Landed in Narita Airport this morning feeling jet lagged but excited. The flight was first class. Andy mentioned that we were on our honeymoon and not only did we get upgraded but we also got champagne!! Sweet!
Despite being told it would be difficult and that nobody would speak English, we managed to get from the airport to central Tokyo in under an hour. It was a breeze and such an enjoyable journey on the NRX - not like the London underground!
Dropped our bags off at the hotel and headed for the Imperial Gardens. Spent the afternoon basking in the sunshine in the surrounding gardens. The cherry blossoms were in bloom and it felt like summer had come early. The jet lag kicked in and we must have spent an hour asleep in the gardens.
We then headed back to the hotel, and on route found an awesome sushi restaurant in the viaducts of the Tokyo railway station. The owners were so welcoming and we had some awesome sushi. We must have tried about 6 or 7 types of fish, and the miso soup was amazing. Leanne spoke a bit of Japanese to the staff with the help of her guidebook and it went down really well. She managed to tell them that we would be coming back every day for the next 2 weeks, and they said that would be great but that they were closed Sundays!
Back to the hotel to check in. The room was spot on and the toilet has a heated seat! So efficient and so hygienic - so Japanese! Located next to Tokyo station we have no problem getting around - after a lengthy siesta, we ventured out to the delights of Shinjuku.
Having navigated the London underground, the Tokyo subway system wasn't as bad as we thought it would be and we got to Shinjuku really easily. We wandered around amazed by the neon lights and all the shops - there were so many restaurants, it was hard to know where to choose - it all smelled so good...
After a bit of exploring we came across a tepanyaki restaurant in the centre of Shinjuku. It was full of locals and we felt a little intimidated when we wondered in. However, the food looked amazing and smelt awesome. We sat down at the table, and gazed at the all Japanese menus. We managed to order a couple of things and we weren't disappointed. 3 beers and a jug of sake later, Leanne was making friends with the couple to the right of us. They must have been in their 50s, the husband looked like a Japanese Ringo Star. With our lonely planet guide book and a few phrases we managed to have a good chat and left the place feeling really happy with ourselves.
Back to the hotel on the underground and now in the room writing this blog...
What a great first day.
Good night x
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