Tokyo Tower
First thing we did when we got to Japan last August was visit the Tokyo Tower and, more importantly, meet my nephew and his family. The nephew has lived in Japan since college.
He was nice enough to meet us at our hotel and guide us through the Tokyo subways to the spot where we would meet his wife and son. The city’s subways are labyrinthine in the extreme, and Judy and I decided that we would never try to navigate them on our own.
OK, so we stole this picture from the Japanese tourism site, jnto.go.jp. Tokyo Tower was built in 1958, because somebody decided that Tokyo needed a little hint of Paris. Though I would say that overall there are hardly any similarities between the two cities.
Here’s the view from the bottom. The Tower’s main observation deck is about 500′ up. It is a good place to get a birdseye view, though it is no longer Tokyo’s tallest structure.
And here’s the nephew with his wife and their son Max. Cute family, eh? This was the first time Judy and I got to meet the wife and son. And it had been years since I had last seen the nephew. They were all headed to Minnesota in just a few days to visit my brother and his wife, who were suffering from severe grandchild deprivation.
Here’s a view from the main observatory. Let’s just say that Tokyo is a really, really big city – more than 13 million people. The metro area has about 38 million.
Here’s another view, looking toward the sea.
And one last view. After leaving the tower we all went out for lunch and ice cream.
Max sported the latest fashion in pacifiers. It was a short but wonderful visit.
Lots more to come on our trip to Japan!
gardeninacity 
How wonderful that you were able to meet up with your nephew, what a gorgeous family he has! The Eiffel Tower was my first thought when I saw the Tokyo Tower, stunning views over the city.
It does provide good views, but I thought otherwise it was a bit odd.
OMG. That pacifier is hilarious.
We thought so, too.
Just seeing your dear family would be worth the trip.
In all of those towering buildings I hope you were able to find some gardens to visit. Seeing all of those buildings would make me want to flee to the country side.
Yes we did! Just wait, lots of posts on Tokyo gardens to come.
I have been looking forward to your reports on Japan Jason. The tower is an impressive place to start off and get your bearings when in Tokyo. Nice you could meet up with family too!
It made me really happy to see the nephew’s family for the first time.
What a great view and catch up with family! I have never been to Japan and enjoy the visual tour!
This was our first and only visit. If Judy goes out there again for her job we might do a second trip.
We lived in Tokyo for three years in the early 70’s. It was a grand experience for us and our three young daughters. Your photos tell me how much has changed since then.
That must have been fascinating. I imagine things are quite different, there’s probably even more hustle and bustle. John, I’m pretty sure my comments on your blog are getting sent to the spam folder.
YOur latest comment did go into spam folder, but I changed it. Thanks for letting me know. I will have to check the spam file regularly in the future for similar events. WordPress said their spam bot gets aggressive at times.
Grandchild deprivation is a serious illness. I’ve had it once or twice myself. 🙂
Haven’t come down with it yet, we need grandchildren first. Or do we?
You do get around…glad to ride your coattails.
Glad to have you along!
I didn’t know Tokyo had a tower.
Your nephew’s family is indeed cute but Tokyo looks awfully crowded.
Wow, you went to Japan.–Cool beans! The tower really stands out. What a cutie that baby is.–Love the pacifier with the mustache.
The pacifier is brilliant.
I hope there are a few gardens tucked into all that concrete.
Yes, there are! You will see them in future posts.
What a lovely young family, the pacifier had me laughing!
That tower is something. xxx
It had us laughing, too.
What a sweet little great-nephew! Will you be sharing more about your trip to Japan? Sounds like you had an awesome time. My niece and her husband are now stationed in Japan with the Navy. I don’t know if we’ll get over there during their assignment, but it would be fun.
LOTS more posts coming on Japan. I hope you get to visit your niece. Are they on Okinawa?
That looks like a wonderful trip, and so good to see family!
Yes, it really was.