Day off for Ryan

[written by Ryan]

Yesterday Dad and I undertook a whirl wind tour of Tokyo. We started the day by dropping Roo at school. Next a traditional Japanese breakfast (actually not traditional at all) at McDonalds. A short ride on the train, and a brisk walk later we arrived at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, which offers a free view of the city from the 45th floor. The clear, crisp morning provided excellent visibility of Mount Fuji in the distance.

Next on the agenda was the Shinjuku Gyoen, site of the largest garden in Tokyo. While we likely missed the cherry blossoms by just a few days, the park had many indicators of Spring and many Japanese were out with their cameras zooming in on some of the early blooming plants. Three train segments later we found ourselves at Asakusa. After viewing the plastic replicas of food offerings in many restaurant windows, we chose a tasty sushi restaurant for lunch. The hot broth soup combined with a cold beer made for a very satisfying experience. We also took in Senso-ji, one of the best known Buddhist temples in the city. It seemed everyone else decided to view Senso-ji along with us as the crowds were out mid-day, taking advantage of the pleasant weather. After two more trains and a short walk, we were back in time to pick up Roo at school, only to jump in a car with his friends and their parents for an impromptu play date and dinner in the Shinagawa area - - a long, tiring and fun day!