Japan trip day 4 - Brian Hart

Before we get into Day 4, I want to talk toilets. Japan is known for having fancy toilets, but how fancy? Here are the hotels I stayed at, in order:

Comparison chart of toilet features across Japanese hotels showing Asakusa View Hotel Rokku, Hotel Metropolitan Kamakura, and Hotel Granvia Kyoto, plus home toilet, with checkmarks and X marks for features like heated water, heated seat, water pressure, self flushing, dryer, and auto open lid

The hotels got progressively better during the trip, but our Toto S550E at home outperforms the average hotel toilet in Japan (n=3). I will say that every hotel I’ve ever stayed at anywhere in the world (with the sole exception being the Lake Nona Wave Hotel) has toilets worse than the worst Japanese toilet.

Moving on…

Day 4

Today I wanted to explore other parts of Tokyo. I set my sights on Meiji Shrine, since it was in a different “neighborhood” / city, and it would take me to Shibuya. You possibly know Shibuya – this famous crossing:

Aerial view of Shibuya Scramble Crossing in Tokyo showing hundreds of pedestrians crossing the busy intersection in all directions, surrounded by bright commercial buildings, shops, and iconic signage including TSUTAYA and IKEA

But before heading in that direction, I wanted to check out Asakusa Underground, which I was made aware of the night before. The description made it sound cyberpunk as hell, but it ended up being underwhelming and a little depressing. No big loss, though, as it’s at the subway station I needed to be at anyway.

The train ride from Asakusa to Shibuya took about an hour (that orange line) on an efficient subway line.

Tokyo subway map showing transit route from Asakusa to Shibuya City highlighted in orange, with estimated travel time of 1 hour 10 minutes displayed, showing the vast expanse of Tokyo's metro system

This is when I started to get an appreciation for how massive Tokyo is! I did the obligatory walk across the Shibuya Scramble Crossing and then wandered around a bit, soaking up the culture. It’s busy and noisy, so I just kind of meandered through the shopping area in the direction of the temple, which took around half an hour.

Bustling Shibuya street scene showing mix of Western brands including British Pub, IKEA, and Burger King alongside traditional Japanese establishments, with pedestrians on cobblestone walkway

Outside the entrance to the temple there’s a little cafe called CAFÉ Mori no Terrace. I paused at to have a coffee, warm up from the chilly walk, and to people watch, after which I made my way into the park.

Selfie at Meiji Shrine entrance with traditional wooden torii gate in background, surrounded by mature trees and other visitors, overcast winter day in Tokyo

Wide view of Meiji Shrine main hall showing traditional Japanese architecture with curved roofline, visitors gathered in the expansive courtyard, framed by large trees under cloudy skies with Tokyo Skytree visible in the distance

There was even this one area with a few restaurants that reminded me very much of Northern California and made me a bit ‘homesick’ for that old life:

Modern glass-fronted cafe and restaurant buildings nestled among lush trees near Meiji Shrine, with visitors walking past directional signage, creating a Northern California-like atmosphere in Tokyo

After my time at the park and the temple, I hopped the subway and made my way back to Asakusa. Again I had sushi at the restaurant across from my hotel, wandered the neighborhood for a bit, then called it an early night. Tomorrow: taking the train to Kamakura, plus a snow storm!

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