For me quite an inauspicious start as I managed to get dehydrated and then sick in the hours up to the 9am scheduled bike ride. Jenni took over with the 10% contribution I would have made and had to sort the directions, a train journey, topping up contactless travel cards and keep up the spirits of three jet lagged children. I slept.
The bike ride was fab though and while it was in the mid 30s temperature wise, the team put in a sterling effort. Tokyo was made for cyclists. You can cycle on pavements, roads, up one way roads the wrong way etc. Overall people are just more geared up for it. We have seen so few cars. It is like the whole of the city is how London now is with the ULEZ zone.
Below we have the entrance to the Atago shrine, Zojoji temple garden with figurines representing children lost through miscarriage and more recently prayers for healthy children.
This afternoon, we then grabbed a bite at a restaurant where commonly you enter the dish you want on a ticket machine in the lobby and then pay. You hand the ticket to the chef and then they bring it to you when it is ready. We have so many etiquette pieces to learn that sometimes they overlap themselves and you find yourself simultaneously in the way, not doing the right thing, bringing the restaurant to shut down status with 5 people. It is amazing we got any food at all but everyone was trying so hard to help and we were so grateful to finally eat something.
After lunch we went on a cruise up the river. A company that the cycling team spotted on the way back. It was another “guess the script” occasion but we did eventually get on the right boat. The sky tree was a popular photo subject from the river.
The temptation to go back to the hotel was strong with the people who didn’t sleep off their sickness but we managed to cajole everyone into a visit to the sky tree tower. Some waiting and shopping and waiting later we got in the cramped lifts and were treated to a spectacular sunset overlooking Mount Fuji. We were so expecting not to see it at all, so to see it on our first day suggested the holiday has gotten off to a fabulous start. We grabbed some food in the food court on the way out and mulled over the day. Some real tired and sore folk now so a train back to the hotel completed the festivities.
