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After I was final again within the UK almost 5 years in the past my dad and mom talked about that they had been pondering of coming to go to us in Japan once more which shocked me a bit as I didn’t actually suppose they’d be again. My dad even gave me a listing of locations he was attention-grabbing in visiting based mostly on this weblog’s contents! After all Covid_19 then got here alongside and that record was forgotten about. I discovered it once more although not too long ago when sorting by means of some outdated issues and so we used it as an itinerary information not that he might bear in mind something concerning the locations he’d earmarked on it!
My mum and pop arrived in Tokyo fairly late at evening in mid-September. It was their third go to to Japan however the first time since 2016. After all an important issues we did had been speaking about household and associates in addition to reminiscing and different such randomness. None of that lends itself so effectively for a weblog submit however fortunately the background and settings to such dialog did so that is what we did throughout their brief time within the capital metropolis.
Day 1 – This was a nationwide vacation however I had determined to nonetheless work as I had restricted days I might take off and I believed they’d be actually drained from the lengthy flight the day earlier than. Moreover, my spouse was off and I believed it’d be good for all of them to spend a while collectively with out me! They stayed native and simply went a reasonably brief distance to Shimo-Akatsuka. A 20 minute stroll from the station is the third largest Buddha statue in Japan which is pretty unknown by the vast majority of folks dwelling exterior of this space. Close by is Akatsuka Botanical Backyard which they actually loved.
Day 2 – Yumenoshima Tropical Greenhouse Dome close to Shin Kiba station was our first port of name. The stroll across the park was good however once we received to the dome we found it was closed! It appears such locations shut on a Tuesday when yesterday’s a nationwide vacation!
My dad and mom are very set of their methods and at all times wish to have their mid-morning tea/espresso time with a cake so I made a decision to take them to Starbucks (which they’re not followers of!) at Toyosu Lalaport.
After that we headed again up the Yurakucho Line a bit extra to Nagatacho station the place Hie Shrine was a brief stroll away.
The shrine itself is nothing too thrilling however to the facet of it’s a tunnel of spectacular pink torii gates which is the better different for folks in Tokyo who don’t have the time or cash to go to Kyoto for such a sight.
We then handed the Nationwide Weight-reduction plan Constructing en-route to Hibiya Park.
This park is just not precisely a must-see spot in Tokyo however it’s fairly good with some attention-grabbing historical past. Maybe extra importantly, it gave us an opportunity to relaxation our toes and take some respite from the new and humid circumstances.
A fast detour to the Imperial Palace was our remaining vacation spot for our busy first day again collectively. I didn’t realize it on the time however it appears we went there on each of their earlier journeys!
Day 3 – After two days of fairly area of interest sights it was time to dive into the guts of contemporary Tokyo by visiting among the hottest areas. Hikarie (11F) and Scramble Sq. (17F) are each good locations to get some good views of Shibuya with out paying any cash.
Hachiko Sq., Scramble Crossing and Middle-Gai inevitably adopted after which we walked on to Harajuku and the famously crowded Takeshita Road. It’s not for everybody however it’s at all times fairly attention-grabbing to replace myself on what the brand new meals developments and so forth are.
Yoyogi Park supplied a change of tempo and was sufficient for this specific day as tiredness caught up with all of us a bit. Among the finest options to fatigue is definitely a bottle of Pocari Sweat which my dad developed a little bit of a style for on this journey!
As soon as my spouse had returned from work we went out to a conveyor-belt sushi chain for dinner.
Day 4 – I believed a fairly straightforward day journey to Kawagoe in Saitama would possibly combine issues up when it comes to surroundings. No sooner had we arrived and it was break-time. Only a few locations had been open at the moment of the morning so one of many solely choices was a Nagoya-style restaurant chain. It proved to be a sensible choice because the drinks went down extra favourably than at Starbucks a few days earlier. I ordered a miso katsu sandwich which is the restaurant’s signature dish and my dad was pretty impressed by it.
Kawagoe is called Little Edo (the outdated identify for Tokyo) as a result of historic buildings within the warehouse district which actually is a mixture of outdated and new at occasions. Bell Tower, Hikawa Shrine, Kita-in Temple and Honmaru Palace had been on our itinerary. I underestimated the distances between a few of these sights and so we ended up strolling lots anyway.
The nicest moments had been maybe simply spent collectively in our residence and fortunately our chihuahua was principally happy with them.
Naturally there have been occasions when he barked at them lots (for invading “his” house!) however he was typically higher behaved than anticipated, and by the top of the journey he had grow to be fairly tender of their presence.
Day 5 – With mum and pop needing to be on the airport early night, it was only a comparatively straightforward journey to Komagome station within the morning to go to Kyu-Furukawa Gardens. That they had been to the close by Rikugien Gardens on their earlier two journeys to Tokyo and I wasn’t actually anticipating to go there but once more however my mum expressed an curiosity so off we went.
After a few hours chilling at house I lastly took them to board the Narita Specific at Nippori station. Time actually does fly by and after many months of wanting ahead to their go to it was over in a flash. Hopefully we made essentially the most of our brief time collectively although!
Click on right here to learn ‘Dad and mom In Japan 2016 Pt I: Tokyo’
Click on right here to learn ‘Dad and mom In Japan 2016 Pt II: Hiroshima’
Click on right here to learn ‘Dad and mom In Japan 2016 Pt III: Osaka’
Click on right here to learn ‘Dad and mom In Japan 2016 Pt IV: Kyoto’
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