Last evening in Tokyo- Skytree tower and Shinjuku

The previous post in this series is here..

After spending the morning and early afternoon at Mt. Fuji, we made it back in 2+ hours back to Tokyo and were dropped off at the Sky Tree tower. It was indoors and we were happy to go up the tower, come down and also walk around the little “mela” that was going on at the base of the tower. Got to eat some ice cream, folks had coffee and tea and before we knew it, it was almost dinner time. So we went from Skytree tower to Shinjuku station.

My buddy was very particular that we go see this iconic station.. also he had visited it a long time back. It had two huge shopping blocks on either side.

Jr. had already planned a dinner at a vegan chain called “Plantmore”. It took us sometime to find it because there were two buildings with the same name on either side of the station and we were in the wrong building. After a good 30 minutes of wandering around we finally found the place and were treated to a delicious dinner. We walked out and saw a bunch of kids performing on the street. Then it was time to go back to the hotel. BTS had finished the concert at the Tokyo dome by the time we came back and that was a good thing!

Here are the photos from the last evening in Japan..

The skytree tower is amazing. They even had a mascot for the building! The shops were cute, the crowd vibrant and the high speed elevator ride was memorable!

Here is a video highlight..

We had a lot of packing to do, even with the extra suitcase that was purchased in Japan and get ready for the return the next afternoon..

Herb Garden with views of Mt. Fuji

The previous post in this series is here..

After eating Fuji apples we drove to the last stop before lunch. A herb garden. Our driver told us he already had told the restaurant that we will be coming before Noon.

There was a short drive to the Herb garden as it is almost towards exiting the Mt. Fuji area. It was beautiful. There was an observation deck above the garden with a little hike. The garden was free and the deck was not. Given the time constraint, the group just decided to hang out in the garden while I paid and ran up to the deck. Did not do justice to the money paid for the deck. There were lot of activities there including a swing .. you could take pictures of swinging towards Mt. Fuji.. it was all setup for photographers.. clicked what I could and ran back in time to join the group. The photos from Herb Garden visit

A video highlight reel..

After we finished, there was a short drive to the restaurant. There was no one there and the menu was 90% non veg, this after telling our driver that we were vegetarians. The restaurant folks were his friends. Also this wasn’t the restaurant we had checked out and put in the email earlier. Told him to drive us to the Taj restaurant. He reluctantly did and went back to eat with his friends. The Taj restaurant had a fantastic meal for us. We had a great lunch. Then we called our driver and he picked us up to take us back towards Tokyo.

He gave us the option to be dropped anywhere else if we wanted to sightsee before going back to hotel. We were going to see the old tower. He suggested we go to the new one. He dropped us off and we wished him well.

The tower experience in the next post..

Nature trip in Arizona Part 3: Lower Antelope Canyon

The previous post in this series is here..

After we were dropped off at the tour operator office for Upper Antelope canyon, we walked as fast as we could to our rental car that had been baking in the parking lot, and made a dash to the office for Lower Antelope canyon tours. 

When we went to check in, the tour was just about to start. Good thing I dropped off the ladies to find parking. By the time I made it to the office, the tour started. After walking a 100 feet with the group realized that my iPhone was missing. The tour guide said "sir, if you leave the group now, you cannot join again!". In two minds the whole time, tried to put the iPhone off my head and decided to enjoy the tour with the SLR.

Did take a few photos with San's phone. Fortunately it had just dropped below the bags in the trunk. So all was well. 

The lower antelope canyon looks even more amazing because you wouldn't expect a small gap on a rock side to open into such an amazing place! 

This one is even more mind boggling than the upper canyon. The features look the same but the colors and swirls and light show within the canyon walls is amazing. The paths are also a lot more narrower at places and you are better off watching your head at all times!

No video for this tour.. but plenty of pictures. The tourguide and SIL became art directors and we ended up doing a lot of posing, to add to the fun!

Nature galleries..

We walked back to the car. The guide was telling us about the one plant that grows everywhere in the area that the Indians use as morning tea and herbal supplement for all ailments!

We took a short break at the tour office and took pictures in front of the murals..we had not had a break for food or restroom since leaving the hotel in the morning. 

They were all smiles after the tour.. This was just for the photo. We were glad to make it back to the hotel room to finish the leftover idlis, tamarind rice and thayir sadam that was waiting for us in the fridge.

No wonder the kids refused to come with us on tours these days. The very sight of those tamarind rice, idly and thayir sadam packets makes them run.. it is just a question of time before they pack the same thing and drag their kids along to national parks..

Strongly recommend the lower antelope canyon if you go to this area. Do NOT miss it! Given a choice of either canyon, pick this one.. 

We had one more tour for the day.. that in the next post!