Tour de Force

We had a free day before we actually had to attend to business and so, like most tourists, decided to take advantage of the standard half-day city tour. I figured it was a good way to get my bearings and have some visible landmarks for when I explored the city on my own later on. Assuming, of course, that I could decode the daunting rail and subway routes.

Somehow someone messed up the schedules on our end and what we had been told would be a 10:00 a.m. pickup time turned out to be 8 a.m. instead. Fortunately, I had already had breakfast and showered by the time the frantic call came in at 10 minutes to eight, and managed to get dressed quickly - one of the things I'm good at. Good thing, too, because there were several conventions going on at the hotel and 8 a.m. was a horribly busy time. So much so that, just like in a movie, it's when you're rushing to get downstairs that the elevator

had.

to.

stop.

at.

every.

goddamn.

floor.

all.

the.

way.

down.



Bakayaro!

I managed to scurry to the bus along with a few other harried stragglers from my group. Several of us, though, were left behind. That's Japanese efficiency for you. If you're not there at the appointed time, well, tough shit. Marry that with the Filipinos' concept of fluid time and you have a winning combination.

Hatobots, transform! I said "Transform!" Transform, damn you!

I'm happy I made the bus even though it turned out to be a walking tour in the rain. The Japanese tour guide was enterprising and hawked umbrellas on the ride, which, owing to the inclement weather, very quickly sold out. But since I think umbrellas are for sissies, I decided to soldier on in my heavy pea coat and beret.

The tour would take us to the Meiji Shrine, the Imperial Palace East Gardens, and then Asakusa Temple, after which we were to be dropped off to get lost in the Ginza district. Along the way we passed through Shinjuku and central Tokyo, with glimpses of the royal palace walls and moats, the NHK tower, the Nikkei building, and a few other Tokyo landmarks.

Unsure whether the rain would ever let up, I snapped pictures through the bus windows just in case I wouldn't get a chance at a proper photo-op.

So here are a few snaps of Tokyo by tourist bus:

Wet.

Wet.

Still wet.

Wet, wet, wet.

Are we wet yet?

Wet a minet.

Oh, wet, what the het.