Sunshine 60, Jet-lag & More

On yesterday's visit to Ikebukuro we went all up to the 59th floor of Sunshine 60 - a 240 m tall skyscraper which, after its completion in 1978, was the highest building in Asia until 1985 and the highest in Japan until 1991.

The views from up there are breathtaking, especially to someone like me, who has never been up a skyscraper before.

We are still fighting the jet-lag, feeling wide awake late into the night and sleeping from dawn until noon, and hope to get into a more healthy rhythm soon.
Otherwise we are really enjoying our stay in Tokyo, a diverse and vibrant city that is both rich in culture and entertainment, and cannot wait to find out what else it holds in store for us.

The following pictures were taken in Ueno and at the Tokyo Dome:

Shibuya

Here are some pictures of Shibuya and the surrounding area.

the famous Shibuya Scramble

the statue of the equally famous dog Hachiko

Arrival

Our plane landed safely and ahead of schedule in Narita.
Baggage retrieval and security controls went effortlessly and quickly and we were able to catch the express train to Shibuya at 9:15 a.m.
Finding our flat was no issue either, as it is in walking distance from the train station.
The flat is smaller than we had imagined, but its huge balcony and convenient location do more than make up for that.
The free, portable wifi hotspot is also a nice bonus ;-).
The weather in Tokyo is very warm at 24 degrees centigrade and extremely humid.

Boarding Time!

We're about to board our plane to Narita, which is scheduled for departure at 01:00 p.m.
Goodbye Switzerland!

Itinerary

Please find below the itinerary of the first half of our journey. The dates are only provisional and might change slightly but you get a rough idea of where we are. 

Our flight departs tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. local time and we'll be airborne for about 12.5 hours. The expected time of arrival in Tokyo is 7:50 a.m. local time.

Location	Date
Tokyo	27.04 - 20.05
Kyoto	20.05 - 24.05
Miyazu (Amanohashidate)	24.05 - 26.05
Tottori	26.05 - 29.05
Matsue + Izumoshi	29.05 - 02.06
Higashi-Hagi	02.06 - 03.06
Kitakyushu	03.06 - 04.06
Nagasaki	04.06 - 07.06
Fukuoka	07.06 - 11.06
Okinawa	11.06 - 25.06

Welcome!

Today, after 300 frustratingly long and agonisingly boring days in the Swiss Army, I have finally been dismissed from service.
The one thing that urged me on at times of bleak despair and mind-numbing monotony, was the anticipation of our 3 month trip to Japan.

This blog's purpose, in addition to lessening our parents' grief during our absence, is to share our experiences in the Land of the Rising Sun, a country of contrasts that never fails to amaze or surprise and to which there is more than most Westerners believe.
As we won't always have an internet connection we can't promise to write posts regularly but we will try our best to keep everyone up to date.
Please feel free to leave a comment in the section below and enjoy the blog!