Tokyo Bay Boat Trip, Shinagawa and Ikebukuro - Tokyo October 2009


Tokyo Bay Boat Trip, Shinagawa and Ikebukuro



Sunday 4th October 2009

Quite a full day - spent the afternoon on a boat trip around Tokyo bay with my friend Aoki-san and his wife Kirilke-san. In the early evening met up with Yuka-chan and Yuta-san in Shinagawa for a quick drink, and then spent the remainder of the evening revisiting a couple of my favourite places in Ikebukuro - Rohlan and Quercus.

Tokyo October 2009
09:29:11 This is the rather "loud" (as Chie described it when she saw a picture) curtain in my hotel room.11:49:57 At the marina near Urayasu - this is the crane that is about to lift our boat for the afternoon into the water.12:18:53 On the boat now - there's Aoki-san at the helm.
12:19:02 The wake behind our boat.12:21:06 That hotel is part of Tokyo Disneyland (or do I mean Disney Sea?).12:22:05 Under the bridge.
12:22:24 12:23:43 12:24:04 These bamboo poles apparently mark where fishing nets are.
12:25:55 Tokyo as seen across the sea from the distance (many more like this to follow!).12:26:05 12:26:15 The big wheel on Odaiba (?) - and also the aquarium.
12:27:21 12:27:32 12:28:36 More of Tokyo Disneyland/Sea - can see a bit of the Volcano there.
12:30:07 A big shoreline full of skyscrapers in the distance.12:30:19 12:31:51 Interesting how the sea seems to change colour from picture to picture - I think this is to do with whether the sun was in or out.
12:32:02 12:32:23 12:32:52 A wind turbine on the shore there.
12:34:26 Sailing boat.12:34:34 12:35:00
12:35:07 12:40:45 Quite a large cruise liner or something there.12:40:55 ...and the same thing a bit closer up. Maybe not a cruise liner - looks more like a cargo ship now.
12:41:20 Here's me looking like a bit of a yokel at the back of the boat.12:42:03 ...slightly less yokelly here.12:44:34
12:45:16 12:48:35 Nice old sailing ship here.12:48:43 ...same again with some kind of tanker or something in the background.
12:50:45 The Hong Sheng - almost the same name as a Chinese restaurant in Derby.12:50:55 This is Tokyo bay lighthouse, not taken very well from this angle...12:51:01
12:53:21 ...this one is so much better.12:55:25 12:58:40 Some sort of construction rig - possibly to do with Haneda airport.
12:59:05 13:02:19 13:03:18 A plane taking off from Tokyo Haneda airport.
13:03:24 ...there it is a little bit further up.13:09:05 Heading towards the Rainbow Bridge now...13:09:20 That's Haneda airport behind us.
13:09:33 13:13:07 A plane up in the sky.13:16:33 Some of Odaiba there, plus the Rainbow Bridge from a distance.
13:16:39 13:18:56 It was really hard to get straight pictures while the boat was rocking about!13:19:07
13:19:13 13:22:28 13:22:34
13:23:17 13:23:23 13:23:29
13:25:42 13:25:58 13:26:04
13:26:11 13:26:25 13:26:31
13:28:32 From inside the cockpit or whatever you call it on a boat.13:28:40 13:28:54 One of the nicer pictures of the Rainbow Bridge.
13:29:00 13:29:06 13:30:13 Odaiba.
13:30:24 13:30:35 13:30:49
13:31:31 As you can see I got rather snap happy around this bridge.13:31:45 13:32:26
13:32:37 Going under the bridge now...13:33:28 ...there's the other side...13:33:34
13:33:42 13:34:58 13:35:38
13:36:10 13:36:41 Coming up towards Tsukiji fish market now.13:36:52
13:37:14 13:38:06 13:38:15 Was trying to get a picture of Tokyo Tower along here, but other buildings get getting in the way...
13:41:47 I think that might be the port side of Tsukiji fish market.13:44:06 13:44:37 Finally got an unobsctructed picture of Tokyo Tower, unfortunately it's a bit hazy.
13:44:57 13:46:06 14:32:22 Some other bridges.
14:32:28 14:32:45 14:32:58 That big wheel again.
14:39:19 Interestingly designed footbridge.14:42:40 I think I've been around here before - it's an aquarium if I recall correctly.14:43:11 One of those dinner boats.
14:44:53 Tokyo Disneyland/Sea once more.14:45:03 14:54:03
14:54:10 14:56:06 14:56:10 Quite liked this boat here.
14:56:17 14:57:52 ...part of Disneyland/Sea.14:59:17 Me and Aoki-san on the boat.
14:59:58 Me pretending to take the helm (rest assured this is purely for the benefit of the picture).15:05:03 Aoki-san doing a quick spot of fishing.15:30:37 ...back at the Marina now, here we are disembarking.
15:31:11 One last picture of the three of us plus the boat.17:26:51 A little later on, here's Yuka-chan at Yuta-san (Chie's sister and her boyfriend) who I met up with briefly in Shinagawa.19:32:40 ...and then later on that evening I headed on to Ikebukuro - here's a pointless picture of the station...
19:32:56 19:44:52 In Rohlan now - here's a picture of the vegetarian menu.19:45:32 Here's the vegetarian ma po tofu ramen I ordered - this was delicious.
19:52:33 ....plus the classic vegetarian tonkatsu set - exactly how I remembered it - fantastic.20:12:34 Rohlan from the outside.20:43:44 Next stop, Quercus, and here's the fantastic Ichiro's Malt Double Distilleries I started of with (a combination of malts from the old and new Chichibu distilleries) - superb floral notes from this.
20:45:30 Watanabe-san, the "master" at Quercus.21:00:19 Next up a Chichibu New Born - barely even aged for a year, and yet this was amazingly complex and sophisticated. Like toffee apples and butterscotch, and maybe a hint of Werther's Originals. Superb.21:00:27
22:19:01 Outside Quercus...22:19:11 ...and there's the sign.22:27:16 ....another pointless picture of Ikebukuro station to end on.