Carys’ Late Recap of the 30th June

Carys’ Late Recap of the 30th June

Hello and sorry for my absence on last night’s blog. I have in to the tiredness at the end of the day so I’m catching you all up now. I’m sure everyone will be happy to know that I woke up feeling so much better which was relieving. I’d had a great night’s sleep and a reasonable lie in so was excited to actually start getting into the swing of things. We headed off for a buffet breakfast which really exceeded my expectations. I was glad to start getting involved in some actual food (not just soggy McDonald’s chips which I’d had the night before to get something down) and tried to discover some new tastes. I started with a selection of drinks (orange juice, apple juice that tasted like pears, banana milk type smoothie and water to wash it down) and some mango.

Next was a mixed tray of cheesy green pasta, salad, broccoli and cauliflower, creamy pumpkin, avocado and mixed boiled vegetables. I was intrigued by this very savoury-type breakfast but throughly enjoyed most of it - the vegetables and pumpkin weren’t my favourite but the rest was lovely. 

Then I finished off the meal with a course of ramen and broth - which also wasn’t a favourite unfortunately - and toast with jam, including some matcha bread which was interesting. All in all a great start to do the day.

We took off into the city then, and the light rain, though initially seemingly an issue, was actually very cooling and now I think it’s one of my favourite parts about being here. We made our way to the park, quite gloomy and mysterious which I really like. 

We got to look around the Meiji Jingu shrine which was very beautiful. We got to observe a procession taking place and read the votations people had written out to be blessed by the priests. 

Deciding we needed to cool off we had an ice cream and then had a look around the busy streets, including Takeshita street which I particularly liked, with its quirky shops and food stalls.

Then we made our way back to the hotel to collect the bags and took the trek to our next hotel, via the metro and several escalators and some stairs. After that workout we finally made it to our next hotel in Asakasa, with rooms a little big bigger but also warmer and sorted our things out. The robots which were meant to check us were especially disturbing, particularly when they looked in the direction you were speaking.

We had a quick drink at the pub downstairs and even feeling a bit hot and bothered, decided with mum that we wanted to go to the Mori Arts Tower in Roppongi Hills to get a view of the whole city. So off the two of us went, once again familiarising ourselves with the metro, which is still extremely complicated - I struggle to grasp the London Underground so it’s to be expected - but with mum’s expert skills arrived at Roppongi Hills. A fancier part of the city, with lots of outdoor elevators, which I found fascinating, and plenty of skyscrapers. Unfortunately the outdoor view on the rooftop was closed due to the windy weather, but we still went for the indoor one anyway. Ascending the 52 flights in the elevator was a strange feeling, with ears popping and all, but when we made it to the top, I was so pleased with the view, it was exactly what I’d hoped for. We came at a good time, just before it started to get dark, so even though there was no actual sunset, our time slot allowed photos of dusk and photos in the dark too, when the lights had all come on properly throughout the city. The Tokyo Tower was undoubtedly the highlight, with its beautiful lights illuminating the city. We got to enjoy that view for a while, and then decided to get back as soon as possible, for it to not be too late when we ate. 

Back in Akasaka, mum and I joined the boys in a rowdy ale pub, with lots of other Brits it seemed, and had some food - I’m sorry to say it was not very cultural, just pizza and wedges for me, but it did the job. Once we’d finished we made our way to one of the closest Karaoke bars in the area, with there seeming to be one every couple of buildings, and booked ourselves into a room. We had good fun singing some tunes and laughing at each other, but then tiredness did take over, and it was time for bed.