Now that we’ve got the train figured out, getting around is pretty easy.  Of course, Rich prepped for today’s adventures, he has all the stations mapped out and a plan.  We are sightseeing on our own today, there are several spots on the list to see.

First up, Toyko Skytree.  It opened in 2012 as the tallest structure in the world, it was surpassed almost immediately by the Dubai building, but at 634 meters, it is pretty impressive.  Not only that, it is a huge attraction, there are busloads of people here.  We got off at the train station and walked through the neighborhoods about a mile to get to the Skytree.  We opted not to take the ride to the top, that looked like the wait would be hours, but we did a walk around the base, Josh got out his wide angle camera to get a photo of me with the tower behind me.  Not sure how I feel about needing wide angle, but it turned out well.

Next stop was the Senso-ji Temple, a Buddhist temple that was originally founded in the 600’s.  That’s 1400 years ago!!! Being from the US, that is an incredibly long time ago, we are such a young country. The structures are mostly new, having lost most of them during the world wars, but the grounds are old and sacred.  You wouldn’t know itvisiting there though, the mass of humanity that crowds the streets is incredible.  No way to stop and look at anything, the crowd just surges forward at  a slow pace.  We stayed in the center and took in the crowds and shops.  We weren’t looking to shop anyway, so that wasn’t really a problem.

It was good to get out on our own, we got plenty of smiles and laughs, plenty of stares, some people even patted Big’s tummy.  The rickshaw drivers that were lined up near the temple joked with us, but none offered us a ride, one asked if Big wanted to drive!  #lovemylife