North Pacific Passage to Japan

After leaving Otaru we sailed overnight and all the next day, arriving in Tokyo in the morning. It had been 38 years since we left Japan so we expected that we’d see a lot of changes and that was certainly the case. We have heard a lot about the Japanes economy being in the doldrums for many years now, but one could not tell it by looking around. Tokyo has grown in size, from almost 12 million in 1989 to over 14 million now, so everywhere seems even more crowded than before. Skyscrapers are everywhere now. The excellent train and subway has improved even more. 

Our first day we spent on a tour of the city on a bus, going to the Imperial Palace. Our second day we did another tour, going to the Meiji Shrine, then having a traditional Japanese lunch at a large wedding venue, followed by another trip to the Imperial Palace and Asakusa Shrine, finally ending up at our hotel, the ANA Intercontinental in Asakusa, near Roppongi.

The third day we went on our own to some of places we recalled from our time living there: our homes in Gotanda and Meguro, and the shopping areas around Shinjuku and Harajuku. The following day we were taken by bus to Narita Airport for the flight back to Austin.