Tokyo - With Amazing Views
- Paul Hallman
- Apr 17
- 8 min read
We landed in Yokohama, Japan and started our day early—meeting at 7:30 a.m. in the International Café onboard. The weather was to be sunny and 24C although in the morning it was a bit brisk. The Terminal had large automated walkways from the ship to the terminal and I watched them get set up as we prepared to meet in the cafe.
There were 700 passengers getting off the ship today and another 700 getting back on so we made sure we left early to avoid the rush. As we passed through customs and immigration the departing luggage was lined up for the departing to retrieve. We have never yet showed a passport or ID to get off while in Japan. The taxi drivers were lined up as far as you could see to pick up passengers when they get off the ship.
With backpacks, water bottles and jackets in hand plus a full day ahead, the four of us (Jan and I, plus Chris and Scott—the couple we met on the Coral Princess and travelled into Saigon together) headed outside to find our driver. Chris had found a private company to drive us into Tokyo for $400 total for up to 12 hours and the ship excursions were close to $250 per person. We eventually connected with our chauffer but he didn’t speak English, however we were able to communicate with him with our google translator and once we agreed on an agenda he understood exactly what we wanted to do. Then we were of and Tokyo day was officially underway.
A bit of history: Tokyo (Edo) and Yokohama
Yokohama and Tokyo sit close together, but they grew for different reasons and now anchor one of the largest urban regions on earth.
Tokyo began as Edo, a castle town that became the seat of power in 1603 when Tokugawa Ieyasu established the shogunate. While the Emperor remained in Kyoto, Edo became Japan’s political center and grew rapidly. By the 1700s it was commonly estimated at around 1 million people, one of the world’s largest cities at the time. In 1868, after the Meiji Restoration ended shogunate rule, the Emperor moved to Edo and the city was renamed Tokyo (“Eastern Capital”). Tokyo was later reshaped by the Great Kantō Earthquake (1923) and World War II bombing, rebuilding each time into the modern metropolis we know today. The Tokyo Metropolis now has about 14 million residents. The 23 special wards hold roughly 9–10 million, and the Greater Tokyo Area is about 41 million.
Yokohama, by contrast, was a smaller coastal community until Japan opened to foreign trade. In 1859, Yokohama Port officially opened as a treaty port, and the city quickly became Japan’s international gateway for shipping, commerce and new influences flowing in and out. Like Tokyo, Yokohama suffered heavily in the 1923 earthquake and later wartime damage, but rebuilt into a major port and modern waterfront city. Today it’s Japan’s second-largest city, with about 3.7 million residents, and it forms a key part of the Greater Tokyo region.
Our agenda for the day
Senso-ji / Asakusa
Tokyo Tower
Lunch in Ginza
Shibuya Crossing
Senso-ji / Asakusa
Our first stop was Senso-ji in Asakusa, Tokyo’s oldest and most famous Buddhist temple. The origin story goes back to 628 AD, when two fishermen pulled a statue of Kannon (the Goddess of Mercy) from the Sumida River. A temple was built to honor it, and over the centuries Senso-ji became a spiritual anchor for the city.
As we left the market portion of the area we came upon hundreds of studens in groups that were so friendly. We found out later that this was a way for them to interact with visitors that speak English and it fives them a chance to try out their foreign lanquage skills. This is the group that welcomed Scott and myself.
Walking in through the Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate)—with its enormous red lantern—felt like stepping into a different era.
The approach was lively, full of shops and street energy and then the temple grounds opened into incense, lanterns and that unmistakable sense of history. Even with crowds, it still felt meaningful—one of those places where you can sense how long people have been coming there
There were beautiful gardens around the temples and Jan found the tulips in full bloom.
The statues around the Pagoda were off to the side of the main temple but the walkways were well groomed and interesting spots to visit.
Tokyo Tower
Next up was Tokyo Tower, and it was an amazing elevator ride from ground level to 350 meters in 60 seconds. The second elevator took about 30 seconds to get to the upper level.The tower was inspired by the Eiffel Tower and became a symbol of Japan’s post-war rebuilding and modernization.
Tokyo Tower is one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks with the upper observation level rising 450 meters (1,477 ft) above Tokyo. Completed in 1958, it was built primarily as a broadcast and communications tower (originally for TV and radio transmission) and today also serves as a major sightseeing attraction. We went to the upper and lower tiers to view the city of Tokyo and surrounding area.
The tower typically welcomes around 2–3 million visitors per year and from its observation decks you can see across the Tokyo skyline for tens of kilometers—on a clear day, visibility can reach 50–70 km (30–45 miles), and you may even spot Mount Fuji in the distance. This is an image taken of Mt. Fuji from the tower.
Mt. Fuji as viewed on a clear day from the Tokyo Tower.
We went up to both observation levels and the views were incredible - Tokyo stretching endlessly in every direction, a reminder of just how massive this city really is. There were just too many things to photograph from the tower so I selected "many" for you to view. There are buildings as far as the eye can see and the most impressive part was there were very few cars on the roadways. We had to look to see them moving along the vast number of streets that were visible from above.
Photos taken with the building window frames surrounding the subject, helped show just how far you could see when looking out the smaller windows, especially straight down.
We were so busy gazing out into the wide blue yonder and finally stopped for a couple photos poses. At times we felt the structure sway and we could not imagine how it would move in a large wind storm.
