We departed our Airbnb at 10:00 and with our luggage in tow were at Nagoya Station soon after.
Marcus kindly assisted us in the purchasing our Shinkansen tickets for travelling to Tokyo and we then said our farewells as Marcus and Bryce were going back down to Osaka for their return trips to Australia later tonight and tomorrow.
Our train to Tokyo departed exactly on time at 11:06. The Shinkansen or ‘bullet’ trains are superfast with a top speed of 320 km/h and they have an exceptional safety record with no passenger fatalities due to derailments or collisions in the past sixty years of operation.
Our Shinkansen train arriving at Nagoya
Apparently, the future Maglev trains are expected to operate at just over 500 km/h.
We arrived at Tokyo’s central station after a journey time of 105 minutes.
Despite the swarming crowds we soon found the signs to the JR Chou Line platform which Apple Maps recommended as the quickest way of reaching our hotel destination in Shinjuku.
This rapid east-west train service across Tokyo soon had us at Shinjuku Station where we paused for a coffee prior to walking with our luggage to the Hotel Gracery.
The 350 m walk was effectively along a straight thoroughfare much of which was a pedestrian mall with crowds of people everywhere and yet we didn’t feel any sense of unease being in this situation as people were polite and made way for us with our bags.
Our hotel is in a 50 storey, comparatively new skyscraper and we have a room on the ninth floor. The room is compact, comfortable and convenient as there are restaurants, shops and supermarkets all nearby.
Hotel Gracery Shinjuku, Tokyo
View from our room, Hotel Gracery Shinjuku, Tokyo
We rested during the afternoon and later in the evening ventured out and had a meal in a restaurant just around the corner from our Hotel Gracery.
We had a scrumptious meal of noodles, vegetables, prawns, dumplings and fried rice plus beers with the cost being only ¥4,200 or about AU$40.
Jak with meal at Ringer Hut restaurant, Shinjuku, Tokyo
After our meal we spent time in amongst the hustle and bustle in the community square just outside our hotel. The number of flashing neon lights and multi-coloured giant overhead screens was amazing and the locals all seemed to be in a party mood even though it was a Monday night.
Street scene near Hotel Gracery at 8:10 pm, Shinjuku
Jak watching street performers at Kabukicho Street Live+, near Hotel Gracery, Shinjuku
Performer at Kabukicho Street Live+ near Hotel Gracery, Shinjuku
In the big square were several highly talented guitarists and singers performing at separate sites in what was apparently ‘Kabukicho Street Live+’. One of the female singers had a remarkable voice range and had the crowd in raptures.
Street performer at Kabukicho Street Live+, Shinjuku
On our way home we stopped into the 7Eleven and bought some breakfast provisions and some wine. Chilean chardonnay was ¥1,200 (≈$11) and although we didn’t buy it, 700 mL Jim Beam bourbon was ¥1,352 (≈$13).
As there is an Imax theatre in our hotel building there seems to be a particular interest in the Godzilla movie with there being a massive Godzilla head high up on our hotel wall and a display of Godzilla monsters in our hotel foyer!
Display of Godzilla monsters in foyer, Hotel Gracery, Shinjuku
We went back to our hotel room for some peace and tranquillity and tried to catch up on our blog that has been largely overlooked during the Suzuka GP days.
Tomorrow we have a quiet day in Tokyo and plan to visit teamLab Borderless which is a digital art museum.