Japan 2013: Up in the Air at Tokyo Skytree

After taking the rest of the day off yesterday, our real Tokyo adventure begins now. We woke up feeling refreshed and ready to take on Tokyo. But first, we have to meet up with Ariel who's arriving from Osaka today. Nee-chan and I were still getting ready when Ariel arrived at our hotel with his cousin, Shelou (who's studying/working in Tokyo), so Karly picked him up at the lobby. We didn't book a room for Ariel thinking he could just stay in Daddy and Karly's room. Everything was going well until they decided to talk loudly in the hallway. Hay, Pinoy nga naman. :| To make the long story short, we weren't able to sneak in Ariel but at least he was able to leave his luggage in our room.

Today's itinerary consists of a trip to Ueno Zoo and Tokyo Skytree which is Japan's newest attraction. We're no strangers to visiting the world's tallest and most famous towers so we thought it's best if we buy tickets to Tokyo Skytree first thing in the morning since queues can get crazy. After getting tickets, we could visit Ueno Zoo then just go back in the afternoon for the viewing. But our plans quickly changed after buying our tickets. Since the line for the tickets goes straight to the elevators leading to the tower, we might as well go to the observation deck already.

Tokyo Skytree

Towering at 634m, Tokyo Skytree replaced Tokyo Tower (333m) as the tallest structure in Japan. It is currently the tallest tower in the world beating Canton Tower (600m), and is also the second tallest structure in the world after Burj Khalifa (829.8m). Pretty neat, eh?

Tokyo by day.

We bought tickets to the Tokyo Skytree Tembo Deck (350m) which cost ¥2,000 each. For an additional ¥1,000, you can also visit the Tokyo Skytree Tembo Galleria (450m) which we passed up.

A comparison of the tallest structures in the world.

The observation deck was pretty packed but we still got a good view of the Tokyo skyline. It's amazing how many tall buildings there are in Tokyo. It took me back to my anime addiction days where almost every anime featured a trip to Tokyo Tower and I could only dream of seeing the Tokyo skyline in person. During our first Japan trip, we skipped Tokyo Tower and went up to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Observation Deck instead where gazing at the Tokyo skyline is free of charge. But now, I'm actually in Tokyo Skytree, the new Tokyo Tower if I may say. Good job, my otaku* self!

Walking through the glass floor.

What makes Tokyo Skytree unique from other tallest buildings in the world is their glass floor. Okay, before you freak out, the observation deck's floor is not entirely made of glass. There's just a section that allows you to experience looking directly through the Tokyo cityscape at 350m above the ground. It's definitely not for the faint of heart. Ariel couldn't do it but he did manage to smile for the camera without looking below. If you have a fear of heights, I think it's the perfect place to face that fear. I myself am terrified of heights but I do have faith in the Japanese's quality of workmanship and safety so I managed to walk across the glass floor without my knees buckling in fear.

Bye bye, Tokyo Skytree!

What I love about visiting new touristy attractions is the fascination in the faces of local tourists.
 It makes me feel less of a foreigner. We even saw a group of locals taking pictures while holding up a framed photo of a friend/family member/colleague. It was heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. Very Eiga Sai** material.

After going through the observation deck multiple times, we headed to The Skytree Shop for omiyage-hoarding. Just like the deck, the place was packed as well but if you're a fairly quick shopper, you'll have no trouble getting out of there in no time. That is if you're no impulsive buyer. #oops

Next on our itinerary is Ueno Zoo but first, we met up with Nee-chan's Japanese friend, Kenta, for lunch. Kenta used to be an exchange student in UP Diliman who loves isaw. Would you believe he used to eat 20 sticks of isaw in a day?? He loves isaw so much, he even thought of bringing it in Japan and setting up his own isaw stand. Haha Now he's back in Japan and is married to his lovely wife, Junko. The tofu restaurant we we're supposed to visit was fully-booked so we opted for another Japanese restaurant nearby. Kenta and Junko both speak fluent English so conversation was easy. Now that I think about it, it seems more Japanese are becoming comfortable in speaking English compared to our last visit. Lunch was wonderful and we even got to see their lovely traditional wedding photos in Kyoto. Aww~ ♥

Since it was a weekend, Kenta and Junko gladly joined us in our trip to the zoo. They rarely go out on weekends so it was a perfect way to spend a beautiful spring day. Junko was talking to us as we wrapped up lunch and it was only when we were walking away from the restaurant that we realized we haven't paid for lunch yet! It turns out, Kenta settled the bill without our knowledge. Aww talk about having gracious hosts! We kept teasing him that's the reason why he works until 11:00 PM every day. Yes, define workaholic! But if you get OT pay, I think you would want to earn that extra cash. After thanking them multiple times, we promised to buy them unlimited isaw when they visit the Philippines. Sounds pretty fair, right?


* Otaku (おたく/オタク) is a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly (but not limited to) anime and manga.

** Eiga Sai is a an annual Japanese film festival held by The Japan Foundation, Manila as part of the month-long activities of the Philippines-Japan Friendship celebration.

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Traveling party: Daddy, Karly, Nee-chan (organizer), Sera, Ariel, Kenta, and Junko
Travel date: April 13, 2013 [Day 4]
Photo credits: Karl