SENSOI-JI TEMPLE (Again)
I set an alarm for 4:30am so I could head out on a solo photography mission to Senso-Ji again, as I wanted to take some time to photograph the beautiful temple complex without the crowds.
I was surprised to discover that the trains in Tokyo don’t run between the hours of 1am and 5am so the earliest I could get out there was 5:35am. It was well worth the early start as the crowds had totally disappeared compared to the day before. There was a few other photographers and plenty of people out for a morning stroll with dogs. The sound of monks chanting and smell of incense filled the air. It was an incredibly peaceful way to experience this scared site.
If I were to come again with the rest of the family, I’d aim for 8am - 9am. The stalls along Nakamise-Dori open at 9:00am so if you arrived a little before 9am, you could beat the crowded but still browse all the interesting stalls and shops.
TOKYO TOY MUSEUM
Thanks to all the YouTube videos we watched in the lead up to the trip, I knew about the Tokyo Toy Museum, which looked like just the thing our girls would enjoy.
The Tokyo Toy Museum is set in an old elementary school and features many rooms that display toys from Japan and around the world. The majority are beautifully made wooden toys and the best part is that it is incredibly interactive. Children can play with a huge assortment of toys, puzzles and games.
The Wooden Forest room had a unique ball pit full of wooden balls and the girls especially loved the yellow room which had such a wide variety of wooden fruits and vegetables that the they could pick off the wooden trees and pretend to wash and sort.
The staff were incredible friendly and encouraged the girls to sit and play games with them, which was such a lovely experience. There was even a little craft class set up in what looked like an old art classroom.
We stayed for over two hours and found the whole space so engaging and interactive for the girls. Even Braino and I got carried away trying to out do each other on a particularly fun skill tester type puzzle.
I booked tickets online via the Toy Museums website the night before. It was 800 yen for the girls and 1,100 yen for adults (roughly $8AUD for children and $11AUD for adults)
The Toy Museum is located in Yotsuya, Shinjuku City and we were able to reach it by catching the Marunouchi Line to Yotsuya-Sanchome Station from Akasaka-Mitsuke Station.
TOKYO METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT BUILDING, SHINJUKU
From the Tokyo Toy Museum we jumped on the train again and headed into Shinjuku, which is the world’s busiest train station! We were headed to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and were surprised to find that there was a whole underground network of tunnels that lead from Shinjuku Station all the way to the Government Building. The Tokyo metro system is phenomenal.
The Metropolitan Government Building has a free observation deck in Building 1. It was very easy to find the correct elevator and we didn’t have to wait too long. It was amazing to see Tokyo sprawled out beneath us from 200m high. There are apparently many other vantage points where you can see Tokyo from above, but the TMGB is a fantastic free option. The whole level was quite spacious and there was a cafe, gift shop and even someone playing a grand piano.
SHINJUKU CHUO PARK PLAYGROUND
We discovered a fun playground in the beautifully landscaped Shinjuku Chuo Park behind the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. It had a great obstacle course style playground for older kids and a section dedicated to toddlers as well. The girls had a wonderful time playing for an hour or so. And best of all, it’s a totally free public playground. A great way to finish up the beautiful afternoon.
