Tokyo Station

Everyone told me that Tokyo is crowded. Obviously it is, and yet, there is no reason to be scared about that. They have also mentioned that Tokyo station is crowded and you get lost there. Also you must stand in long lines for JR pass activation. All these are a bit overrated.

That is the plaza in front of the Tokyo station at 8am. This is on the Marounchi Station Square side and as you can see I mostly have the place to myself on a Monday morning. Yes, inside the station there was normal morning rush, but nothing that an average tourist can’t handle.

These are a bunch of school students on a field trip of some kind. And yes lots of people and most train employees wear masks. So summary from all these is the crowd was manageable.

Late arrival

I mentioned in the comments of my previous post that I arrived at my hotel past midnight. It was a comfortable hotel and did get a good night sleep. I also slept most of my way in the plane so I was not tired in the morning.

I had to validate my JR pass, get some Konbini breakfast, and get some cash. Those were the order of things I had to do. Since my hotel is virtually across the street from Tokyo station I did all that at the station plaza. Then went upstairs to a garden area to have my breakfast!

Looks like there will be a lot of food pictures here! I have never had this good quality food at convenience stores at these prices. That box of rolls with a warm boiled egg was 730 yen which is $4.30! It is filling, healthy and tasty! These days I can’t get a coffee at those prices in Houston. A typical brunch here cost north of $10 easily and sometimes $18 and still the taste here leaves you half-hearted at best! My goodness, US has become so expensive! I have just been to Switzerland and now Japan, both known to be expensive places. But man I am here to tell you that times have changed. Both are much cheaper than average cities in the US!

Fall at the Imperial Garden

After my breakfast, I still had an hour to kill before my Shinkansen to Kyoto. I was taking Hikari 637 from platform 15 (which was easy to find without asking anyone for help), from Tokyo station at 9:33am. So I decided to take a short stroll towards the Imperial garden which is just on the other side of the station.

Fall has arrived here. It’s not peak yet. This year fall is arriving very late in Japan. I didn’t get to see much of the garden in 1 hour, but it is immaculate.

After the short stroll it was time to get to my train and head to Kyoto. I will arrive there around noon. And just because @livinguktaiwan mentioned I did pick up my #2 Bento Box and a Asahi beer for the train! Yes, you have drink alcohol at public places in Japan! It’s a wonderful country!

Talk to you guys later from Kyoto or Nara. Don’t know where I will end up for the night! Joy of travel with a backpack only!