A Quick Jaunt to Tokyo

Last weekend we went to Tokyo and stayed at the Conrad. We had some points accrued for Hilton that we had to burn before the year was up. The property was fantastic, great views and great service. The lounge food and breakfasts were also very good. In addition, the location is great since it is centrally located.

The view from the Conrad

One of the mornings I went to run around the Imperial Palace since it was just a few city blocks away, for example. 

While we had the points to burn, we were also coming to see some of our friends who worked at an international school. It was great to see them again, 2.5 years since we saw them in person in Warsaw! As things go, it felt just like old times. While great to see them, sometimes I forget just how big Tokyo is. From the hotel to where they lived was 1.5 hours by train! Sapporo is Japan’s 5th largest city, with about 2 million people. To get from one side of the city to the other by train would take you maybe 30 or 40 minutes. Tokyo is the largest city regardless if you are counting just the city itself (15 million) or the metropolitan area (35 million). The infrastructure in Tokyo always impresses me as everything is layer upon layer upon layer. The other thing that always impresses me is that Mt. Fuji is always peeking over the horizon. I don’t think it a stretch to say it is a majestic mountain and very entrancing. 

Another highlight of the trip was going to the TeamLabs exhibition. This was something Aya had done about a decade ago, but was the first time for me. What an experience! Here is a video detailing what there is, but basically you enter this building that is an interactive exhibit. There are maybe 8 different rooms you go through, pretty big rooms. Each is different. Some have water up to your knees! Others have mirrored floors, etc. You can see those rooms in the video. I think we took about an hour to go through, but you certainly could spend twice that or more. 

Since there are other locations, I think we will try it again sometime in the future or bring guests if we are in Tokyo. Pretty cool!