Altitude Sickness?!…No!! (Day 12)

Getting ready to see Japan from the air!

In the previous post, we alluded that AnJuan had a surprise for us. Yesterday, at 8:30am sharp, we headed to the Aero Club for an aerial tour of Tokyo and Yokohama. The tour lasted for a little over an hour, the plane was quaint and cute, and we had a blast. The excitement didn’t hit me until Shermika said that she would ride in the front seat of the plane. It was a Cessna plane that seated up to four individuals. We even had our own headsets where we could talk to each other being that there was a lot of noise from the plane’s engine.

It was amazing to see Tokyo Tower and other major sites from above in the air. This was one of the nicest surprises that we have ever received! Thanks again Juan for your thoughtfulness and kindness. Believe it or not, I am afraid of heights and even told Juan this when he took us to Sunshine City's observatory to see the city up close and personal. The observatory was on the 60th floor and the elevator went 600 mph, reached the floor in a few seconds, glowed in the dark and displayed the different zodiac signs.

After leaving Sunshine City, we headed to a few other places in Japan including Roppongi Hills, and Tokyo Tower. Be sure to check out our videos and pictures below!!

Check out the plane! Cool, huh?

Juan striking his usual pose

Me cheesing!

Shermika with Tokyo Tower in the background

Riding in the front seat never looked this good!

Floral shop near Tokyo Tower. The building has flowers all over it.

In Roppongi in front of Maman sculpture

Shermika looking down at the city
I was too scared to stand on the steps. If you look closely, you can see the reflection of Shermika's shoes.

In the middle of Ikebukuro--A busy area

Beautiful view from the plane

Tokyo Tower--up close

Waterfront area

Miles and miles of Tokyo--3xs the size of New York

Getting the plane ready for flight

Sunshine City's elevator--fastest & coolest in the world

Welcome to Tokyo! (Day 1 & 2)

At Sensoji Temple

Tamika reading her fortune

At Ueno Park--rain and all!

Sensoji temple with our new friends and tour guides!

After 16.5 hours in the air and 3 hours by bus, we made it to Tokyo on Friday! My best friend, Juan, told us that we would have a hard time adjusting to the time zone (Tokyo is 15 hours ahead of us), but fortunately, we've awaken at around 7 a.m. each morning.

Yesterday, Juan took Tamika and I around Ginza (the most expensive district in Tokyo) and taught us about Japan's very punctual and efficient subway system. I must admit, it is difficult, but we're gradually getting the hang of it. I managed to lead Tamika and I to three different places by absorbing Juan's handy tips and utilizing a map. Everyone that knows me knows that I am handicapped when it comes to directions, so it was quite a feat ;-)

Today, we went to Asakusa and saw Sensoji Shrine. We tried wagashi--a traditional Japanese sweet. I had the green tea version, and Tamika had the plain one. They were delicious. We also tried rice cakes and another sort of sweet (both of which weren't as good). We met a great group of volunteer guides on our way to meet some other volunteer guides that we could not find. The beauty of getting lost! The guides were college students, and were super informative. One has even offered to guide us when we go to Kyoto.

We also visited Ueno Park, walked around the Ueno area, and went back to Ginza to see Kabuki theatre, but it was standing room only. We will try again another day....

After getting lost on the train, we found our way back to the base. AnJuan took us to a friend's home for a cookout, which was fun. Pics are below....

Nissan in Ginza

5 storied pagonda near Sensoji temple