I was in Yokohama and Tokyo for a week on business last year. While I certainly did not get as much time as I would have liked, here is a photo recap of my time and what I did get to do. Luckily, I’ll return soon!
TAKE OFF & ARRIVAL
Alright, all settled in! Let’s go!
Approaching…am I the only one who takes these photos?
Made it! A little blurry…walking and taking pictures at the same time
They let me in the country!
Once we collected our luggage, my co-worker and I hopped a coach from Narita to Yokohama and made our way to the hotel.
He Keirei-ed as another coach drove away
The lobby of the hotel
Shin Yokohama – very large and clean rooms (this photo was taken much later than when we actually arrived)
The view of Yokohama from my hotel room on an overcast day.
The hotel had a lot of restaurants, but by the time I got down to eat, only a few were open. I ended up in an Italian restaurant. Word to the wise. Maybe Italian in Yokohama isn’t the best idea. The wine was pretty awful, too. Stick to sake. The next day we went into meetings and kept pretty busy throughout the week.
One our first night (after all the meetings were finished), we ventured to the mall and picked a few odds and ends:
The candy is so pretty!
And so is the sushi! (not my hand)
Sadly the pressure to stay thin is prevalent everywhere – advertisement prominently displayed in a magazine
One of the Hangover movies – poster in the mall at entrance to the movie theatre
I was in Japan just before the hubs and I got married. I teased him that I was going to wear the purple and pink gown.
On our third night, our Japanese counterparts took us for sushi. It was not as outstanding as I had hoped, but it was still good.
The sushi restaurant was in the middle of a residential neighborhood
Sushi and saki… lots of saki
THE RAMEN MUSEUM
A Japanese colleague mentioned this while we were at dinner. I had also read about the Ramen museum and figured ‘might as well check it out.’ A few of us ended up hanging out there for quite awhile. Yes, it was a little kitschy, but what a great selection of ramen. And it was good, too! And cheap!
The interior of the Ramen Museum
Enjoying our dinner
My ramen. It was GOOD. A little salty (okay, a lot salty), but GOOD.
Posing with a character (he wasn’t wax)
Oh – and they do weddings, too!
We wandered around Yokohama a bit trying to find souvenirs, but had no luck. Everything was closed.
TOKYO
After our meetings, we decided to spend the day in Tokyo. I’ve taken trains all over Europe, but Japan was a whole new experience! Thank goodness for the kindness of the people who directed us!
Train station directional sign
First stop was Meiji Shrine:
Starting the walk to the Shrine
I just love that it looked quiet and peaceful here as though there weren’t a lot of other people around, even though there were.
Sake barrel collection
He was so friendly and stopped to say ‘hello’. I love he was using tree branch leaves to sweet up leaves.
You write down your wishes, dreams, hopes, prayers and then Shinto priests read them and send prayers for them. This is a sacred Camphor tree. I believe many have labeled it “The Wishing Tree.”
I wrote my wishes and hopes. I am not religious, but I do believe in the power of positive energies
With thanks
I love the trees
Entering the shrine. I love the intricacy of the wood.
Meiji Shrine…Beautiful
It was a very hot day, so we stopped and got a frozen mango treats just outside the Shrine
TAKESHITA STREET
After we were through, at the recommendation of one of our Japanese colleagues, we headed to Takeshita Street and check out the Harajuku culture.
Let the people-watching begin!
Who knew that Tokyo was known for crepes?
These hair-color treatments were all over the place!
On side streets, there was several really cool hair salons with beautiful decoration!
See that hole? It’s where the cashier was sitting. HAHA you have to look for him.
Harajuku outfit
Well, spent some money and needed more Yen so off to the bank we went…
Passed a Harajuku girl along the way…
Self-explanatory
A lot of businesses have stuffed animals strewn about, banks included
Waiting for my turn
Got the loot… it makes US dollars look kind of boring
We stopped for lunch, then I headed to get my pins and patches from the Harley Davidson store, of course!
My trip to Japan was now complete…kind of!
EMPERORS PALACE
We hopped in a cab and headed for Emperors Palace. It was so interesting to see something so ancient among buildings so new. Beautiful.
Photographing the Palace
Around the grounds, contrast of old and new
We walked around some more then headed to the train station to get back…our feet were about to fall off!
After resting for a bit, I headed back out to buy a few things for the people at home:
My mom collects fans, so I always buy them for her when I’m overseas (they have to be made in the country I’m in)
I love these Kokeshi dolls and bought one for K, who was 7 at the time (my youngest bonus daughter)
After some more purchases, I headed to my room to pack. We hopped our coach and WOW was traffic something!
Once we got to the airport, I loved that they gave me slippers to go through security.
A little blurry, but you get the point
Ummm…interesting (found in being sold in the airport)
Next time I go back, I am really hoping to get to Kyoto. I did enjoy what little time I had in Yokohama and Tokyo, and will definitely spend more time exploring when I’m there again. Please share your tips in the comments!
So long, Japan! Arigato!
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