Japan trip day 2: Shinjuku (1) & Ueno

After a flight where I think I managed a couple of hours sleep in between a late night refreshment (turkey & cheese panini) and breakfast (grilled fish with rice), I arrived at Narita airport at 7:05am. Immigration took the best part of an hour, and I barely managed to purchase a Suica + N’Ex pass (which is good value), and run to the platform before the train pulled out. The journey provided a great opportunity to determine where to go over the next few days. The first thing was to take my luggage to the hotel, which involved a very long walk from Tokyo Station to the Subway. Even though the walk was long, it was all under cover.
After leaving my luggage at the hotel (as they wouldn’t check me in until 3pm), I visited the Observation Tower at Shinjuku. Apart from the views up there, there was a tourist information centre there which provided more information and assistance.
As a result, I decided to have a look at Ueno, which had a large park. By this time, it was lunchtime, so I visited the closest department store, where I found 7 pieces of sushi + a chunk of egg for 570 yen, and a chirashi sushi for 500 yen, both of which are very reasonable, especially compared with prices in Sydney. Armed with lunch & dinner, I wandered around Ueno Park. There were a few performers, with a sizable crowd, especially for a weekday afternoon.
After a wander and trip back to the hotel, it was time to check in. By this time, the lack of sleep over the past couple of days was catching up, and I decided to call it a day.
Tomorrow: Studio Ghibli, Shinjuku & meeting up with people.