Tokyo 2

After another hearty breakfast we left our bags in the hotel ( two rucksacks beside the decidedly more upmarket cases) and went out for our final day exploring Tokyo. Our flight home was not until late in the evening so we had the whole day ahead of us.

We headed back to Ueno Park which was much busier with people as the cherry blossoms were much more advanced. We had a crowded walk in the park and then headed to the Tokyo National Museums at one end of the park. There was a bit of a queue for tickets but we were soon in and it was a very interesting museum with a huge collection of cultural relics and art works from across the ages.

One unexpected treat was the amazing garden at the back of the museum which was a very peaceful place to walk and sit with its many different coloured cherry trees.

We then walked to the Nezu shrine which again was an area of great peace among a bustling urban landscape. The shrine looks amazing with its large entrance gate and tunnel of Torii gates as well as its very large azalea garden. Unfortunately we were a good few weeks to early to see them in all their glory but it was a lovely area to visit.

As a final treat I thought it would be a good idea to head to Chidorigafuchi Park to see the cherry blossom and possibly even hire a boat around the moat of the Imperial Palace. When we emerged from the metro station I suddenly realised that I was not the only one thinking this as the pavement, for as far as we could see up the hill, was packed with rows and rows of people all not moving very quickly. We decided this was too busy for us so we headed down the hill and spent the last few hours of our trip in the Museum of Modern Art. If I’m being honest I was a bit underwhelmed by the museum but it was nice to visit it.

As time was passing we headed back to our hotel, picked up our bags and caught the monorail to the airport and our long flights home.

That gave us plenty of time to reflect on a fantastic holiday where everything went to plan and it not only opened my eyes to the delights of Vietnam but also confirmed everything about Japan that were my reasons for wanting to go there.