Traveling to Japan under Typhoon - Notes on Japan Trip in 2019 (Part 2)

I didn't sleep well the first night because the alarm kept blaring outside the window, and because of my biological clock, I just had to go early the next day. When I opened the curtains, it was raining as expected, but it didn't seem to be raining heavily and the wind wasn't strong. I turned on the TV and APP and checked. The typhoon is expected to land on the Izu Peninsula after 6 p.m. I feel a little bit anxious in my heart. I feel that there is still a day before landfall, but I am also afraid that the strongest typhoon in 2019 will not follow the rules and arrive early. After struggling in my mind for a long time, I also asked my mother and second aunt for their opinions. Everyone unanimously decided to take this opportunity to go around the neighborhood quickly. Japan is indeed a country that has been tortured by earthquakes, typhoons, and tsunamis. It has already developed a complete set of methods to deal with these natural disasters. Since the morning, TV and APP have been broadcasting the news of when and where the typhoon will land, and then various transportation lines have successively announced when they will suspend operations and when they will resume operations. After looking at the last to stop running, the Marunouchi Line and the Ginza Line are the two subway lines that connect most of the attractions in Tokyo.

After packing up, we went out. The raincoat we bought for Xiaole before this trip came in handy. It is thick and it is more convenient for many Japanese children to wear raincoats when traveling. The subway station is right opposite the hotel. It wasn't windy or rainy when I was crossing the street. I was secretly glad that I got out. After planning the route using Google Maps, we set out on the road to the Imperial Palace. To visit the Imperial Palace, you need to make an appointment in advance on the Imperial Household Agency's website. When I made the appointment, I found that the Imperial Palace had been closed to visitors for nearly a month. Later, I found out that the Emperor of Japan will hold an enthronement ceremony on October 22. Alas, we returned to Japan on the 21st and just missed it. . Since all tourist attractions and shopping malls are closed today, I took my family to visit the Niju Bridge outside the Imperial Palace. It was a worthwhile trip. Take the subway from the hotel to Tokyo Station. This is one of the largest transportation hubs in Tokyo. It is said that there are always people coming and going, but today it is rare to see it being empty.

After leaving Tokyo Station, I suddenly felt the wind and rain blowing hard and soft at one time and completely irregularly. It might be light rain and gentle wind now, but it might turn into a downpour the next moment, and the wind would blow the umbrella stand over. Now I understand why Japanese people always carry the long-handled transparent umbrellas bought in convenience stores because they are big enough and the umbrella stand is hard enough. The folding umbrellas we carry have no advantages except that they do not take up space. It only takes about 10 minutes to walk from Tokyo Station to the Imperial Palace. There are no people or cars along the way. There are only a few groups of tourists like us wandering around the Imperial Palace.

The square in front of the Imperial Palace is either made of cement or asphalt, but is paved with small gravels. It is said that wealthy Japanese families or temples like to use these small gravels to pave their courtyards. It should be to prevent assassinations, whatever. It's hard to walk on it without making a little noise. We looked everywhere for Erzhong Bridge and couldn't find it. From a distance we saw a young man in uniform waving to us. I thought we were prohibited from entering, but when we got closer, I realized that the young man was asking us if we needed help. I speak broken English, and by the way, I used the translation app on my phone to barely understand what he meant. I am very grateful to take a commemorative photo with the enthusiastic Japanese brother, and I also fully respect the brother’s unwillingness to post the photos on the Internet. I can only sigh that the Japanese people are still very enthusiastic.

The Erzhong Bridge in the wind and rain is not as beautiful as in the picture. At this time, most of our clothes and pants have been wet by the wind and rain, and it is time to go back home and stay at the hotel. I went back the way I came from and recharged my transportation card. After getting out of the subway, I thought I would go have a meal first and then buy some snacks. At this time, there were no places open. The rain and wind were much stronger than in the morning. On Dianping.com, there was a 24 The soba ramen shop is open during the hour, and the shop is very busy. It seems that there are still many like-minded people who don't want to stay at home or in the hotel. When ordering at the buffet, sister Xiao Le must have been very hungry. We had two bowls of noodles, but she ate most of it by herself and finished the soup. It would be great if she could eat like this every meal. After dinner, I stocked up on some milk, bread, eggs and snacks from 7-11 and went back to rest.

