April 11, 2011 - One Month Later
I arrived on the evening of April 6, and as soon as I got to my hotel, I noticed I was missing my passport. Instant panic mode! Thankfully, by the following morning, I was notified by the Canadian Embassy that my stuff had be brought to the authorities at Nippori Station. Gotta admire the honesty and integrity of the Japanese police.
The night of April 7th was the night a major earthquake struck in the Tohoku region once again. It felt pretty strong in Ikebukuro, but that could be because I'm on one of the top floors of the hotel I'm in. It lasted for about 2 minutes, and we've had aftershocks and earthquakes of varying degrees since then, although nothing too bad.
As this was my second time in Tokyo, I went and saw the things I missed when I came in 2009. I spent my first two days shopping and strolling around Ueno Park,Shibuya, Akihabara and Shinjuku. The neon lights weren't lit up as much, but the city was still alive, and the streets packed with people. Businesses appeared to be either opening later, or closing earlier than usual.
Sunday morning I went to Sunshine 60 and Shinjuku Park, and in the evening, I was in Roppongi Hills. All 3 placeswere packed with people wanting to see the cherry blossoms and what Tokyo looks like from 60 stories up. Tokyo Tower was not lit up, which was disapointing yet understandable.
[A Tokyo neighbourhood as seen from the Sunshine 60 building]
Monday was spent in Kamakura, where again, people were out and about enjoying the nice weather and the beautiful sights of the temple, Daibutsu (big Buddha statue) and the nature. All the tourist sites were open according to regular hours.
[Tourists out and about at Kotoku-in Temple in Kamakura]
I'd also like to note that in terms of transportation, I have never had to wait more than 10 minutes for a train, with the exception of the train going from Kamakura to Shinagawa. Food around here is plentiful, and the shortages of water and food seem to no longer be a problem.
I am off to Nikko in the morning, and on Wednesday afternoon, I will be heading to Yamanashi prefecture. So to those second guessing on their trips, please come! Spring time is the best time to visit the country, and you will be missing out on a lot!
