We got into Tokyo at around 10pm last night, so by the time we got to our hotel (Toyoko Inn Haneda – Kuko No. 1) we were pretty knackered and just crashed.
Our room at the Toyoko Inn, Haneda (Kuko No. 1)
As our flight home was only leaving at 8:30pm we thought we’d spend our last hours seeing some of the sights of Tokyo that we didn’t have time for earlier in the holiday.
So after breakfast we made our over to Shimbashi station (another interesting and unintentionally extended train journey due to navigational uncertainty 🙂 ) where we stowed our bags in a locker and then took the train back to Shinjuku.
The weather was perfect so we thought we’d walk over to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and see what the view was like from the top. Entry was free and they ushered us onto a lift all the way to the 45th floor on the south side of the building. There’s also a viewing floor on the northern side, but I’m not sure if the view is much different.
The view from the top was spectacular! It was great being able to see where we had walked only weeks earlier, but from a birds eye view. Unfortunately there was a little bit too much haze for us to see all the way to Mt Fuji, but it was pretty close.
Looking up at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building from Shinjuku Chuo Park
Looking across at the people taking photos from the north tower
Looking south over Yoyogi Park and Harajuku
After descending to the ground floor we walked through the streets of Shinjuku, stopping at Kamo Sports to pick up a Japanese football shirt as a souvenir, and then at a sushi train restaurant for lunch. We had promised ourselves at the start of the holiday that we would find a sushi train somewhere in Japan and have the authentic experience, so this was it!
The food on offer was really tasty and was so diverse. I think we must have gotten through at least half a dozen dishes each, including three kinds of tuna, baby sardines, fish liver, and this bizarre looking one that we couldn’t work out…?! (We both agreed it wasn’t one we would try again in a hurry…not horrible, but just not great either!)
Any ideas on what this is??!
Late breaking news!!!! The food in the bowl above is actually COD SPERM!!!! Cod milt to be precise….very glad I found out after eating it and not before!
We then made our way over to Odaiba to spend the last couple of hours before our flight.
Odaiba is an artifical island created back in the 1850s, but redeveloped in the 1990s into a shopping and entertainment district.
We wandered around a bit, checking out the Statue of Liberty of replica, and the crazy Japanese Elvis impersonators…very odd!
Rainbow Bridge at Odaiba
Last train back to Shimbashi and then on to Narita airport. Goodbye Tokyo…
To finish the holiday on a high we had one last nugget of awesome-ness to come….business class flights all the way through to Hobart, with accompanying access to the business lounge at Narita airport and in Sydney! It was such a great experience and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone if given the chance!
Complimentary sake at the business lounge in Narita!
Upper deck business class!!
Our seats!
It was a fantastic and relaxing flight back. Great service, really good food and a comfy chair/bed in which to actually get some sleep for once on a long haul flight!
What an amazing 32 days of travel!! So sad to be leaving, but the real world beckons. Back to work in a couple of days where we can start saving our pennies for our next adventure to another land (Cambodia and Vietnam maybe…??).
Farewell Japan, we’ll meet again I’m sure.
🙂