Gardens, culture and nostalgia - Fri 24th

Another lovely day dawns. We head for breakfast and refuel. We are still slow and weak - the many stooped and bandy-legged old ladies move more deftly than we do!  But we can safely say our lethargy this morning is not on account of overindulgence last night, it is just residue of bugs that won't bug-ger off.  We probably set our recovery back a day or so with that whiskey and wine night, but it was worth it!

We set off for the National Gardens and stroll around the rather lovely grounds. It's the wrong time of year for true garden beauty but there are, rather surprisingly, blossoms and jonquils here and there that have bloomed to denote an early spring. The air is crisp and clear, there are only a handful of people about and it is hard to believe we are in one of the world's most thronging cities on a sunny Friday morning.  It's the most tranquil of times.

There is the Japanese garden area that screams orderliness and serenity with its topiaries and bonsais and bridges and paths and bird baths and ponds.  Then the formal French section with its avenue of sycamore trees (handsome, but not as beautiful as plum tree aisle!), and sculptured look. Then the sprawling English garden area where there are groups of young Japanese school kids having a picnic in coloured hats, with attendant parent helpers on hand. Oh those days of primary school outings and doing my bit as parent help are such ancient history. But not as ancient as the hallowed ground upon which we wander ...

The greenhouse is steamy and lush, full of tropical specimens and orchids. There is a very beautiful punga tree standing tall and proud. Brett's glasses steam up and we are boiling inside the massive glass structure.

This pleasant wander through the gardens perks us up although there is still much coughing and spluttering.  Goodness knows what people must think, Brett's cough reverberates around the greenhouse, and indeed the entire grounds, like there is some  great dying ogre about to attack every living soul. I cower at each heavy guttural hack, and I've got used to it. My discrete hanky nose blows are barely noticeable in comparison!

We head to Ginza and find ourselves in a cute little French style cafe - Cafe de Ginza. Their specialty is the Mont Blanc and this is my sweet treat for today - a meringue topped with a thick cream topped with a Japanese chestnut mixture which is piped over the top in a ball, much like meat is minced. It looks like spaghetti on meringue.  It tastes sublime, the subtle chestnut flavours perfectly complementing the crunchy meringue. Yum!!

We poke in a couple of shops but the coughing is a problem - we best stay away ... so we head Ueno. Brett is keen to see the National Museum and I am always happy to get a good dose of culture. We walk through the sprawling urban park which is mostly paved and not nearly as evocative of dynasties and emperors as the other Parks. It is busy and chunks of it being renovated. Eventually, at the far end, we come to the Museum, which consists of several buildings. We go through the main one to start with  - an insight into the history and evolution if Japan. Swords, kimono, Buddhas, deity, pottery, tools, military, warriors, costumes, masks, calligraphy, art etc ... the usual array of historical offerings. It is nicely done and I get some good Creative ideas.  The acoustics are the best yet, Brett's cough reverberating through the cavernous rooms like some sort of gunfire. I hang back, looking at everything twice, putting Tortoise into slowest gear ... I'm not with him, right!

There is another building housing treasures - they are stunning, but after seeing those we are done with artefacts and treasures.  In fact, I declare myself officially an old lady ... I have had to stop twice on this short museum foray to sit down. I've been in dozens of museums over the years, and have only ever sat down to contemplate or wait for someone - never because I actually HAD to sit down!!! Today, I'm afraid to report, I simply had to SIT DOWN to rest my weary legs and body - twice!  Brett admitted to it even more than that! Thank goodness for plentiful and comfy seats everywhere. Ohhhh, dreaded lurgies, please leave us now, we are done with you!

We head back to Shinjuku and to the Keio Plaza Hotel. This is where I stayed when last in Tokyo back in 1985. Back then it was the highest hotel in Japan and today it's still up there, as skyscraper heights tapered off around the 50-story mark on account of earthquake potential. We go up to the Sky Aurora lounge on the 45th floor and enjoy a cocktail and the most magnificent views of Tokyo's night lights. I feel like my 24yo self, when I was here all those years ago, sipping cocktails up here after a hard day's work (running an international conference).
I remember how sophisticated we felt to be way up high in one of the world's leading and highest hotels in an era where travel and such things were so much more rare and coveted than these days. I made a toast to the old Keio crew of '85 - it felt like those days were only yesterday.

A short walk back towards our hotel and we find a small bar and call in. It is one of the many 24hr bars in the area. There is an attractive young girl who starts chatting to us. She is pissed-as, waffles on in English that isn't too bad, and lights up.  We do not feel like engaging and thankfully  two men turn up and distract her. The smoking is awful, we finish our drink and leave. It was like something out of smokey 1985.

We find a Taiwanese style restaurant that looks quite good. We discover they have no English menu (most places round here do) so we order rather blindly - pork and chicken dishes, they are tasty and hit the spot.  The wine is interesting, kind of piquant and unusual.

Our intention had been to make a foray into a Karaoke bar - there are loads everywhere round the hotel - but we really have had enough and decide to give it a miss. We were just planning to observe, but even that felt like too much effort. Besides - I might be tempted to sing, badly, and disrupt my poor sore throat that has finally almost mended itself!
Cough, splutter, sleep is more our style!
It may sound like I'm labouring the point, but we really have both been pretty ill ... I think we have done wonders considering. If we'd been at home we probably would have spent a week in hibernation! Here, we have soldiered on like Ninjas and seen and done plenty.

OBSERVATION OF THE DAY:  Tokyo was once the most expensive city in the world - back in 1985 it was astronomical, even by London standards, and our daily allowance for meals and incidentals was more than our wildest dreams! But we needed it.  Now, it is an incredibly affordable city and I would go so far as to say it is cheap, especially by NZ standards.  From transport to food to taxis, everything is surprisingly CHEAP. Most attractions are free or nominal cost, so most of what we have done has cost us bugger-all. Even our hotel was cheap by comparison to many places, esp NZ. I am pleasantly surprised by this revelation. The days of scary prices here are Long gone - the real scary prices are right back at home!