Lunch in Ginza
By the time we reached the area of Ginza, we were ready for a proper break. Ginza had that polished, upscale Tokyo feel with stylish storefronts, clean streets, and a calmer kind of bustle. As we walked through the streets we felt like we were in a high end portion of either LA or NYC with every name brand that you could imagine. I only managed to take photos of a couple before I decided to stop.
Lunch was a highlight. Scott did a Yelp search and found the Ginza 10 Restaurant and they treated us to a fabulous meal. We had Japanese crab salad and then steak with salad as the main course, followed by dessert featuring macaroons and other sweets. It was the perfect reset in the middle of a packed day, and a great chance to sit, recharge and laugh about everything we’d already seen. Oh yes, the local Japanese beer was very good and I have to mention that Scott had only one macaroon.
Shibuya Crossing
We finished at the Shibuya Crossing and experienced it the best way possible way by walking at street level, in the middle of it and amongst the crowd. During peak times, there can be 1,000 to 3,000 people that cross the Shibuya Scramble intersection in Tokyo every time the pedestrian light turns green (approximately every 2 minutes). Daily traffic is estimated at 250,000 to over 500,000 pedestrians. It is widely recognized as the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world. Not many vehicles went through the intersection when we were there. Shibuya Crossing is below the Hachiko Exit of the main transportation route in Tokyo and easily connects several subway lines with the JR Yamanote Rail line and this is one reason the intersection is busy.
When the light changed, it felt like the whole intersection inhaled and then released at once. Cars stopped in every direction and suddenly people poured off the curbs from all sides—straight across, diagonally, every possible line—yet it didn’t feel chaotic. It was fast, energetic, and somehow still polite, like everyone knew the unspoken rules.
In the set of photos above you will see a person in a skeleton outfit and he is walking around picking up items strewn onto the ground. This part of Japan was the only area where we saw items discarded and it was evident that the city was doing whatever it could do to keep it clean. Impressive!
The other photo above was Jan pointing at a "Live Street Video Camera" where we had hoped to wave to some friends back home but because it was 3 pm in Japan, it was also 3 am in Canada so the connection didn't happen, but we tried.
We took a video as we crossed, trying to capture that “only in Tokyo” moment: the wall of people moving toward you, the giant screens and bright signs overhead and the strange feeling of being one small part of a perfectly timed surge. The clip doesn’t just show a crosswalk—it shows the pulse of the city.
Nearby is the softer side of Shibuya Crossing. It is a statue of Hachikō, the loyal dog remembered for waiting at Shibuya Station day after day for his owner and long after his owner never returned. In a place defined by motion, it’s a story that makes you pause.
Hachikō was an Akita who became famous for his loyalty. In the early 1920's, Hachikō belonged to Professor Hidesaburō Ueno, who commuted from Shibuya Station to his work every day. Hachikō would walk with him to the station in the morning and return in the afternoon to greet him when he came home. In 1925, Professor Ueno suddenly died, but Hachikō continued to go back to Shibuya Station and wait for him every day—at about the same time—for nearly 10 years.
Commuters began to recognize the dog and were moved by his routine. People fed him and looked out for him and his story spread through newspapers, turning him into a national symbol of devotion and faithfulness. Hachikō died in 1935, and today a bronze statue of Hachikō stands just outside Shibuya Station (a famous meeting spot), with the nearby area often referred to as “Hachikō Square.” The story adds a surprisingly tender, human note to one of Tokyo’s busiest, most modern intersections.
Back to Yokohama: Red Brick Warehouse
After Shibuya, we drove back to Yokohama and asked our driver to drop us off at the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse. He was a very polite gentleman, opened the door every time we stopped and made sure we were happy with his service. Typical Japanese.
The Red Brick Warehouse area has its own great backstory and it fits perfectly with Yokohama’s identity as Japan’s historic gateway port. Built in the early 1900's (completed around 1911–1913), the two red-brick buildings were originally customs and bonded warehouses with secure storage facilities where imported goods could be held and processed under customs control before duties were paid.
At the time, Yokohama was one of Japan’s most important international ports and these warehouses were part of the city’s push to modernize its shipping and trade infrastructure using more fire-resistant Western-style construction (brick and steel).
For decades, the warehouses supported Yokohama’s working waterfront. As shipping methods changed and port operations modernized, the buildings eventually outlived their original purpose. Rather than demolish them, Yokohama preserved them as historic landmarks and redeveloped the waterfront. In 2002, the Red Brick Warehouse reopened as a public destination—part heritage site, part shopping and dining, and part event space while keeping the original industrial character.
Today it’s a symbol of Yokohama’s transformation: from a port built on global trade to a modern waterfront city that still protects and celebrates the architecture of its early international era.
We walked through the market building, but we actually spent more time outside in the gardens, enjoying the open space and the waterfront atmosphere.
Chris and Scott took a taxi back to the ship. Jan and I decided to walk—but we quickly wished we’d taken a taxi too. The weather had been sunny and about 24°C, but as the winds picked up (around 30 mph), it cooled off fast, and we really felt it.
Wrapping up
By the time we made it back, it had been a long, full day—and all four of us were tired from the walking and the constant go-go-go of Tokyo. A sea day after this will be very welcome.
The ship didn’t leave until 11 p.m., but we were sound asleep at 8 pm as we sailed out. Thanks to Dennis for taking this Sail Away photo and sharing. Our next port is Miyako, Japan but we get a day's rest before we arrive.
Comments