Looking for Godzilla

The Imperial Palace

Because it hadn't felt like my birthday the day before as I was in a completely different time zone, I felt more incline to celebrate it again!  Yes, odd but true!  I knew in my head which time zone I was truly in and it felt, well, cheap!

Changing of the Guard

We had decided to keep it pretty low key as we had been going almost 24/7 it seemed and wanted a very chill day.  So, we decided to hit a few flea markets in our neighborhood.  Apparently, the flea markets are a big deal in Japan on Sundays.  There are many spread all over Tokyo and every person has something different to offer.  Some of the items confused me such as the broken bricks, but others were quite nice.  In the end, we only browsed, but it way a nice was to spend the morning.

The Legend, the Myth

One of the main things on my lists of to do's in Japan, was to finally meet Godzilla.  After a few late nights of stumbling home off the subway and collapsing onto the couch with remote in hand I had had my share of Godzilla movies thanks to AMC!  There is nothing better to watch at 3:00AM after a long evening, trust me!

Apparently, he likes to hang out in Hibiya Park!  He can be hard to find, but there are direction online to make it easier as this is a must see!  We were pretty stoked until we came upon him.  Let's just say the monument doesn't fit the legend.  Without the base, this guy would be half my size!  Hmm, hard to make a cool Godzilla attacking the city photo with this guy, but we made it happen.  I look like an idiot, but that was the goal!  Mission accomplished. 

Why, Yes, This is the Women's Bathroom

After Godzilla, we headed over to the Imperial Palace.  We were told there was not a lot to do there as everything was off limits except for the park. We were also told the gardens were not that impressive but we went anyway as it was relaxing and a good way to pass the time coffee in hand as it was chilly.

I have to agree, in the end the gardens were so so, but the cherry blossoms as usual added to the ambiance creating nice photos.  If you want a place to relax, walk and talk with a friend this is the place.   Though ladies, be warned about the toilets.  There are many places in Japan where they do not use Western toilets but rather Japanese style toilets.  I ran into them here.  Pretty much it is a urinal placed in the ground.  Sometimes there are handles, but most of the time, you are on your own!  Think of it as the lowest hover maneuver of your life!  I opted to pass and decided to hold it instead, not healthy.  Sorry Mom!

The Imperial Palace

We had been told that you had to see the Harajuku District on Sunday, so we figured, why not and headed to the station by train.  All I can say is, if you hate large crowds, don't go!  I have said things were insane many times on this blog before, it was a lie!  This was insane!  It took us 10 minutes to get out of the subway!  It was like Times Square on New Year's Eve!  I will put it this way!  The place is crazy!!!  It makes New York City look like a small Midwest city in comparison.  I don't have much more to say as I pretty much spent my time avoiding people and trying to get out of the crowds without losing Noah in the process.

The Harajuku Station

The good thing is, that on a side street, we did find a great noodle shop and I had a seafood noodle dish with shrimp, scallops, white fish and squid.  The thing was the squid was cut in a way where you could see his full body shape.  I had Noah try it first as he'll try anything.  He said it was pretty good so I tried it.  Well, it was good!  Except that you had to chew through the spinal cord to get it down.  That, I did not like!  After he saw the look on my face, he laughed as he knew why I was making it.  He told me he had opted not to tell me because he knew I wouldn't try it otherwise.  Nice!

That night we opted to hang in the Shibuyu District because Noah had to pick up a Final Fantasy mug for his friend.  We had heard it was pretty cool, so we figured why not.  The rumors are true, it is better at night.  Though we were glad to see the egg building during the day. 

Tokyo at Night

We also stopped at a bakery to grab a birthday cake as they looked amazing.  It was kind of cool as they kept it on dry ice for you so it could last up to six hours.  Simple but genius!  I especially appreciate the older gentlemen who helped me out when I tried to exit the bakery.  When I didn't know how to get past a group of children in a crowd without plowing them over and he patted them on the head, said something in Japanese and I was free.  I bowed like crazy for his kindness. 

A great way to see Tokyo cityscape is by going to the Government Building in Shibuyu.  It is open until 11:00PM during the spring and summer and also it'a free!  I have heard that Tokyo Tower can be perceived as a rip off to some so this is the other option.  Even though I live in NYC, I have to say the view is pretty interesting.  NYC is surrounded by water, so the lights are cut off by the rivers making it look smaller, which it is.  The lights of Tokyo go on forever in practically all directions.  It is incredible!

Making New Friends is the Best!

The subways close at midnight, so we knew we had to start heading home.  It is interesting to see the subways at night because you can see hundreds of people scrambling to beat the clock!  I wonder why it isn't open all night because I have a feeling it would be crowded if it were.  The train we were on was pretty crowded with tired people from all over the city.  Our favorite was the young women who was sitting next to Noah who completely fell asleep on him while the whole cart tried not to stare.  Noah had met a new friend!