There was no dream last night, and I didn't hear the wind or rain outside the window. I woke up early the next day and couldn't wait to open the curtains. The sky outside was blue, without a trace of clouds. It was a good weather at first glance. After the wind and rain, the sun was always shining brightly. I urged the old and the young to get up quickly and pack our luggage. We have to check out before 10 o'clock and store our luggage. We will go back to Chiba Prefecture tonight. The group of people planned to go to Sensoji Temple today. The original plan was to go to Kamakura for a day trip, but the plan changed quickly, so today we planned to take a random day trip to the city. As soon as we stepped out of the subway station, the sun was already shining brightly, and Sensoji Temple was already crowded. After yesterday's depression, everyone ran out early to get some fresh air.

After entering Sensoji Temple, we washed our hands, threw coins, and prayed for blessings. Xiaole was lucky and drew a lottery ticket. The temple was just like that. When we arrived, the street in front of the temple was very lively. We didn’t linger around, and wandered around the temple, ate the bread from Kagetsudo, looked at the small fish flowing in the water, and even saw a pet pig wandering on the street.

After leaving the temple, we were going to the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park. We checked the route and found that it was not cost-effective to take the subway because our friend wanted to buy porcelain, so we walked all the way through the streets to Ueno Park. We walked in the streets and alleys where there were not many tourists, mostly locals, and shop after shop. Time passed by unconsciously. The journey that was supposed to take less than an hour suddenly ended up taking more than two hours. There are two museums in Ueno Park, one is the Tokyo National Museum and the other is the Tokyo National Museum of Natural History. The original plan was to go to both museums, but as soon as I walked into Ueno Park, I found that there were nine twists and turns and eighteen twists and turns in front of each museum. Many people did not dare to go out yesterday, the first day of Japan’s long holiday. Today, the weather is nice, so the whole family went out to play. Seeing such a long queue, we immediately gave up the idea of ​​lining up and thought we would just play in Ueno Park. Chinese people have a special affection for Ueno Park, which comes from Lu Xun's "Mr. Fujino": "Tokyo is nothing more than this. When the cherry blossoms in Ueno are brilliant, they look like crimson light clouds." Now is not the cherry blossom season. , but it doesn’t prevent us from following the plot. You can't spend a whole day here with just a mat and a basket of food like the locals do, but you can still just take a quick tour. Ueno Park is like a garden in the middle of the street. I don’t know where the boundaries of the park are, and I don’t know where the park is. Anyway, it’s all here. Sister Xiaole and the little sister have fun wherever they play.

It’s already past dinner time, so I still need to find something to eat with my kids. I originally planned to eat Izuei’s eel rice. This is one of the must-eat foods in Japan that I’ve been thinking about for a long time. It happens to be in Ueno Park. We used Google Maps navigation for a long time to find Izuei, and finally found it on a hidden path. Each person ordered a set meal, and after waiting for a long time, it was finally served. At this time, my chest was pressed to my back with hunger. Japanese eel rice is really delicious. The eel is plump, tender and delicious. The only drawback is that the portion is a bit small, just a few mouthfuls. Just pull it off and it's gone. After eating and drinking, we and our colleagues' family had to go separate ways. The two little girls who were most reluctant to leave were the two little girls who clamored to play together. In the end, they had to be coaxed and coaxed to take them away. After we separated, we were thinking about where to go. Because it was already afternoon and many places were about to close, we discussed with two elders where we wanted to go. As is the nature of women, we all unanimously decided to go shopping. Considering both, I decided. Take them to Shibuya. On the one hand, there is the largest and busiest intersection in the world, and on the other hand, it is a very prosperous business district. There was originally a Starbucks on the second floor on the crossroads of Shibuya, but when I walked in, I saw that there was a long queue and you had to buy it. Immediately, Xiaohongshu checked another viewing spot. A ticket cost 100 yen. Standing on the roof and looking at the Shibuya Crossing Street, especially when pedestrians were crossing the road, I got goosebumps. There were too many people. Like little ants squirming.

