There is also the statue of Tokyo's most famous dog, Hachiko.
I wanted to get some night pictures of Shibuya so when it had gotten dark I headed back. Shibuya is an interesting area to see during the day but it gets even better at night. There are thousands of people just standing around talking and meeting one another. It seems to be a popular place to wait for someone or to meet with friends.
After visiting Shibuya I headed to the area known as Roppongi Hills. It is an upscale area of Tokyo with many expats living in there. I was interested in visiting the National Art Center in the area. One thing I noticed while trying to navigate from the subway station to the gallery was that not only do foreigners get lost in Tokyo but so do many Japanese. The municipal government has placed large maps on some street corners but these just seem to show only the major streets. There are many, many back streets that twist and turn and spin you around sending you completely in the opposite direction of where you want to go that are not shown on those maps. However, after a bit of walking, much backtracking, and knowing the general direction I wanted to go I did manage to finally find the back loading dock area of the art center. I have no pictures from inside the art center because as you enter the front doors there is a sign with a long list of things you cannot do, photography being one of them. Entry to the art center was free but some galleries require a fee depending on what is being exhibited. I just wandered the free exhibitions of the Joint Graduation Exhibition of 5 Art Universities in Tokyo. I am not an art critic but I know what I like and what I understand when it comes to art. While some of the graduates obviously had real talent, some of the art looked like the creators should have pursued other studies or at the very least been held back for a year or two.
Outside of the National Art Center, Tokyo.
After visiting the art center I headed back to the Oedo subway line and went one short stop away to Akabanebashi station. From there I walked over to the Tokyo Tower to get a good view of the city and some more pictures.
It was a little crowded I guess because it was Saturday. The wait to get up was approximately 30 minutes. Having worked at the CN Tower in Toronto for almost 6 years I did find myself wondering why anyone, myself in particular, would wait even that long. After being squished into an elevator that was too small and obviously being filled to beyond capacity, I found myself on the first observation deck. There are two floors to the lower observation area and then a higher and smaller observation deck above. I stood in line again and waited to pay my 600 Yen to ride up to the highest observation deck. Again after being squished into another elevator that was too small, I arrived at the "special" observation deck. Once there I was greeted with a great view and the long lineup to go back down.
The Fuji TV building in Odaiba.
Rainbow Bridge with Odaiba in the background.
The Roppongi Hills area.
Zojoji Temple.
One of two Tokyo Tower mascots. I am not sure which one this is but I really think they should have picked a different colour.
After leaving the Tokyo Tower, I headed back to Roppongi to grab a quick bite to eat at a sushi restaurant that I had passed earlier. The sushi was great. The pieces of fish were huge and it was so fresh that I thought the fisherman must have been in the back unloading his catch from the day. I decided to head to back to Shibuya for some night pictures of the people and the buildings. After Shibuya I went to Shinjuku to get some pictures of the area and to go back to Yodobashi Camera to look at cameras again.
Anyone that has watched the Bill Murray movie, Lost in Translation, will find this Shinjuku scene familiar.
