Korea Trip 2012 - Part 1

On Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, we boarded a plane to go pick up Andrew from his mission in Busan, South Korea.  Alex came with us so we could see where he served in the Seoul, South Korea mission two years ago as well.

Our plane stopped in Seattle before heading over to Tokyo, Japan.  About a gazillion hours later we landed in Tokyo at about 5 pm on Sunday evening.  We ended up getting to our hotel around midnight, completely exhausted. We spent the next day on a frantic race to see as much of Tokyo as we could before flying out to Korea.

We got up bright and early, around 6 am.

When I was looking up things to do in Tokyo almost every site I found said the Fish Market was a must-see.  It did not disappoint.  We explored it for an hour or so and saw every kind of fish you could think of.  It was kind of like the Pike Place Market in Seattle on steroids.

Fish heads, fish heads, yummy, yummy fish heads.

There were dudes riding around the fish market in these little units.  You had to watch out because they didn't stop for pedestrians at all.

We had udon noodles for breakfast and they were heavenly, to say the least.  Yum.

Tokyo has many very interesting buildings.

We went to the 49th floor of the Head Government Building and could see Tokyo sprawled in every direction, as far as the eye could see:

This waterfall was at a pretty little park near the government building.

There were several turtles hanging out in the pond.

This man was sweeping the leaves with a very long bamboo broom.

Our hotel in Tokyo ended up being the nicest place we stayed on our entire trip.

Lunch was a no-brainer: sushi.  There was a conveyor belt with plates of all kinds of sushi.  When something came past you that looked good, you would snag the plate.  The price was taped to the plate.  Then at the end of the meal you handed them your plates and they added up the cost.

The front of the Sushi go-round Restaurant.

A museum that we did not get a chance to see inside of.  We were looking for the Meiji Shrine, one of the most famous in Tokyo according to several websites.  But no one we asked could explain to us where it was. 

We rode the subway everywhere that day.

I found a shrine to fashion:

At last we found the Meiji Shrine!  This was the entrance to a beautiful park where it was located.

Is this little girl in traditional clothing not the cutest thing ever?

The Meiji Shrine, which is a Buddhist shrine.

The wide avenues in the park reminded me of Central Park in NYC.

Shibuya crossing.  All of the lights at this five point intersection in the heart of Tokyo turn red at the same time.  Then it is like a swarm of ants crossing the street at the same time.  I did not see a single Japanese woman that was not extremely well dressed and very classy.  Check out the red shoes on that lady in the center.  Love it.

This little eating place was kind of cool.  There are pictures of each dish on the screen.  You make your selection, pay, then go inside and get it.

We took a train back to Narita airport and flew out of Tokyo around 8 pm and arrived at Incheon, South Korea around 9 pm.