Tsukishima Monja Lunch
On the last day of May, Wilgo picked up a group of people including the lady who is on a wheelchair from Philippines at Haneda Airport, and took them to a hotel in Shinagawa. When they checked in, it was already the beginning of June. After recovering from the fatigue of the flight, they started one day touring Tokyo on Sunday.
We departed from Shinagawa and first took photos around Tokyo Tower with the fresh greenery and Tokyo Tower in the background. We then headed north along Hibiya Street, drove on the Uchibori Street with the Imperial Palace on our left, and got off at the Marunouchi side of Tokyo Station. On this tour of Tokyo, the tour guide interpreter, Yukako , joined us, so we set off on foot to explore the Imperial Palace Outer Gardens. The Imperial Palace Outer Gardens, including the promenade leading from Tokyo Station Marunouchi to the Imperial Palace Outer Gardens, are thoroughly designed with universal design in mind, so wheelchairs can easily stroll around without any problems.
Wilgo headed to the Kusunoki Parking Lot to pick up the group on their way back from their walk. As per usual, we had obtained a parking permit in advance, so we waited for the group along with the Hato Buses and other vehicles. Because it was a hot and sunny morning in June, the group returned to near Wilgo, and stopped for an ice cream break at the shop next to the statue of Kusunoki Masashige, then got back on Wilgo and headed off for lunch.
In response to the lady’s request to try local Tokyo foods, Yukako researched and suggested Tsukishima Monja Lunch. After checking out 23 restaurants affiliated with the Tsukishima Monja Promotion Association that have publicly announced that they are wheelchair accessible, Yukako selected and booked the restaurant. Monja Street (Nishinaka-dori), which runs from Ichiban-gai to Yonban-gai, is a pedestrian-only road from noon to 19:00 on Sundays and holidays, and vehicles cannot pass through. On this day, Yukako planned the itinerary that would allow us to arrive before 12:00, so we were able to get off at Nishinaka-dori near the restaurant we had reserved, and we are grateful to Yukako for planning the accurate schedule. However, it is difficult to expect wheelchair users to use the restrooms at each restaurant, so the public barrier-free restrooms near the entrance to Tsukishima Monja Street Ichiban-gai and a little way down the road from the Nishinaka-dori Community Safety Center toward the Sumida River are convenient.
After enjoying their Monja Yaki lunch and strolling around Monjayaki Street, they returned to Wilgo, but the weather started to look a little cloudy, so they continued on to their next destination, the Hard Rock Cafe. The husband said there was something he really wanted to buy here, so Wilgo stopped for a short while on the street, and he returned with a smile after getting his desired items. Next, they headed to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Observation Deck. Unfortunately, it started raining by the time they arrived… However, they managed to climb up to the observation deck and spent some time relaxing at the cafe, looking down on rainy Tokyo. By the time they departed from the building, the rain had turned into a downpour, so they were dropped off at their hotel in Shinagawa, ending their day around Tokyo.
Two days after this tour of Tokyo, the group checked out of the hotel in Shinagawa and departed for a tour of Japan on the cruise vessel, Diamond Princess. The Diamond Princess, docked at Yokohama’s Osanbashi Pier, is simply gigantic.
Wilgo also went to welcome the group back to Yokohama’s Osanbashi Pier after a 10-day cruising tour of Japan, which also included a port call on Jeju Island in Korea. They had thoroughly enjoyed sightseeing at the various ports they visited, and the various entertainment options on board the Diamond Princess. No doubt many passengers had arrived with the same thoughts. However, it took a considerable amount of time just to disembark from the Diamond Princess, which had a capacity of 2,706 passengers and docked just after 6 a.m. Meanwhile, forklifts were busy in unloading the passengers’ luggages, and taxies were lined, filling up the taxi pool at the side of the pier and waiting for passengers got ready for disembarkation.
Unlike the busy backstage staffs, the arrival lobby, which had only few people who have come to welcome disembarking passengers, and the rooftop plaza of Osanbashi Pier, nicknamed “The Whale’s Back,” bathed in the morning sun, are enveloped in silence. When disembarkation began, people proceeded their ways down their respective corridors, guided by welcoming staffs, as some took taxis and others boarded buses arranged by the cruise company. After a while, the arrival lobby was filled with arriving passengers and their luggages.
The group boarded the Wilgo parked at Osanbashi Parking Lot and headed to Haneda Airport via the Shuto Expressway to return home. Although they enjoyed their cruise, they were disappointed that they only had a few days in Tokyo. However, they smiled and said, “We’ll come again,” as they headed to check-in.