Todays update is going to be brief but it will have a bunch of nifty pictures.

Today we had to check out of the Intercontinental ANA and then check into the Park Hyatt, so we spent a bit of time getting the room cleaned up a bit and repacking. When we checked out, they gave me a bill for the business center use but, oddly, nothing for the in-room Internet use. I didn't mention it to them but they'll probably catch it later. Fuck 'em, I wasn't pointing it out.

Well, we then checked our bags with the concierge, and struck out for Tokyo Tower. Tokyo Tower, for those uninitiated, is nearly a blatant copy of the Eiffel Tower in Paris - only it's bigger (333 meters versus the puny 320) than the one in Paris. We strolled and strolled after choosing a route on the map, but we somehow strayed from the route unexpectedly. Oops, at least the thing is so damn big you can't really miss it so we just kinda headed towards it on the horizon.

When we got there, I was a little humbled by its size. I didn't think it would be that tall but wow, I was wrong. So we made our way to the ticket booth and paid to go to the main observatory deck, which was only halfway up the tower. We discovered that you need to pay from there to go to the top.

The view was spectacular. You could see city as far as the eyes can see and it was hazy so there was more I didn't see. I took a ton of photos, thank Bob for digital cameras or else I'd be wasting a ton in film and processing. So, once having our fill of the main deck, we headed to the special deck at the top.

This deck was much smaller but wow, incredible view. I only kind of wish it was nighttime because that would have been spectacular.

After that, we decided to head back to the hotel and collect our things and move to the Hyatt. It took a little while to get there and we did stop for something to snack on for the trip back. Luckily though, the walk back was much more straight forward and we got back relatively quickly.

Once we got our bags we caught a cab that ended up costing around 3000yen. Arriving at the hotel, we expected it to be swank but we were a little surprised by the reality. It was awsome.

We felt like Rock Stars.

We pulled up and immediately the bell hops went to our trunk and grabbed all our bags. Simultaneously, they asked for the name the reservation was under (mine) and then they took our bags and we followed them to the elevator. The lobby is on the 41st floor. Yeah, 41st floor.

Once we hopped out of the elevator we followed them to the check in desk and my reservation paperwork was out on the desk waiting for me. This beautiful blond British woman was there to walk us through the check in process. Oh, and they had free wireless Internet . No hunting or overpaying for use; it just works. Great.

Wel,l they were incredibly friendly and informed us we were on the 43rd floor. They gave us real keys. Not mag cards but real KEYS. Wow this place was upscale. It's funny, back in the day mag cards were upscale, but to get real keys in a place like this was.... elegant.  The bellhops then led us up to our room, giving us a nice tour of the facilities at the same time. I just kept mumbling, “Thats very nice,” all the while feeling a little stunned.

Once we got the the room we were amazed at how pretty it was - elegant but modern with Asian flavor. The bellhops then gave us a tour of our room and pointed out all the interesting features like the automated curtains, bathroom facilities, light switches etc. It was really nice. We were floored, though, when he opened the curtains and the shades and we got to see the view.

After they left we were awestruck by the view and we started snapping photos of everything. B even took video.

As you can see below, we both had different reactions to actually being somewhere so nice.


I was thoroughl,y profoundly impressed.


B was as happy as a kid in a candy store with $50.

After getting comfy in our new digs, we struck out on the town to find something to eat. We just knew it would cost way to much to eat here, so we proceeded to get ourselves lost in Shinjuku and found a nice little place to eat. Great food. Then we realized how lost we were when we tried to get back to the hotel. Luckil,y the hotel has a very distinctive skyline. I managed to see it between some buildings and we went straight to it so we could get changed, pee, and go see the New York Bar.

I got changed into black slacks and a black button up shirt and just for silliness I put on my sunglasses. I figured if we were going to go somewhere so swank I may as well look cool

When we got there we were blown away by its elegance. We sat at the bar and realized we were sitting at the same bar that Bill Murray and Scarlet Johansen sat at in “Lost in Translation” It was surreal.


This was surreal.

Somehow a couple of slackers from Jersey managed to to get into the best bar on the highest floor of the best hotel in the biggest city on earth. We were awe-struck. We were moved again when we saw the drink prices. There was a jazz singer and ensemble playing live. It was an expensive hour or two but it was worth every second.

We then retired to our room and proceeded to marvel at the nighttime view from our room and took tons of photos again. Then we tried on the robes they had for us and then crashed out. This is a seriously nice hotel. I just wish we had more time in this one. Today, we get to check out of the swankest hotel in town and check into a capsule hotel. Talk about a fall from grace