After Shibuya, we made our way to the magnificent Tokyo tower!
Photo by Beni
So there we were, standing at one of the most beautiful and significant landmarks of Japan. And neither of us had a decent camera! I had my LG Shine and a compact digital camera that can hardly capture night shots. Beni had only his Sony ericsson mobile phone.
And whaddya know? The best (of the worst) shot was captured on Beni’s mobile phone!
Photo by Beni
Tokyo Tower is the tallest man-made structure in Japan with a design based on the eiffel tower. I had always wanted to see the eiffel tower, but since that ain’t happening anytime soon, this was a really nice consolation. I was surprised to find out that at 333 meters, Tokyo tower is actually 13 metres taller than the eiffel tower!
The steel tower is painted in bright orange and white. At night, it lights up in colours that may vary according to the occasion. During summer, it is lit in white. For the matrix reloaded movie premiere for example, the tower was lit in neon green!
There were a couple of observatories at the tower where we could go up to enjoy the view (for a fee, of course). At night, we got a nice panoramic view of Tokyo from the main observatory. The famed Rainbow Bridge and giant ferris wheel could be seen in the distance! (we would be heading there within the next couple of nights. Stay tuned!)
The experience was a memorable one and it reminded me of the time I went up to the 84th level of the Baiyoke Sky Hotel in Bangkok. That was the first time I ever travelled solo. Enjoying a panoramic view of a city should always be part of the itinerary when travelling to some place new.
Aug 24, 2007
6
The food looks so nice! and CUTE!
Aug 24, 2007
20
Have you ever been to Hong Kong? Although I thought it was hot in Japan, at least it was very dry. In HK, as soon as I walked outside, I started sweating and within minutes, my clothes would be soaked.
I agree; in Tokyo, there are not a lot of people that speak English. I’ve taken about 3-4 semesters of Japanese, and most of the time, it was enough to get around. Only one time did I not know enough — we had boarded the wrong train, and when the guy came by collecting cash, we knew we were in trouble.
I asked “does this train go to tokyo?” (in Japanese) and he said “yes”. However, I did not know how to say “Sorry, we got on the wrong train; can we get off at the next stop?”
I even asked “eigo o hanashimasu ka?” (Do you speak english) and sadly, he said “hanasanai”. (No)
All of the food looks good, but I find it funny that you went to Japan for TGIF’s. (American food). I don’t think I had anything American to eat at all while I was there this May.
Aug 24, 2007
3
There used to be TGIF in Singapore. It was at the Glass House, next to Park Mall, where the Fish & Co branch is currently located.
Aug 24, 2007
22
TGIF @ JB, anyone? hehe.
eh… how come u go to japan and eat at least one meal of ‘western’ food everyday? shd’ve eaten more dons, bentos, sashimis, sushis, and whatnots. :)
i just read 2 entries at one go. shiokkk. :P MORE MORE MORE!!
Aug 24, 2007
182
When I am in UK, I sudddenly feel that our public transport, especially the taxis, are still comparatively cheaper than most developed countries.
The food looks great. I was almost tempted to lick them off the screen. *winks*
Aug 24, 2007
3472
arzhou (adrian): Yeah! Sweet too! And pretty!
Ken: I celebrated my 21st birthday in Hong Kong. Boy, was it the rainy season when I was there. Looks like I always pick the worst time of the year to visit a new city! Anyway I was at T.G.I.F.’s solely for the beer (at my friend’s insistence)! The food was only secondary.
acroamatic: I wish they would bring it back!
Daphne Maia: Whoa, I lost count of the number of bento sets, don and ramen I had! For some reason I was craving for western food after the consistent diet of Japanese food!
py: Yeah. Cab fare in Singapore is pretty decent. After this trip I am really starting to appreciate that fact now.
Aug 25, 2007
1
Oh goodness, what a total waste….loosing all your things after a hard day of shopping. I feel really bad for you! Anyway, I expected the cab driver to return it or something…i read that Japanese are the most honest people in the world. They return everything that they see…from wallets to umbrellas!
Aug 25, 2007
3472
Awww don’t feel bad for me babe. I was too careless! Like you, I felt the same way about the Japanese and expected the driver to return my stuff! But I guess there are always exceptions.
Aug 25, 2007
19
hey the songs on your site are nice! who are the singers eh? i wanna get the songs!
btw, i would like to ask how much you charge for web designing. email me ya? thanks!
oh and lastly, your life is so interesting! i happened to google it one day and i am still reading it! haha.
Aug 25, 2007
27
LMAOOOOO… 15 pints? Are you kidding me? I’ll probably pass out after the 6th one :P
I really wish we had a better camera for the Tokyo Tower visit. I fell in love with Tokyo all over again. Wonder when I can go there again *sigh*
Yea it’s really surprising that the cabbie didn’t return your goodies. It’s so un-Japanese. I mean there was this friend of mine who was pissed drunk and dropped his credit card in a cab. The cabbie literally carried him outside the cab when they reached his place. And the cabbie must have found the card in his cab some time late in the night. He could have swiped it away to glory before the night was over, but he deposited it at the nearest koban (police station), and my friend was woken up from a drunken slumber in the wee hours by the police. He goes to the station and collects his card the following morning. Intact. As easy as that.
This must had been an one-off case. Like I said, probably cuz of your bras ;) Japs are quite well-known for their perversion about certain things and acts.
Aug 25, 2007
3472
zi ying: Yay! Glad you love my blog (and my life)! Continue reading ya?
Beni: Dude you can always go to Tokyo Tower again can’t you? And yeah, bring your pro camera this time. It’s such a pity not having any good pictures of the tower during our visit!
Your friend’s story sounds impressive! I don’t know why the driver didn’t return my stuff. Those bras were brand new! What good are they to him?
Aug 25, 2007
90
There used to be T.G.I. Fridays in Singapore back in the 90s. They closed down due to competition. Some bloke came up with a bar called TGIF and stole their thunder.
Pity about the lost shopping though.
As always, a really informative post. :D
Aug 26, 2007
14
The cab driver probably left it at the nearest police station. I think that is what they do instead of returning directly to the owner. I may be wrong. * shrug *
Aug 26, 2007
44
arrghhh …
i wonder what happened to all your shopping purchases now …
maybe the shirts will be worn by the cabby’s kids,
and the bras for the cabby’s girlfriend …
Aug 28, 2007
27
Probably not. Unless I am transferred back there again sometime in the future. I’m relocating remember? And my trip back there would leave me just enough time to have a drink at PCM with the boys I guess :-)
To make up for the bad shots of the Tokyo Tower, I’ll send you some good ones of Met Museum and the Apple Store.
About your stuff, it’s highly probable that the cabbie did leave it behind at the nearest police station. Shucks! Realization dawns too late!
Jan 26, 2008
1
In Glasgow There’s A T.G.I Fridays!! Its Awesome!!
660 Yen??? Geez Louise!! =P
Apr 21, 2008
1
hey i was wondering where was the giant g shock u saw.
is it near the hachiko train exit? try looking for it but could not find it
Jan 4, 2009
3
“when it comes to desserts, hong kong is probably the only other place that can rival with japan.”
Try visiting Greece. Last year I had to try really hard to remain sane while ordering desserts at the restaurants in Thessaloniki.. ;P
Jul 21, 2017
1
Thanks for the blog :)- im going in September for 12 nights in Tokyo, but will do day trip to Kyoto, snow monkey park, mt Fuji and of course Disney land. I saw ppl suggesting to get the JR pass, but it is quite expensive since we are mostly in Tokyo apart from those 4 days trip.
Any suggestion on getting the JR pass or not guys? Appreciate your help :)