Raining in Tokyo

Weather today was dreadful, it did not stop raining and therefore our sightseeing was hindered by the at times heavy rains which reminded us more of Malta than Brussels.

The plan was to head to Ueno Park, view the Tokyo National Museum apart from the Pagoda and Tosho-gu shrine and laze away in the park.

We started off earlier than the day before but still not early enough. But given the rain, it was might as well since we still needed to rest after the tiredness of the last days.

So after we got to Ueno Park we headed immediately to the Tokyo National Museum where we saw many statues of buddhas, some impressive sculptures and costumes among others.

There was also an exibition of the Mind of Leonardo - the Universal Genius at Work with the highlight being the painting of the Annunciation which was brought over from the Uffizi gallery - a masterpiece indeed.

Given it was raining cats and dogs by the time we saw the museum we still tried our luck at going around Ueno Park only to finally decide that it was not worth the hassle so we headed to the Electronic District before coming back to the hotel for an hour of relaxation by the pool and spa.

This is indeed an experience. Before you enter the 'health club' you remove your shoes and are given Japanese shoes. After entering changing rooms you can decide what to do. Sauna or gym or even a chill-out room. The gym has socks and shoes to rent out for guests but we opted for a swim in the pool. To get there, you need to take a shower first and then after going down one floor, there is another shower with water on the floor just in case your feet had got dirty going down the steps.

By the pool area, it looked more like a clinic than a swimming pool. Everywhere you look was shiny. And the pool deckhand also tested the water in the swimming pool and the spa while we were there. Indeed another example of their obsession with cleanliness.

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