Tokyo, Japan-Part 6

I promise...this is the last one on Tokyo (for a while).  I wanted to use this last entry as a "clean-up" for some of the images that I forgot to use on the other posts.  Consider it a potpourri of Tokyo, if you will...

First, I forgot to mention that we experienced an earthquake.  For those that visit Tokyo often, this is no big deal.  I thought it was pretty cool, as we were on the 12th floor of the hotel when it happened.  You can definitely feel the building sway for several seconds when it hits.  However, taking a vote in the room indicated to me that one half of the voters (C-Rob) did NOT appreciate the quake.  I don't know the strength of it, because it didn't make any kind of news in Japan...but it was strong enough for us to take notice.

Speaking of our hotel (Shinjuku Century Hyatt), it was quite nice - I've been staying here for the last 5 or 6 years that I've traveled to Japan.  Here are some shots of the lobby - check out those chandeliers:

I really like this hotel - it's conveniently located near a major train/subway station, everyone speaks English and it's across the street from a nice park:

View of Shinjuku Park from our hotel room

The hotel is also located right next door to Tokyo's city hall.  With a population of over 12 million, you can imagine that the government required for this metropolis is huge.  The government building is an impressive twin-tower structure that is just enormous:

Navigating the trains and subways is a skill that I have cultivated over a 10-year span of time.  It's one of the most-efficient systems I've ever seen...it's just intimidating to a newcomer.

C-Rob loves to watch me figure the whole thing out...

Click on this image if you want to know what I'm talking about...

This is the view from a subway platform.  They just started adding these "doors" to protect people from falling onto the tracks.

Because of the reach and efficiency of the train/subway system, not too many people have cars (although there's still plenty of traffic).  Because of this, there aren't many gas stations in Tokyo.  The few that do exits are "vertically" oriented, the pumps are held above the cars...

They try to make the most use out of the limited space that exists there.  For example, there are car washes...but they operate very differently than the U.S.  Instead of driving through the wash, you park your car and the wash actually moves back-and-forth over your car. Efficiency...plain and simple.

I think one of the most satisfying parts of this trip was learning how much C-Rob enjoyed Japanese cuisine. 

I tell people that this is one of the best parts of Japan - the variety and quality of the food. Most people only think of sushi when you mention Japan. I was able to expose C-Rob to different kids of sushi, as well as Yakitori, soba, udon, kaiseki. I didn't have time for all the other amazing types of cooking...perhaps another time.

As many of you know, both C-Rob and I are big Apple/Mac fans. We found an awesome store in Omote Sando that sold NOTHING but iPhones. They had a complete floor dedicated to nothing but accessories. It was truly a dream come true ; )

I can't believe I fit into this tiny ride at the amusement park. I now have bruises when I tried to stuff my 6'3" frame into a small helicopter.

That's it for now.  I have many more pictures from other trips to Tokyo.  I'll try to work on those at a later date.  Thanks for reading!