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Conrad Tokyo
Exploring Tokyo
I first went to Roppongi (foreigner area) to get
another Hard Rock Café T-shirt for my collection. I tried to pay with my credit card as to save
my cash (and not having to withdraw from an ATM) but their machine was down so
ended paying cash anyways. The cashier
felt bad so she gave me a button for my long wait. I walked around the area thinking that I
would hit a subway station eventually but had to head back to the station where
I arrived from since there was no subway station in sight (so I wasted half an
hour of my time). It was interesting to
see that there were several drink vending machines available (compared to the
many mom & pop stands seen in China).
There were plenty of diners and restaurants open for those seeing a late
snack or meal.
The next day, I woke up and had breakfast in the lounge again and left at 11AM for the Ginza district. I stopped by a supermarket to buy snacks/candy along the way. After walking around the Ginza, I went back to Ueno to buy a duffle bag to replace the broken luggage case I had on-hand.
Then I went back to Akhibara and Shibuya one more time before heading
back to the hotel to enjoy more snacks in the Lounge. I was dead tired so I went to bed at about
1AM and decided to wake up at 4AM to see the famous Tsukiji fish market.
I then took the subway to Shibuya to see the famous
street crossing (similar to Times Square) and from there I headed towards
Harajuku thinking I could buy some clothes.
All the stores were pretty much closed so I ended up in Yoyogi and took
the train back to Shindome where the Conrad Tokyo was located. I got back to the hotel around 10PM and went
to bed by midnight. When I got back to
my room I noticed that the turn down service was provided. The bed was made (got a bear key chain waiting
for me), ice bucket filled, water bottle with glass/remote control placed by
the bed, towels replaced, and the toiletries/amenities were refilled/replaced.
The view outside was very nice and Tokyo during the
nighttime was amazing. I woke up in the
morning at about 8:30AM and made my way to the Executive Lounge by 10AM. Breakfast consisted of ham, bacon, sausage,
tomatoes, potatoes, omelets made-to-order, green salad, melons, cereals,
muesli, porridge, dry fruits, yogurt, berries, several breads/pastries, and
coffees/teas. I took my time enjoying
the view/breakfast and left at about noon towards Ueno. I grabbed my 2nd Hard Rock Café
T-shirt from Tokyo at the café shop located inside the Subway Station. I then shopped around inside an anime/toy
specialty store for half an hour and walked to Akhibara (electronics district)
to do some browsing before heading off to Shibuya to do more shopping until
about 9PM. Then I headed back to the
hotel and grabbed a few snacks in the lounge before they closed.
The next day, I woke up and had breakfast in the lounge again and left at 11AM for the Ginza district. I stopped by a supermarket to buy snacks/candy along the way. After walking around the Ginza, I went back to Ueno to buy a duffle bag to replace the broken luggage case I had on-hand.
I woke up at 4:15AM and got ready to head on out to
the Tsukifi Fish Market as it a highly rated experience. I left at about 5 AM and while it was a 10
minute walk, the weather was very chilly so I hailed a cab for both ways. After spending 30 minutes looking for the
tourist tour, I finally found it after consulting an area map. I missed the 5:25AM-5:50AM auction as I
arrived at about 5:40AM. I did get a
spot for the 2nd tour from 5:50AM to 6:15AM. Each tour had a spot for 60 visitors and
there were about 30-40 on mine. We all
donned on green mesh vests to designate us as tourists and while we waited, a
video was left on loop on instructions for the tour.
We were led to one of the auction warehouse areas
where buyers were free to poke and prod all the huge frozen fish. Shortly later, am auctioneer got up on a stand
and started shouting for selling each fish.
It was similar to the auctioning in the US for cattle (based on what I
have seen on TV) and buyers would raise their hand to indicate their interest. At 6:15AM, we were taken to the exit and our
vests returned to the tour guides.
Overall, it was a very unique experience and after 9AM, visitors are
encouraged to look around the area.
Also, there were plenty of places to eat the fresh sushi as well.
I took a cab back to the Conrad and arrived at
about 6:30AM. I hurried back to my room
to pack and organize my belongings. I
made it to the Executive lounge by 7AM and checked out of my room there. I paid for my bus ticket to the airport and
quickly ate breakfast. One of the lounge
attendants helped me take my suitcases downstairs to the lobby. The bellman immediately exchanged my bus
voucher for a ticket, tagged my bags, and loaded into the bus for me.
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