Last day in Tokyo

Our tour comes to an end with a few hitting the highlights of Tokyo. Somewhat of an anticlimax really as Tokyo is just like most other large cities and the focus seemed to be on various shopping experiences.

We walked by seventh-century Sensō-ji Buddhist Temple with its imposing entrance gate, Kaminarimon (also known as ‘Thunder Gate’), and its magnificent red lantern.
The Temple happened to be in the same area as Nakamise, the shopping street. Plenty crowded - not something I enjoy dealing with.

Then, onto the Tsukiji Outer Market, a shopping district adjacent to the enormous former wholesale fish market. This was to be our lunch stop but there didn't really seem to be anywhere to suit and eat so we ended up getting some lunch from the local Lawsons (like a 7-11). Not my favourite place but if you like sashimi or oysters etc you probably would be in your element. Seemed somewhat expensive too - they had huge prawns there (over 30cm long) but they were 2000¥ (roughly $20) each.

We explored the outer grounds of the Imperial Palace, the primary residence of the Emperor of Japan. Would look nice during cherry blossom season.

Our day’s touring finished in Ginza, an upmarket area with high-end shopping, galleries and restaurants. It was crowded - well at least the street was. I can't say I saw many people in the shops of Louis Vuitton, Prada or Versace.

So, our trip is over. I am completing this post at the airport while we wait for our Jetstar flight home via Cairns. It's been a good trip - 2 weeks is long enough - we were pretty well on the go all the time. The accommodation was comfortable enough although quite small and mattresses and pillows were firm to hard. Probably not as fancy as many of the tours we have been on, but then we didn't pay a fancy price.

Japan has now been ticked off. Still catching up on some of the plans made during the covid era. Next trip is early next year to see the Northern lights in Sweden/Norway - something Brad has always wanted to see.Read more