Well, another day in Tokyo, but far different from yesterday. The weather had changed quite a bit in that it was heavily overcast compared to the brilliant sun we enjoyed yesterday. On the plus side, there was far less wind and it was not as chilly. It would be a fine day for a long walk.
Once again, we stayed onboard until 10am, then headed for the Loop bus again. This time we got off at the first stop, which was the Hilton Tokyo Odaiba Hotel. We could have walked to here from the terminal, but decided to save our energy for town. Almost across the street from the hotel was the Statue of Liberty, or a replica of it, only smaller in size. With a little research, we learned that the real statue had been on loan from France and spent one year on display here in Tokyo, of all places. She overlooks the Tokyo Waterfront City, where we hiked today.
This entire area was recently built on land fill we read somewhere. Many of the structures were used for the 2020 Olympics, so the city built up around it all. There are enough malls to keep one busy for months, let alone 2 days. What we appreciated by staying in this area was the fact that nothing was over-crowded, like we know downtown Tokyo is. We have been fortunate enough to have toured the shrines, temples, parks, and museums more than once, so exploring this part of Tokyo was refreshing.
This marina was created for the scenery and also for jogging and biking. There are spots where people can fish, relax at a waterfront café, or even spend some time on a sandy beach. A wooden boardwalk lines the water's edge, and although there is no swimming allowed, it did not stop the group of middle schoolers wading in the shallow surf without their shoes. Some of these kids were playing volleyball. Checking the local map, we saw that three schools are located across the street from this manmade beach. As well as a park full of trees and paths, there are nice and clean facilities available for all.
Doing some internet searches, we had located a pizzeria on the corner. However, it appeared to be closed. Knowing we could find a suitable lunch at the mall we visited yesterday, we decided to try and find it. For some reason, the Ariake Garden was not printed on either map we had. While we were checking out maps, a very nice young fellow came over and asked if he could help us. He spoke limited English, but well enough to point out the direction we needed to go. We thanked him and he was on his way.
We knew we had to cross the Nozomi Bridge that crossed over the Ariake West Canal. At least we did remember the bus went that way yesterday. But then after that, we weren't sure, since the bus had turned on several streets to be able to drive into the mall's garage. Almost at the point of giving up, we decided to go a few more long blocks before turning back. And that's when we spotted the green vertical sign on the corner saying Ariake Garden. This five story (or more) building was part of the Villa Fountaine Hotel, and was basically hidden within the jungle of high rises. Now all we had to do was find how to get inside the mall.
Walking around the building, we recognized the food market, Aeon, and knew we were in the right place. We headed right up to the fifth floor and the food court. Yesterday we had spotted a pizzeria with a wood-fired oven and that's where we ended up. Since we have enjoyed so much Japanese dishes on the ship, we were looking for our favorite lunch….pizza. Obviously, the Japanese like it too. The cute waitress helped us figure out the menu, and we ordered two beers with a cheese, bacon, and olive pizza. The bacon was more like sliced ham and was quite good. We added a dessert of lemon cheesecake which was also excellent.
The bus schedule allowed the driver a one hour break, so we caught the next coach around 2:30pm. There was a line of folks waiting by then, and we were lucky to get seats. Worse come to worse, we would have walked back. There were two streets full of more shopping malls and attractions and it may have taken hours to get back. If we ever return to Tokyo, we shall continue our exploration.
The sun never did come out, and it appeared that it might rain. So it was a good time to work online until dinnertime. There was no sunset tonight, and we never did see Mt. Fuji again, so we were happy for both sights yesterday. At 5pm, Captain Frank came on with his daily talk. It came with a surprise. He has planted the idea that tomorrow's port of Omaezaki may have to be cancelled due to an impending storm with high winds. The authorities there said we might be able to dock, but if the conditions got worse, we might be stuck there…unable to leave. With that in mind, Captain Frank said the decision would be made later tonight whether it is a go or not. And after studying the port map, we found that everything to see is far from the town. If it is raining, then we would rather skip it. We still have two days in Kobe, then another Japanese port after that. Right now, it is 10:30pm, and we have heard nothing.
Dinner was good with chicken noodle soup, cocktail shrimp and Caesar salads. Mains were one sliced tenderloin steak, and a lasagna. The dinner rolls continue to be soft and fresh. Dessert was a strawberry tart and plate of sliced pineapple. Still refreshing. Presty stopped by as he was making the rounds to the tables around us. We asked how many people left in Tokyo and he said 31. But 90 got on, so we are up in numbers now. The total number of passengers is 1172. Many of these guests will get off in Singapore, which suggests they are local and took advantage of the special last minute offers to fill the ship. We had also asked him about the dining room layout for the Zaandam. He promised to get us a copy, and within minutes, he came back with both lower and upper dining room table numbers. Perfect. Now we can zero in on the Alaska and South Pacific cruises in the fall.
We could still see the lights of Tokyo and the outlying areas two hours after leaving. It also looked like it rained during dinnertime as the outside decks were dripping wet. Perhaps we are hitting that storm earlier than expected.
Bill & Mary Ann
