Tasmania to Tokyo – Tokyo – Day 68 can be found here.
Into everyone’s life, a little rain must fall – and today it has started to pour.
On a week-long trip, this might be cause for sadness. On a three-month-long trip, it’s a welcome chance to catch our breath and have the kids get on with their homework.
We have now given ourselves over to the wonders of the buffet breakfast, despite its inordinate pricetag. Yes, we could order off the a la carte menu for a fraction of the price – but then we’d have to decide between pancakes or eggs or yoghurt. Given that we otherwise seem to subsist on fried chicken and pork broth, I don’t think we should be cutting any more corners in the nutrition department.
It’s quite the spread:
One of their specialties is the snow crab omelette:
It’s good, but quite rich – I think one will be enough for me.
The other breakfast food is good too. Especially the strawberries which are so fantastic we ate bowls of them and completely forgot to photograph them.
I also enjoy the limitless cappucinos, though the pour-over system they have in the room is good too.
We spend some time hanging out in the lobby, working on homework while our room is being cleaned. We’re feeling lazy today, so debate having lunch at the hotel – but it’s all a bunch of braised beef cheeks and the like so we opt for pizza instead.
We find a place called DevilCraft that looks promising. No easy way to order online, unfortunately, but I’m prepared to walk over there and hang out while the pizza is being made. I’m about 10 minutes into my walk when I realize that they aren’t open for lunch. Back to mesm I go.
We decide to go with room service instead. We call down, and they suggest we use the tablet in the room – but the tablet’s earliest ordering window is 30 to 60 minutes later. So we call them up again and ask how long it’ll really be. 20 minutes? Works for us.
This is a good time to mention that service here has been exceptional, provided nothing is lost in translation. Case in point – one night I go down to get wine glasses, and I’m told that they can’t give me any. I’m confused, because they gave me some the other night. Ah, well. I’m almost about to head back up when the server tells me that he can give me wine glasses.
He brings me back to the restaurant and goes to grab a menu. No, no, I say – empty wine glasses. He immediately hands some over, and I’m on my way.
It makes you appreciate just how difficult it is to learn English as a second language. Think of the chasm of difference between wine glasses and glasses of wine, for example.
The service can come across as a bit over-the-top, at times. I don’t need someone to push my elevator buttons, for example, nor do I need the staff to hop out of the elevator just because I’m walking towards it. I went to kindergarten – I know how to take my turn.
If that weren’t enough, the uniform for the staff is a black jumpsuit, and they press a hand to their chest and bow whenever we walk past. It makes me feel like Bond villain.
But the little details are amazing. Consider this book, for example:
It’s – some kind of puzzle?
No, it’s actually the amenity box. And inside you can find a comb, a razor, shower cap, loofah, and so on.
Time marches on, and we soon close in on 2:30 pm. Our pizza has been demolished and we are aching to stretch our legs. The rain has cleared off, so we head to the nearby Hamarikyu Gardens.
I try not to overwhelm with photos, so I will be interpersing with some quotes from the Japan Guide:
“The garden has served many purposes over the centuries. It was originally built as a feudal lord’s Tokyo residence and duck hunting grounds during the Edo Period (1603-1867).”
A statue of Umashimadenomikoto – the Japanese mythic god of war
“Later [it] served as a strolling garden and as an imperial detached palace before eventually being opened to the public in its current form.”
The admission fee is listed as 300 yen, though our daughter is free.
“Vestiges of these old roles are still visible throughout the garden including several reconstructed duck hunting blinds and the remains of an old moat and reconstructed rock wall.”
Along the outer moat, a man in a boat plays bagpipes – and we have no idea why:
“[There’s] a teahouse on an island where visitors can rest and enjoy the scenery.”
At one point we watch a fish leap out of the pond – likely in pursuit of some tantalizing prey.
“Although not as famous for its fall foliage as some of the other gardens around Tokyo, it offers plenty of maple, ginkgo and other trees that show their beautiful autumn colors between late November and early December.”
“Late February brings plum blossoms, while the spring cherry blossom season from late March to early April is also nice but somewhat subdued compared to other hanami spots in the city.”
“Several other species of flowers bloom in spring including fields of peony and canola blossoms.”
And other flowers too:
We also pass a 300-year-old pine:
And some interesting outbuildings:
From here we change tack, and head back to the main pond:
There are also a series of hills that offer sweeping views of the park:
It’s a remarkable oasis in the heart of Tokyo:
We pass by one of the historic duck blinds:
And see some tangible examples of why this was such a prime hunting ground:
We’ve already been here for more than an hour, so it’s time to start heading toward the exit.
We spare one last glance to the paths not taken:
And eventually the verdant garden gives way to Tokyo’s urban sprawl.
On the way back, we spot a place called “3rd burger” and decide to head there for dinner:
Photo Credit: 3rd Burger
We initially attempt to use their ordering terminals, but there doesn’t seem to be any way to remove toppings from the burger. So we order at the desk instead. Google Translate once again saves the day.
Thankfully I did not have to read this text wall outloud – it was enough to show the phone to the employee, and she took it from there
The burgers are really good – and remarkably, they get the order exactly right. Some of us did indeed have healthier burgers – the avocado was spectacular.
We also pick up ice cream cones for the kids from Coffee Kan:
On the way back, one of us – not naming names – attempts to put their dirty ice cream spoon in what they think is a garbage can, but is actually an umbrella cleaner:
Thankfully, the offender is stopped before havoc is wreaked.
I then head to the front desk to arrange to have our luggage shipped to our next hotel so that we don’t have to schlep it aboard the shinkansen during our all-too-narrow boarding window.
The process proves remarkably easy – I bring the luggage down, they measure it, and they forward it on from here for a nominal fee. Pickup time at mesm is 2 pm, and it should arrive the following day. Total cost for 5 bags is 14,800 yen or roughly USD$100.
And then it’s time for bed. Another busy day ahead as we take in Context Travel’s Tokyo Pop Culture tour for Kids and pay a visit to the Meiji Jingu Shrine – and perhaps Yoyogi Park too, time permitting.