Tokyo, Japan - day 1

Our first day in Tokyo was a fun day. We docked in the brand spanking, beautiful new Tokyo International Cruise Terminal. It was built in preparation for the 2020 Olympics that were to be held in Tokyo, but which never happened because of Covid 19. The last time the Olympics were held in Tokyo was in 1964.

We had chosen a visit to the Tokyo Tower as our excursion because it had the least amount of walking (I'm still not up to par). I personally wasn't expecting it to be very exciting but as it turned out, we both enjoyed it immensely. Mizuzu, our guide, spoke excellent English and did a great job.

The highlight of our tour "Panoramic Tokyo" was a visit to the Tokyo Tower. As we drove through the city, Mizuzu shared with us several facts about the city. Tokyo (formerly known as "Edo") has a population of 37 million people. Seventy five percent of Japan is mountains. That doesn't leave a lot of land space for so many people! Land space is precious and with little zoning, you can find any kind of business anywhere on the lowest level of a high rise (small, long spaces rented out for retail) with high rise apartments above them.

With this many people, there is a need for more and bigger highways, but fortunately Tokyo has excellent public transportation systems - the Tokyo Metro along with an underground network of trains. There are also many taxis, buses and ubers, and many people ride bicycles as well. On average, almost 7.6 million passengers a day ride its network. And visitors won't see any older model cars on Tokyo freeways either. According to our guide, after a car is 9 years old, the government enforces such a high tax rate, it essentially forces its owner to purchase a new one. Cars older than 9 years are shipped to foreign countries.

The Tokyo Tower boasts being taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris, while weighing only half as much. It is the world's tallest self-supported steel tower, standing almost 10 feet taller than the Eiffel Tower. The 360 degree view from the top was simply amazing!

After leaving the tower, we were driven by the Imperial Palace, Roppongi entertainment district, Ginza shopping district, the train station and other areas. But the Tower was without a doubt the highlight of the day!

1,092 feet tall - the second-tallest structure in Japan

360 degree views of the city

37 million people live in this densely populated city

 

notice the large green spaces

53 buildings and structures are taller than 614 feet tall

173 buildings contain 81,825 apartments

Tokyo, Japan - a beautiful, modern and clean city

I'm standing on a "glass window" on top floor with a view of parking lot below

tower reflection in our tour bus

 

view from the bottom up

Tokyo is a clean and modern city. The people are friendly and try to be helpful; however language is the big barrier for English speaking visitors. There is so much to see and do in Tokyo. I would definitely love to visit again. Hope you enjoyed the photos from the top!