Tokyo isn't exactly close to Okinawa (about 950 miles), but it's a lot closer to Okinawa than it is to Durham. Given that it's unlikely we'll make it back to Japan anytime soon (although life is always surprising, isn't it?), we knew we wanted to make a trip to mainland Japan. So we booked our cheap flights, and headed to Tokyo.
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| Ready to depart from Okinawa! And ready for the cooler weather to the North! |
We flew to Narita Airport which is further from central Tokyo, but cheaper. We had to take a train into Tokyo, and we watched the sun set as we took in the scenery. (Doesn't that sound lovely? The real truth is that the girls were absolutely ready to be at the hotel, dying of starvation, and asked us every 87 seconds 'how much longer?' while we appreciated the lack of staring from the fellow train riders; but memories and retrospect are wonderful tricks of the mind.)
We stayed at the Prince Park Hotel, just a few blocks from the iconic Tokyo Tower and from the subway. We went to dinner at a Seattle's Best Coffee that turned into some kind of sit-down restaurant in the evening. (I can't believe that sentence is factually accurate, but indeed it is.) I don't think the girls ate much despite their near starvation on the train, so we stopped at one of the ubiquitous Family Marts - a really nice Seven-Eleven kind of place - to stock up on snack foods that could serve as meal replacements during our stay.
Although we planned to visit cultural sites in Tokyo and Kyoto, we knew we had to include some family-friendly plans as well, so we started our first day in Tokyo with a visit to Legoland. Legoland Tokyo was fairly small and was located inside a mall. Overall, I wasn't terribly impressed, but it was a good outlet for the girls.
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| Rainbow Bridge, Tokyo Tower, and other landmarks |
We were able to see a mini-version of Shibuya Crossing before braving the real thing the next day!
And what would Legoland be without karaoke? It is Japan, after all. The girls sang a variety of songs, although I admit they were outperformed by a 4-year-old Japanese boy, dressed to the nines, belting out "Let It Go" in Japanese. Sorry I don't have video to share!
We thought we might be able to squeeze in another activity on the first day, but by the time we ate lunch, navigated the trains and got our bearings, it was time to head to the hotel for some downtime for all of us. But don't worry, we did not Rush.
The photo below might have been taken after John and I realized we wouldn't actually be a good team for The Amazing Race. Our ability to decipher the subway system was not quite as strong as we thought. Google Maps saved us, but we still managed to be on the wrong platform a couple times.
This is the evening view from our hotel room. If you squint and look to the left of the two tall buildings in the middle, you can see the outline of Mt. Fuji in the distance.
Despite not actually doing much, it had been a long day. Backpacking around the world when you are 23 with friends might be fun and a carefree way to spend time -- I wouldn't know -- but traveling with two kids in a foreign country in which you do not speak the language can be exhausting. So for our evening plans, we typed "best pizza near Tokyo Tower" into TripAdvisor. And of course there was an awesome place -- Pizzeria Da Peppe Napolistaca. Because who doesn't go to Tokyo looking for authentic Napoli pizza?
When we first arrived we thought they asked us if we could wait an hour. In fact, they asked us if we could be done in an hour because they had some big parties coming in. Eating out with two kids? We can order and eat that pizza in under 40, Sir!
Zoe had gingerale. That might have been all. But the rest of us enjoyed the place before heading back to the hotel for a good night's sleep. Next up: Alice eats sushi and we watch the sunset from the top of Tokyo Tower!
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