Arrival to Tokyo

First we arrived at the Hamamatsucho train station from Tokyo airport via train and then we arrived at Prince Park Tower, located next to Tokyo Tower and Zojoji Temple with a cab in 5 minutes. The hotel in on a great location, has very large rooms and is quite comfortable. They even gave us a suit because we decided to stay there on return as well. There are 3 different subway stations near the hotel. (Hamamatsucho, Daimon and Akabanebasi) You can reach about anywhere in Tokyo through these stations. Tokyo Tower is a five minute’s walk and Zozoji Temple is basically on the hotel’s backyard. Cabs cost 730 yes up to 2km and it increases by 90 yen per 280 meters.

Japan has left turn traffic. The most important thing to take care about cabs is waiting for the driver to open the door. The back door opens automatically and they don’t like it when you open it yourself. We got quite an earful before we learned this. Then we learned to wait like a stone.

We settled at the hotel and went right to Zojoji Temple. Lucky for us, a ceremony started right when we got there.

For dinner, we went to the Roppongi region from Akabaneshi station. It’s a Taksim-like place with bars and restaurants. While we were looking for a place to have our first sushi, we realised a small detail that struck us as good at first but we came to enjoy quite a lot. When you enter the restaurant, you take off your shoes and place them in a locker. There are sections divided by drapes or folding screens. Waiters don’t stand near your table but they come immediately when you ring the bell on the table. On our first time, we had to wait a little bit before we discovered the bell.

For those interested, Hard Rock Cafe Tokyo is in Roppongi. It was closed when we passed it by.

Then we got on the subway from Roppongi and went to Shinjuku which has a more vibrant nightlife. It wasn’t very crowded even though it was Friday. We went back to our hotel after a few drinks. Interestingly, it’s forbidden to smoke out on the street in Japan. It’s only allowed in certain designated areas. Passersby won’t even lend you a lighter because it’s forbidden. Even though you can’t smoke outside, it’s allowed indoors in restaurants etc.