Thursday, September 12, 2013

Tokyo Skytree

It's been more than 10 days since my last post, but it's not only because I'm lazy, it's also because I spent five relaxing days in Oahu, Hawaii - and I took some beautiful pictures that I can't wait to share!

But I digress - I would like continue sharing the beauty and joy of Japan first. :)

During our trip in Tokyo, we relied on our Tokyo Guidebook. The Tokyo Guidebook highly recommended that tourists visit the Tokyo Skytree. The Tokyo Skytree is the tallest tower in the world. The tower is quite new and modern, and according to our Tokyo Guidebook, the tower was completed in February 2012 and open to the public in May 2012. It is one of the fairly new attractions in Tokyo. With that said, we knew we had to make a visit!
On the way to Tokyo Skytree
After we finished visiting a temple in Asakusa, we walked to Tokyo Skytree. The picture above doesn't seem too far away, but in reality, I believe it was about a nice 20-30 minute stroll.

There is a brand new shopping center that's connected to Tokyo Tower. Whilst exploring this shopping center, I saw someone carry a "Cheese Garden" paper bag. I am utterly in love with anything cheesy (literally and sometimes figuratively). I didn't know what it was (could've been a clothing store for all I knew), but I knew I had to find this Cheese Garden. Finally, we stumbled upon the restaurant level, where Cheese Garden was discovered.

Assorted cheesecake from Cheese Garden

So Cheese Garden is a bakery cafe that sold assorted cheesecake and coffee. Instead of ordering one slice, I opted to get a taste of all five of their flavors pictured above. Although the name of the flavors of the escapes me, I remember my favorite slice was the top left hand corner. Ahh - I love Japanese cheesecake!

After a nice stop at Cheese Garden, we got our hands on more finger foods and shopped around. Before we knew it, it was nighttime already, which was the perfect time to get a nice city view of Tokyo.
 
A view of Tokyo Skytree
Our ticket to enter Tokyo Skytree
Night view from Tokyo Skytree
 
 

Night view from Tokyo Skytree with the Bear

Night view from Tokyo Skytree with the Rabbit

Having a romantic moment

Bear & Rabbit :)

Tokyo Skytree was a fun visit. Visiting the Skytree can easily take up half of the day because of the large shopping center, the many restaurants, and the tower itself. I was initially hesitant on going because I am afraid of crowds. People on tripadvisor.com mentioned that the lines to get into the Skytree are horrendously long. Luckily for us, we didn't encounter large crowds or lines.
 
The view itself was nice, but not breathtaking. Comparing the different skylines we've been fortunate enough to enjoy, Tokyo is not too memorable. I think one of the more memorable skylines we've enjoyed are Shanghai and Hong Kong. Both are beautiful when looking out from above. Nevertheless, I would recommend visiting the Skytree just for the experience itself. 
 


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