The tour itinerary had us visit Tokyo twice. For convenience, I have combined the two visits into one gallery.

On Thursday (Day 5) we found ourselves us in Tokyo following a bullet train ride from Kyoto. Tokyo, the capital of Japan, has a population of 14M in the metropolitan area. It is a forest of skyscrapers and the streets are full of people and cars.

Today was mainly a day of culinary experiences. We had lunch at a restaurant where a sushi chef gave us lessons on how to make nigiri (raw fish on rice) and a sushi roll. Basic skills look easy, but perfection is not. He made it look easy.

We followed that up by participating in a traditional tea ceremony. The lady performing the ceremony made matcha (green tea) following a 400 year old tradition from an ancient tea master. The matcha was made from powdered green tea which uses tea leaves from plants especially cultivated for this purpose. Whereas I saw how calming and serene the ceremony could be, to be honest the tea had a tad vegetal (asparagus/green peas) character to it. Certainly an acquired taste.

Day 5 day ended with a six course shabushabu dinner. Shabushabu is a dining experience where participants cook meat and vegetables in a communal boiling broth to their desired doneness. It was preceded by three courses of appetizers. The beef for the shabushabu was A5 waygu, the highest grade of waygu. It was so marbled it looked more like a deli meat than a prime cut of beef. The famed Kobe beef is waygu. A great introduction to Tokyo.

Friday (Day 6) we experienced Mt Fuji. About a 2.5 hr drive SW of Tokyo, Mt Fuji is the iconic scene for Japan. At 12,390 ft, Mt Fuji is the highest peak in Japan. Still classified as an active volcano, Fuji has not erupted since 1707. Our coach took us up to Station 5 (7000+ ft). There are eight stations with the last three limited to mountain climbers and hikers. We were fortunate to see the mountain as many visitors find it covered in clouds. Our tour director had one visitor make three trips to see the mountain without success. We had a clear day with some haze, which made photography a little challenging but we were lucky nevertheless.

We finished the day at a museum displaying the amazing works of Itchiku Kubota, a textile artist known for his revival of the Tsujigahana technique of tie-dying. The technique was not used much after the 16th century. But Kubota discovered it as a young man and committed his life to perfecting his skills and developing new extremely complex techniques. His canvases are kimonos and the final products are absolutely stunning in their design, color, texture and execution. Because of his excellence, the Smithsonian made a rare exception and exhibited his work in 1995 while he was still alive. He died in 2003 at the age of 85. Unfortunately, photography was prohibited in the museum, but if you are into art I encourage you to Google him to appreciate his skills.

On Day 6, we took a Shinkansen north to Sendai. Following a great excursion of the north, we returned to Tokyo.

Tuesday (Day 10) was our last full day in Japan, and we spent it seeing some sights in Tokyo and finishing with a lavish farewell dinner.

In the morning, we visited the Asakusa Kannon, which is Tokyo’s oldest and most spectacular Buddhist temple. A temple was built on the site in 645 AD, but the current structures mostly date from the 1600s The Hozo-mon gate was built in 1964 and houses some 14th century Chinese treasures. On the expansive grounds of the temple is Nakamise-dori street which is lined with merchants selling tourist-focused goods - kimonos, combs, scarfs, toys, whatever sells.

We next traveled to the Ginza district, one of the most expensive shopping areas in the world. If you can think of a luxury brand, then there probably is a storefront in Ginza offering that product. Expensive!!

In the Ginza district we saw a pack of Mario cars. We saw them several times around Japan. Basically, one rents a racing-style go-kart and follow a leader around town and through the ominous traffic. Can we say suicidal.

We finished the day at a traditional Japanese restaurant (Tofuya Ukai Hana) featuring beautiful gardens on the grounds and individual dining rooms for groups. The restaurant was in the shadow of the Tokyo Tower (1092 ft). We were treated to an eight course kaiseki-style dinner. Although the restaurant specializes in tofu-based dishes, fortunately, for me, the chef is aware of other ingredients. It was delicious.

The wall in the lobby bar was one of the most impressive architectural features I have seen in a hotel. Probably 25X100 ft, it is made of beautifully colored glazed ceramic bricks expertly installed.