Tokyo Skytree

It was our final full day in Tokyo. We'd decided not to do Tokyo Disney - I was unsure of the weather and Lara had been 'meh' about her visit, so Monica wasn't keen to go. (Honestly, I'm still a little bummed we missed it.) Tuesday morning's weather turned out to be rather blah anyway. We checked into our new hostel - the Wise Owl was hip, but not really close to anything, and the desk clerk was a little too cool for school, reminding me strongly of some of my Pratt classmates.

After dropping off our bags, Monica and I found a place that served ramen (her) and gyoza (me). For once, I was the one eating light! We no longer had a set plan, but I wanted to visit Beams and purchase some mugs I'd seen online, (coincidentally) emblazoned with our last name. We took the train to Ginza Six, a tony new shopping center. After seeing a few other tourists toting Starbucks, we asked around till we found one and grabbed some drinks before wandering around the multi-story mall.

Leaning over the balustrade, Monica wondered aloud what these people did, these people who were shopping for designer purses in the middle of a workday. Kusama pumpkins dangled from ceiling, which was pretty cool, as I missed the exhibit when it came to the Hirshhorn. The Beams store inside the mall was rather small and pricey and didn't have any mugs.

We walked to a second Beams store and were directed to a third after I showed the clerk a picture of what I wanted, pulled from Google image search. We had to take the metro to get there - at this point, I was unfairly dragging Monica around in pursuit of my goal... but we didn't really have alternate plans. The third location had my mugs - I bought one for myself and one for my parents. Yatta! \o/

Standing on a street corner in the rain, we couldn't agree on what to do next - Monica was tired of ping-ponging across the city, but I wanted to go back to Asakusa for daytime shopping, which we'd missed out on last time we were there. We ended up going back to our hostel. After taking a little time freshen up and regroup, we made plans to do Asakusa, then meet the Americans we'd met in Koya-san at the Skytree and finally, head to Odaiba for the Ferris wheel.

It was nice to revisit Asakusa. By this point, the rain had stopped - aside from visiting the shrine, we got to shop for some last minute souvenirs. Afterwards, we walked across the bridge to and over to Sumida. We passed the alien-looking boats that ferry tourists up and down the river - we'd have loved to have used that option for Odaiba, but the times didn't work out.

We walked through a residential neighborhood to the Skytree. It was easy to spot, but a little harder to find the main entrance. The large mall at its base was so cool - I wish we'd had more time to explore the stores (especially the Sailor Moon one I spotted). We ended up waiting for guys in an outdoor courtyard near the ticket desk for the observatory. I was a little skeptical we'd find them without the ability to text, but cool with the outing either way. Then, Monica spotted them!

We ducked into line with the guys and bought tickets to top. I'd read lots of reviews suggesting tourists do the (free) Metropolitan Government Building instead. The two aren't even vaguely in the same category - the Skytree was so much cooler. We were there at the perfect time as well. The sun was setting and the lights of the city below were just beginning to glow. There was an interesting, sharp vertical line on the clouds - I wondered if it could be the Skytree's shadow. There was also a glass panel in the floor you could walk across. I feel like I did the same at the Sears Tower in Chicago, but the Skytree's construction made it even more dynamic. 

After grabbing a quick bite to eat, we headed to Odaiba on the train. The ride there was actually pretty cool - as we got south of the city center, the track came out above ground and then pulled a mean loop as we started to cross over to Odaiba. We could see our goal - the giant, rainbow Ferris wheel - from the station. We walked toward it, crossing the architecturally distinctive Rainbow Bridge. Palette Town was pretty deserted at this time - we passed the spot where the giant Gundam used to stand, then walked through a futuristic but totally empty Toyota showroom. 

Finally arriving at Daikanransha (the second tallest Ferris wheel in Japan), we compared the pricing - 100 yen per person, or 300 for a whole cabin - and smooshed in. It was hot and stuffy and we started talking about what would happen if the wheel stopped, stranding us high above Tokyo. Laughing deliriously for the next 15 minutes, we did have some great views of the surrounding area. 

Safely grounded, we stopped by a convenience store for beer and chuhai and sat on Odaiba's urban beach, drinking and discussing our trips. It was interesting to compare notes on what we'd seen with other Americans - appreciating the shared context of the positives and negatives of both cultures - while still in Japan. It ended up being a really nice way to wrap up our trip.