May 21
Hiro and I decided to cross off one of the things on our joint list, going into Tokyo Sky Tree. Last year we browsed the shops but this time we actually went up to the observatory level.
It was a rather rainy day and we were told that the view may not be the greatest when we got up there. That was acceptable enough and we went up anyway. When we arrived there were not many people around, maybe just a few elderly folks. As we made our way around the complex more people started to come in.
A couple of school tours came up along with many of D. Change’s peeps. It made for a rather loud environment. Still, we managed to take in some of the cultural artifacts in Sky Tree and watched a few videos about the structure on the big screen by the entrance.
Before leaving the upper level Hiro had a few choice words about the wonderful view from the top of Tokyo Sky Tree.
After navigating the Sky Tree observatory we went down to the shops where we ended up at some place that sells merchandise for the various television stations in Japan.
There was a lot of stuff to look at and I found out that there is a LINE cartoon. I did not know that. I’m curious in watching this monstrosity now just to see if it makes any sense. We spent a lot of time looking around there until hunger set in.
We decided on eating an offshoot of Denny’s. It really wasn’t the same as the parent company and they strangely did not offer cola of any sort. But it was food and a chance to sit down.
In the evening we went to a famous steak house that many professional wrestlers visit called Ribera Steak House.
When you go in there it’s not that big. It probably fits 6 average sized Japanese people. I have no idea how giant professional wrestlers would fit in such a place. But it’s worth going to not only for the food but also for the amount of wrestling/boxing/MMA history on the walls of the place.
Every available space is covered with framed pictures of those who have graced the stools of the restaurant. It’s quite a sight to behold if you are a fan of any of those sports.
After that the visit to get over priced coasters at the AKB48 café. Their menu sure got downsized. It used to have a lot of stuff to choose from but now? Not so much. Not even the deathly banana mayo sandwich.
So I chose from the drink menu instead. I got some sort of blue drink that looked like Windex with chunks of melon/mango in it. It tasted good to me, although the others probably don’t agree with that.
Man, freakin’ Hiro is great in both the tower videos and oh karaoke. Great nostalgia! Good times, and plenty of stories to tell!