Prisoner of Hopes

Tag: Tokyo

  • Bullet Train: Travel Goals Japan

    I am riding a bullet train today. There is one leaving the station every few minutes. I can arrive and walk to the platform with absolutely no fuss. I am still in shock that for a small fee I will be in a city across the country in just a few hours. With a Japan…

  • Adventures in Grocery Shopping: Travel Goals Japan

    One of my favorite things to do when we travel internationally is to hang out in the grocery stores. This is weird because grocery shopping is not something I enjoy normally. I would put it in the necessary inconvenience of modern life category. But a grocery store in an unfamiliar place is a cave of…

  • Imperial Palace: Travel Goals Japan

    Today we visit the Imperial Palace in Chiyoda, Tokyo. While it is the primary residence of Japan’s Emperor, the inner palace area is closed to visitors. Instead, we head to the East gardens. Both the palace and the gardens are built on the grounds of the former Edo Castle, the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate. There are…

  • Beautiful Surprise: Travel Goals Japan

    Just walking through Tokyo, we take a short cut suggested by Google Maps. We are on our way to Tokyo Tower to get an aerial view of the city. Google says we can walk through an ancient wooden door. My husband is leery because it is obviously not a street and Google has taken us…

  • Team lab: Travel Goals Japan

    With our son along for the experience, we journey across Tokyo to find Team Lab. As we wander between office buildings and upscale retail, I am convinced we are lost. Finally, we find the entrance tucked in a remote corner of a very large, sterile mixed use building. We are directed to put our coats…

  • Electric Town: Travel Goals Japan

    You want it? They’ve got it. At least that seems to be the case in Akihabara. We are spending the afternoon in Tokyo’s Electric Town. As we walk across the river from the train station, we see police vans blocking off the streets. This allows the thousands of consumers to wander freely through the city…

  • Tokyo Tower: Travel Goals Japan

    It screams tourist trap. There can be no purpose visiting Tokyo tower except to have a tourist experience. And yet I am drawn like a fly to a flame. Not quite Eiffel Tower vibes, but the smaller Tokyo Tower is impressive when juxtaposed against the monastery that sits beside it. I guess the Tokugawa shoguns…

  • Stroll Through The Park: Travel Goals Japan

    A remembrance of the day that every museum and cultural attract in Tokyo is closed. We make our own fun.

  • Eating Our Way Through Tokyo: Travel Goals

    Food is an important part of a travel experience. In this offering, I remember several memorable meals and the ways we embarrass ourselves.

  • Inari Tokyo: Travel Goals Japan

    I am drawn to sacred spaces, especially if they are authentically in use. While I know little about Shinto, I can relate to the seeking and penitent hearts.