Crossing Bridges: Tokyo - ICU and Tokyo Tower

No, I wasn't in the Intensive Care Unit. It's much better than that. Let's start at the beginning of the day.

I was a little bit nervous that morning. It was our last full day in Tokyo and I had an appointment at the International Christian University (ICU) here in Tokyo. At the time I was planning on applying to the school for the fall semester and had arranged to talk with an advisor at the school. It was out aways, and this was an adventure I would be going on alone. And the idea of going on the Tokyo subway system alone petrified me. My friend kept telling me that I'd be fine, so that became my mantra for the day. 

I got on the train and began my long, nerve-wracking journey to the campus. I got off at Mitaka Station, which is located in Western Tokyo and is further out from the bustling inner-city. The rest of the way to the campus was by bus, so I jumped on and took a seat at the back. This bus would go all the way to the main campus. Minus the panic I felt every time the bus took a left turn at a red light, it was a very nice ride. (The Japanese drive on the left side of the road, instead of the right like we do here in America.) The town of Mitaka was similar in design to that of the other parts of Tokyo I'd seen, but it was much less busy. There was much more of a small town feel, and the architecture of the buildings was starting to look more like the traditional Japanese houses and shops that filled tourist books. 

When I arrived at the ICU campus, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of greenery the campus had. There isn't much green in Tokyo, so it was nice to see a lot of trees and grass. It was a beautiful campus; the buildings had a more European look, and for a brief moment, I forgot I was still in Japan. 

I met with the advisor and then toured the campus. Once the tour was over and I had asked all the questions my brain could come up with, I retraced my steps back to the hotel. After a short hiccup on the train (I realized I was going the wrong way), I was once again back at the base of operations: a.k.a. the hotel. It was here I discovered that the vending machine was out of Dr. Pepper. And for the rest of the time I was there, it was never restocked. So after a tragic Dr. Pepper-free lunch, it was time to hit a very popular tourist attraction: Tokyo Tower.

Think Eiffel Tower, but more colorful. But seriously, it's the same as the Eiffel Tower, but a little smaller. Built in 1958, Tokyo Tower is bright red and white, making it stand out among its surroundings. On the main floor was the ticket booth, where you could purchase passes for one or both of the observation decks. Once inside, there were shops and a food court. We hopped on the elevator and went up to the first observation deck, or the main deck, which is about 150 meters (about 492 feet) tall. 

This first deck put you at an eye-to-eye level with the city, as we could look out and see the buildings, but did not have the full panoramic view of the city. On this deck, there was a small shop where you could buy all sorts of Tokyo Tower merchandise. They had Tokyo Tower spoons, Tokyo Tower plushies, a bedazzled Tokyo Tower (which might not have actually been for sale), among many other Tokyo Tower shaped goodies. 

We walked around the deck and found windows on the floor that showed the ground almost 500 feet below us. I tapped my foot on it to make sure it wasn't going to break, and then proceeded to jump on it. Luckily, it didn't break. Once we had our fill of the main deck, we decided it was time to head up to the top deck. We got on another elevator and rode another 100 meters up. And boy was it worth it. Now we were at 250 meters (about 820 feet). Here, we got the true bird's eye view of the city. This deck gave us the panoramic view we weren't able to get on the main deck. 

I have never been a city lover. I've always preferred open plains and countrysides with a lot of greens and trees. But I fell in love with Tokyo. From that top deck, I could see how massive the city was, how far it expanded. And it was beautiful! I wished we could've stayed up there forever. (Also, the bathrooms were some of the most amazing I've ever seen! They had glassy black tiles that sparkled in the light. It was a really fancy bathroom considering we were 250 meters above the city.)

We stayed to watch the sunset, our eyes constantly going back and forth between the breath-taking skyline and the night-life that was waking in the city below. As the sky grew darker, the city grew lighter. The sun disappeared over the horizon, and the city came alive. New York had absolutely nothing on Tokyo.

Once it was completely dark, we went down once more to the main deck, took time to walk around one more time, then went back down to the ground floor where we got some food at the food court. Never until then had I ever heard of putting seaweed on pizza, but I ended up giving it a try and....well, it was interesting. Not sure I'd do it again, but I don't regret trying it. We stopped in the souvenir shop before heading out the door and making the trek back.

I sat in bed, showered, pajamas on, and watching a TV program with Japanese comedians I recognized and eating a convenient store parfait. I looked out the window and off in the distance I could see Tokyo Tower, lit up like a firework. I smiled, despite my heart wishing over and over again that I could spend more time here in this city. But my Japan adventure was soon taking me away from the modern capital city and to the historic capital city. I was grateful for the time I was able to spend in Tokyo, and began making a list of all the things I'd do when I came back.