SUNDAY 7TH MAY - TOKYO AGAIN

Today was independence day in that the JTB tour doesn't start until tomorrow and there was nothing organized so we were on our own. So, we set out to master the railway system and we thought we were doing pretty well until we got ourselves completely confused coming back to the hotel this afternoon but we made it. Our objectives for the day were the Tokyo Skytree and the ferris wheel at Aomi, located on one of the reclaimed islands in Tokyo Bay.

We only made one mistake. We didn't consult our JTB itinerary and therefore didn't realize that the first place we visit on the JTB tour tomorrow is the Skytree so, in that context, it will be a groundhog day. Hopefully the smog will be a little reduced tomorrow and perhaps we will be able to see Mount Fuji. There was no chance today. The upper observation deck on the Skytower is 450 metres above ground level. That strange object in the photo above was a sculpture intended to represent a candle flame burning on top of the building but, because of concern about earthquakes, it wasn't feasible to stand it up so, on its side it lies. Very peculiar.

One of the very few things that the Gold Coast has in common with Tokyo is that, on Sundays, the boys go exploring in their jet skis in the river, but check out the density of residential accommodation. That is typical of the greater Tokyo area.

From the Skytree, we had a different view of the Shinto temple we visited yesterday. Hopefully we don't get to visit it again tomorrow.

To get to the ferris wheel, you need to travel by driverless train so, without a driver, photographic opportunities arise. You just have to wait until almost everybody else is off the train to get into what would normally be the driver's seat.

Adjacent to the ferris wheel is a Toyota promotional building with lots of Toyota related displays. For those who are interested in such things, the FJ Cruiser is still available for sale, only 3,400,000 yen.

 

Also on display is Toyota's answer to the chronic car parking problem in Yokyo.

We meet our tour guide Maya and fellow travellers tomorrow. Hopefully they will be a small group of very nice people.