Tokyo city tour - day two

As a relaxing introduction to what is going to be a busy two weeks, today we were treated to a tour of Tokyo city. 

The history of the city was explained by our knowledgable tour guide and we learnt about Japanese culture and religion, which is a very important part of Japanese life. 

It was also amazing to hear there are more than 127 million people living across the 370,000sq kms of Japan, of which more than 10% live in Tokyo! Makes you realise how much space and how few people we have in Australia! 

First stop on our sightseeing tour was a visit to the Imperial Palace. 

Then went on to visit the Tokyo Tower, where we went up to the observation deck to see the city skyline.

Our next stop was the Meiji Shrine, where we washed our hands to prepare for praying to the Japanese gods. The shrine was a beautiful escape from the high rise buildings of the city, only 20 mins away.

The fourth stop for the day was Ippudo Ramen Shop where we ate traditional ramen soup, warm relief from the cold weather we have been in this morning. Today's forecast was for 6c with drizzle. 

For a few of us, this was one of the first times they had used chopsticks! Everyone must have got the hang of it - there were a lot of empty bowls after lunch! 

Each of our experiences on this trip are little reminders of what happens to our our grain when it reaches Japanese shores... We may have been eating ramen noodles made from Western Australian APW2 or H2!

After warming up at lunch we visited the Shintu Shrine where locals often visit just to walk though the gardens and pray for their ancestors. There was also a shopping street nearby where we bought some souvenirs and Japanese sweets.

After the Shintu Shrine we thawed out in the shops, the guys headed for the electronics, while the girls checked out the clothes.

Dinner tonight was a river cruise down the Tokyo Bay and river. Spectacular views of the city at night! We had a seafood feast, sashimi, octopus, eel, clams and tempura vegetables and fish. Another fantastic meal thanks to our generous hosts from Zennoh.

After dinner some of us went back to the hotel, while others hit Tokyo town for a few drinks. 

Big day ahead tomorrow.... We are off to meet the General Managers of Zennoh at their head office before taking the bullet train to Kyoto.