DAY 4/5 Tokyo

Almost 60 000 steps, 46 kilometres walk in the Capital. 
The metro is great, but If you want to see a lot you have to walk a lot in Tokyo. 

It is impossible to get lost, the system is so perfect. You can buy single ticket, daily and two days pass. This is the best value, almost 9 USD. It is quite affordable. The staff is very helpful, their english knowledge is quite basic, but they want to help, and this is the most important thing at all. All the stations are marked with name and number it helps in the orientation.


Obviously among the most important sights there are the religious places as well.
The Meiji shrine was dedicated to the Emperor and Empress in 1926. This is Tokyo's most popular and most important shrine.

Tokyo's oldest and most significant buddhist temple is the Asakusa Kannon temple also known as Senjo-ji. The temple is very nice, but very crowded, anywhere you move there is someone for sure.

There is a nice buddhist temple close the the world biggest fish market. Tsukiji Hongan-ji is a Jodo Shinshu Buddhist temple.

The Tsukiji fish market opens at 3:00 am with  the arrivel of the products by ship, truck, train and plane from all over the world.
The market handles more than 400 different type of seafoods and overall more than 700 000 metric tons of seafood are handled every year. The number of registred employees varies from 60-65 000 workers. If you feel hungry in the close-by shops you can get very fresh products.   

The Tokyo Tower is a communication and observation tower built in 1958. This is the symbol of the city. The height is 333 metres. Tokyo Tower's two main revenue sources are tourism and antenna leasing. The view is very nice, but there are much more impressieve lookout points in the world.

The French Statue of Liberty came to Odaiba, the beach area of Tokyo, from April 1998 to May 1999 in commemoration of the "French year in Japan". It was very populat, therefore in 2000 a replica was erected at the same place.

Hachiko Statue is a famous statue of a dog who processed legendary loyalty to his owner.
The true story of Hachiko the dog, who was a golden brown male Akita Inu, who would arrive at Shibuya Station every day just to wait for the return of his master Professor Hidesaburo Ueno. After the death of the Professor , for the next nine years, Hachiko continued to arrive at the station at just the right time to meet the train that should carry his master. This is an example of a great loyalty. 
Based on the true story: Hachi a Dog's tale is my favourite dog movie, so it was not a question that I have to go to that place.

   

I'm very lucky, I arrived in the best season, in the middle of the biggest japanese holiday, this is the cherry blossom. This is magical, wonderful, amazing and very important for japanese people. Thousands of people fill the parks to hold feasts under the flowering trees according to the anciant tradition called "Hanami" (flower viewing).

DAY 3 Mount Fuji

After less than 3 hours sleep in the capsula, a new day started.

The highlight of the day was the Fuji mountain.
The excursion started at 9am, everybody came on time. 
We had an absent-minded guide, he was quite funny. 
After  a great morning sunshine as we went closer and closer to the mountain the weather became worther and worther.

First we went to Mt Komagatake Ropeway to the summit and enjoy scenic vistas over Hakone National Park. It provided sweeping views of majestic Mt Fuji, the Izu Peninsula and the Izu Islands, among other sights. We had a japanese luch, I thought this is only the apetiser, but it was the whole set menu :).
After lunch we returned to the coach and continue on to the 4st Station of Mount Fuji, located about halfway up the mountain, for more breathtaking views of the surrounding lakes were expected but fog and snow waiting for us.
Last but not least we went to Lake Ashi, a crater lake formed after a powerful volcanic eruption nearly 3,000 years ago in what is now Hakone National Park. It was raining, but marvellous.

Finally we returned to Tokyo by 9pm, after a long day I looked around in some electronic stores at Sinjuku area. It was dissappointing regards prices!

DAY 2 Finally in Tokyo

At 5am, quite early in the morning came the shuttle to take me back at the airport.

I had a quick, but very delicious breakfast at the business lounge, and after came a 10 hours flight from Doha to Tokyo Haneda. The flight was OK, but as OK as a long flight can be. 
No turbulances we were flying like knife in the butter. 
After arrival there was a health control, the immigration, and the custom, it was an hour :(.

After the procedures there was no other choice except the taxi, no shuttle, no limouisine bus, nothing, because it was too late :(. First I went to my "basic accomodation", left the luggage and went to the Capsula Hotel in Kyobashi. How shall I say, I got what I expected. :)

A capsule hotel  is a type of hotel developed in Japan (the 1st was in Osaka in 1979) that features a large number of extremely small "rooms" (capsules) intended to provide cheap, basic overnight accommodation for guests who do not require the services offered by more conventional hotels.

The guest room is a modular plastic block roughly 2 by 1 by 1.25 m (6 ft 7 in by 3 ft 3 in by 4 ft 1 in). Facilities include a "television", an electronic console, and WIFI connection. The capsules are stacked side-by-side, two units high, with steps providing access to the second level rooms. The open end of the capsule can be closed, for privacy, with a curtain, but you can hear everything:). There are separate mae and female sections.

Luggage is stored in a locker,capsule and washrooms are communal.

Once it was interesting, but enough!