Day 14 – 9th April 2017
Once again we wake up to a decidedly overcast day and the view of Mt. Fuji will just have to wait for another day.
At breakfast we seek out Amos and Eva from our group as they are not joining us on our final tour to the Imperial Palace with Chiaki and they had left the previous evening’s dinner before we had time to wish them all the best. We are pleased to catch up with them again and reminisce with them on what has been a delightful tour. Both of them are very appreciative of the assistance given to Amos but the fact that he has completed a not undemanding tour has been in no small way due to his remarkable guts and determination, especially given his health problems.
The travel notes for the tour had indicated that we might be able to visit the famous Meiji Shrine on this our last morning but Sunday does not live up to its name. We, therefore, head off with Chiaki for a last minute ‘ cherry blossom fix’ walking along the moat surrounding the Imperial Palace. Notwithstanding the teeming rain we are rewarded with some magnificent blossom displays.
Finally, it’s time to say goodbye to Chiaki and to all of our travelling companions as they go their various ways. We could not have asked for a more convivial group.
With the rain abating slightly Gail and I decide to take the fairly long walk along the eastern perimeter of the Palace eventually arriving at the famous iron Niju-Bashi bridge,located at the southern end of the Imperial Palace Gardens. It’s here that we have agreed to meet up with Gail’s niece, Nicole and her husband John, who have recently arrived from Perth to do their own tour of parts of Japan.
We decide to take the underground and head for Shibuya Crossing reputedly the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world although as always there will no doubt be a number of cities which will contest that.
This crossing is not known as the Shibuya Scramble for no reason as with every traffic light change hundreds of people ( for peak times read thousands ) cross at a time from all directions. Apparently, the best time to visit this intersection is on a Friday or Saturday night when the hordes of fashionable young people embark upon a night out on the town. We will leave that to the youngsters but we have seen enough of the frenetic pace, the mind-boggling crowds, neon lights and giant screens to understand what has made Shibuya famous ( or maybe infamous ).
We are all now feeling a bit peckish and with guidance from Nicole and John , who have already been to this area before, we find a suitable restaurant and enjoy a more than passable meal. It’s good to get out of the ever-present rain and to have a nice long chat. Although we only live about 250 kms from John and Nicole this is probably the longest time we have had together over the past twelve months.
It’s now time for us to say cheerio and for us to head back to our hotel but it is good to see them both looking so well at the start of what should be a great trip. The weather seems to be picking up over the next few days so they should be able to let us know what Mt Fuji looks like and see the cherry blossom in all it’s glory.
It seems strange to be returning to the hotel without our traveling friends but tomorrow we still have 5 days on our own to truly explore Japan’s capital city.
Cheers
The Obese Ferret
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