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The Road to the Tokyo Marathon

March 7, 2023 /

After our 14+ hour flight via Delta One, we arrived in Japan. One of us was well rested. The other was just too excited to sleep. After all, we had weeks of temples, shrines, pagodas, pandas and snow monkeys ahead of us. After our driver took a wrong turn, taking us a half hour out of our way and getting a ticket. We finally unpacked our bags to begin our adventure on the road to the Tokyo Marathon.

Day 1 – The EARLY Morning

Exterior of a hotel with a wooden awning. Above the door the sign reads “Fresa Inn” and there is a blue, free standing sign in front that also reads “Fresa Inn”
We call it “The Crevice” aka home base in Tokyo

We arrived at the Sotetsu Fresa Inn around 10pm local time and were glad to drop our bags in our little room. At first, it felt a little like staying in a walk in closet but it got roomier every day. Maybe because we became increasingly better at keeping our space neat the longer we were there.

View from a bed showing a table piled with suit cases and surrounded by travel gear
Trying to find a place for everthing
Boston Scally hat sitting atop a lamp shade
Scally Cap Storage
Man in white pajamas standing next to a bed
Complementary PJs

Though we tried to sleep, we both were wide awake at 2am. Funny thing about 2am, there isn’t much to do. So Stephen put on his running clothes and decided to get his run out of the way.

Man in an orange running cap and Boston Marathon girl standing in front of a hotel with a sign that reads “Fresa Inn”
Might as well run!
Statue of a Samuri
Samuri
Statue of a boy playing a flute
Flute playing boy statue
Canal with a bridge lit up in the background
Nice views & no people!
Emperor’s palace in Tokyo. White two story building on a canal.
The Emperor’s Palace

While he was gone, I amused myself by listening to Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and by doing a little drawing.

We were both ravenously hungry and were so happy to find a cafe that was open 24 hours.

Tray with rice, salmon, seaweed, miso soup and iced tea
Breakfast!

Daybreak – Sensoji Temple

Though we’ve seen at least a dozen temples and shrines, the Sensoji temple will ALWAYS stand out at the most amazing for the following reasons:

  • This is the first Buddist temple I’ve ever seen
  • The photos on the internet DO NOT capture what it’s really like
  • In the middle of a crazy, busy city – it was quiet and peaceful
  • There were ACTUAL monks inside, chanting and playing music
Red gate to the temple with a large red lantern in the middle of the entry way
Temple Gate
Large statue of Buddha in a park setting
They pray to this Buddha for Wisdom
Five level red pagoda
The Pagoda
Buddhist temple with red pillars and a tall gray, tiled roof surrounded by a lane of red buildings on either side
The Temple
Stream with Koi under a stone bridge
Koi at the Temple

Mid-Morning – Breakfast #2 and some shopping

We were able to duck back in to our hotel for their breakfast buffet around 10am before heading out to get our passes to the Bullet Train.

European style red brick building with arched windows and two Japanese flags on either side of the front door
Tokyo-Station

On the way back, we checked out a few of the giant stores near the city center.

Wooden shelves filled with candy
Candy selection at Don Quixote
Maniquins wearing dress clothes in a large store
Banana Republic
Interior of a Uniqlo with pants on a table and shelves of clothing behind
Uniqlo
Giant jeweled serpents on the exterior of a Bulgari store
The Bulgari Serpents

1pm – The Owl Cafe

This was the FIRST THING we booked when we found out that Stephen got in to the Tokyo Marathon. I mean, not only can you get up close and personal with owls…you can TOUCH them!

Little owl sitting on a woman’s arm
Little buddy
Owls sitting on white pillars with a man on his knees before them
Owls at the cafe
Man posing next to a horned owl
Stephen and the Last Samuri
Man petting a horned owl on the head
Petting the Last Samurai
Owl sitting on a rod near the ceiling. The sign behind him reads “Mr President”
Mr President
White owl sitting on a rod near the ceiling. Behind him is a sign that reads “Wizard”
The white Wizard

The cafe far exceeded my expectations because:

  • There were SO MANY owls!
  • There were SO MANY different kinds of owls
  • The owls didn’t have their wings clipped, so they were free to leave you at any time
  • Not only was the space clean, it was cute!
A man and a woman, each with an owl on their arm
The Owl Cafe Souvenir

Prevening – Craft Beer at the Golden Poop

After the cafe, we visited two craft beer halls that are near the Tokyo Sky Tree. On the building is a giant golden “swoosh”. The combination of the tower and the statue is meant to resemble a beer glass topped with foam. The locals, however, call it the “Golden Poo”.

Grouping of large city buildings including one that is a town with two globes and one that has a large golden swoop statue on it
The Skytree and the Swoop
Man standing in front of a sign that reads “Craft Beer is Brewed Here”
Craft beer here!
Interior of a tasting room at a brewery with wooden walls and table
Beer Hall
Black building with a golden swoop statue at the top
The Golden Poo

After a couple glasses and a snack, the hours finally caught up with us and we crashed. HARD. We were back in the room and asleep by about 6pm. (I know, we’re like a couple rock stars, right??)

Glass holding a craft beer on a wooden table
Super Dry
Interior of a beer hall with wooden tables and white walls
Beer Hall at the Golden Poo

But stay tuned because we have LOTS more to follow like giant pandas, a thousand monks and snow monkeys! If you enjoy reading about our adventures, consider subscribing for free and for bite sized, real time looks follow us on Instagram at the__Travel__Oracle!

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