roller coaster Keyword
Imperial Gardens
Somethings worth seeing are worth seeing twice. Like the Imperial Gardens. I wandered the gardens a couple of years a go when I last visited Japan. It was around the same time of year too. The gardens almost completely hibernating for the winter. The cats I saw last time were there, as was the massive field of dead grass. I was still entranced by the strange, manicured beauty of the place. I took far less photos than last time however I did snap a few of my new hostel buddies. One highlight though was spotting the first few sprouts of cherry blossom around the place. I am still a few weeks early for the full blossom time, but it was still nice to see.
After the gardens we visited Tokyo Dome, I place I hadn’t yet visited. Tokyo Dome is the major sporting venue for the city. Today there was a baseball match that seemed to have attracted all of Tokyo to see it. Lines ran for miles from every entrance. Seemingly millions of baseball fans standing in the cold, clutching at pennants and gloves. Attached to the stadium is a series of thrill rides. A few of us got on the Dolphin Thunder a roller coaster that ran above the roofs of the area. Parting with 1,000 yen (about $16 dollars at the current exchange rate) was a bit hard for a minute of entertainment but damn, it was worth it. The ride STARTED with an 80 meter vertical free fall and then looped and swung in and around itself, darted through the middle of the ferris wheel and out over the street. It was a blast.
Tonight I hope to go out for a drink, something I haven’t had the chance to do yet on this trip to Japan. I need to get my groove on somewhere. Soon.