things i'm grateful for: tokyo lovin'

day 3

so there we were trying to figure out how the metro worked.



mr t immediately figured it out, of course.don't ask me, though. the only thing that really concerned us was the seemingly lack of lifts in the stations. :-( my poor husband had to carry baby's pram up and down the stairs in some of the stations.there was even an instance when he had to help a japanese mom carry her baby's pram up the stairs as well.i'm sure it's the lack of space that hinders the japanese from putting up lifts.ayan ha, that's how much i love japan.i can find excuses for any of their shortcomings :-)

we went to the imperial palace garden and were surprised to see the main roads near the garden were closed for people to cycle.see how accommodating tokyo is?





of course, we loved the imperial palace.the burst of red and gold were amazing.and baby was delighted with the koi pond.







i can't believe that this is in the middle of the city.















mr t loved this road sign overkill.hehee.



we proceeded to the tokyo tower, japan's answer to the eiffel tower.it actually exceeds the original by 13 meters.i still prefer the eiffel tower, though.





we first went up the 150-m level and then to the 250-m level where the view was remarkable.







the timing was perfect as we were there during sunset which was at about 4 p.m. lol.













then it was night time, and the view was even more magnificent.









the tower at night





then, we passed by a cemetery.now, let me tell you, my husband and i like visiting cemeteries in places we go to.we have done this while we were in london, paris and munich.usually, we do this in broad daylight.since it was already dark, i was a bit apprehensive to walk through the cemetery.but i did it anyway.eventually, i got really scared.i mean, it was really dark and really cold.it was really eerie.





near the cemetery were these rows of little statues of jizobosatsu, the protector of the souls of stillborn children.i did not get to see these as i chickenened out to pass by the cemetery again.







we passed by this cool, green building





and a german bar!



we then went to roponggi hills, a stunning district where we saw a lot of expats.







mori art museum - we planned to visit this in case it would rain during our stay, but it did not...



a spider sculpture



i liked this area.i wish we could have stayed longer, but it was bloody cold and my feet were aching like h***.

then we saw this german christmas market inside the mall! perfect!





gluhwein and curry sausages!





a great nightcap!