As we walked down, we saw the statue of the famous loyal dog Hachiko standing next to the Shibuya subway station. There were many people taking photos together. After waiting in line for a long time, we still took two photos together. I also bought a pair of shoes for my sister Xiaole, and I gained a lot. .

We have spent a lot of time in Shibuya, and it is getting closer and closer to the time when we arrive at the hotel at 9:30 pm and take the bus to the next hotel. Because we wasted a whole day the day before, we wanted to seize the time to go to another scenic spot. The night view of Tokyo that we wanted to see but failed to see the night before became the best choice. It is close to Shibuya and close to the hotel. The Roppongi Observation Deck only opened this afternoon. When we arrived, there were still three floors of people queuing up to buy tickets. My sister Xiaole had already fallen asleep, and the two old people were a little tired. As a main labor force, I only We were able to arrange for two old men to sit and wait for me while holding my sleeping sister. Although the queue was long, it was in good order. After waiting in line for about 20 minutes, I bought a ticket. This is a package ticket that includes the Mori Art Museum and you have to see the night view. You must see the exhibition. The theme of the exhibition is uncertain, and I don’t know the artist, so just take a look. The theme of the exhibition is rather avant-garde, and we can’t quite understand it. We just want to join in the fun. Sister Xiaole is sleeping soundly, and the mother can only hold her while visiting.

I was walking around slowly while holding my sister Xiaole in my arms. During this period, my sister Xiaole woke up and was angry about getting up. The mother could only coax her and watch while walking, and she accidentally came to the observation deck. The weather is particularly good today. Tokyo Tower stands tall and stands out from the crowd. I especially like to watch the night view of the city, just like an angel looking down on the world. I have seen the night view of Los Angeles, Sydney, and Melbourne. This time I saw the night view of Tokyo, which is also a good sign for myself.

It was already 8:30 after watching the night view, and there was still an hour before the driver picked us up. We were so anxious to rush back with the elderly and children, and there was no time to eat. The Japanese are the most punctual people, and we couldn’t break the rules. We rushed back at 9 o’clock I left the subway station at 20 minutes, bought some simple lunch boxes at 7-11, then picked up my luggage and got on the train. When I came to Japan this time, my sister Xiaole and I loved to visit various convenience stores. They had all kinds of food and necessities. The convenience store took care of breakfast every day. If we didn’t have time to eat dinner, we had to go to the convenience store. On the last day, we even bought it at FamilyMart at the airport. I bought a big bag of instant noodles and hot spring eggs and returned home. It is still nearly an hour away from the hotel. In order to save time on the journey, I cobbled together a way to stay in a hotel near Disneyland for two nights. This way I could arrive at Disneyland earlier and come back at night without being so tired that I had to waste time on transportation. However, the hotels owned by Disney are too expensive, so the next best thing is to book the Tokyo Bay Tokyu Hotel in Urayasu City. It is only a 20-minute drive from Disneyland. The hotel has free shuttle buses to and from Disneyland and Urayasu City Station every day. The most important thing is that the price here is cheap and the rooms are big, that's it. After arriving at the hotel, I was very satisfied. Compared with the narrowness of the previous night, this place is extremely wide. There is a FamilyMart convenience store on the first floor of the hotel. You can buy whatever you want to eat at any time. Go to bed early tonight. I hope the weather will be good tomorrow and that there won’t be too many people in Disneyland tomorrow.