to cheer for her favorite, Ireland. It was an amazing event, and my first time seeing a rugby match in person. Amazing sights and sounds. We had many conversations with people visiting from all over the world. Unfortunately, the match was not that good, as NZ beat Ireland by a bunch. Sorry Jos. 😟

Next, off to Osaka and Kyoto by bullet train! 😀 🚞

For some reason the pics loaded in reverse. Start at the bottom.