Day 1 - Asakusa, Ginza and Tokyo Tower

Upon arriving at Narita, we were hurriedly shuttled to our first stop in our touch-and-go ANA Tokyo Tour, Asakusa, the entertainment centre of old and the heart of kabuki theatre. The highlight was Senso-ji, a Buddhist "Kanto" Shrine built by fisherman after they apparently discovered a small sculpture of a deity in the sea.



Our second stop was Ginza, where we had lunch at a Seoul-Gardenesque BBQ buffet restaurant called DON.K. We then strolled along Ginza street.

The street was closed to traffic because of the Golden Week holiday. That's in case you're wondering why we were happily posing for a photo right in the middle of the road.

We then headed off to the Tokyo Tower in the Roppongi area. Though apparently 3 metres taller than the Eiffel, it was nowhere as majestic. Its reddish-orange colour just made it look cheap and obiang. The shops inside were also a letdown. Tourist trap alert.


At about 3pm, we adjourned to the Crowne Plaza Metropolitan hotel to rest before dinner. It was there that I made the exciting acquaintance of the toilet with the automatic bidet/spray function. Sitting on it, I was inevitably reminded of the time in Europe on a train where my butt was assailed by icicles and jets of freezing air. *shudder*

Disappointing Chinese dinner near the hotel, followed by walk around Ikebukuro where the hotel was situated.