Another fun packed day in Tokyo, our last one before we head north tomorrow to Nagano and a visit to the Snow Monkeys.

First stop was a short subway trip down to Shibuya Crossing the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world.

Our next port of call was a visit to the small statue of the faithful dog Hachiko, a popular meeting spot that holds sentimental value for the Japanese.

It’s located just outside Shibuya Station where we queued for 10mins to get our photos taken by an old Japanese guy who volunteers the service and is happy to help.

The world’s busiest pedestrian crossing, is a unique place as you watch hundreds of people cross the intersection at once. It’s an iconic symbol and in our view highlights Tokyo’s urban energy!

We got a great view of the crossing from Shibuya Scramble Tower close by, where you can look down from the 14th storey for free!

Next stop was Shibuya Sky, a rooftop observation deck offering panoramic views of Tokyo from the 45th floor roof (!) and is one of the best spots to take in the city skyline, day or night.

After the buzz of being up in Shibuya Sky, we came down to ‘earth’ and went in search of food at Shibuya Stream, which proved to be a pleasant area for a walk with a mix of cafes, and outdoor seating areas.

Sadly as it was still a little cool, we decided to opt for a menu indoors and had a fantastic ramen chicken curry that Barbs and Andy loved, whilst Michelle went with an egg, chicken and vegetables ramen that got the thumbs up.

We decided to then venture around the many shopping areas and headed for Shibuya Parca, an upscale complex featuring fashion & pop culture.

We were probably the oldest people in there, which didn’t stop us and Barbs made a purchase with some new earrings from a funky jewellers.

We then moved to the subway to purchase our train tickets from Tokyo Station to Nagano. Getting around the city has proved a real experience and one we’ve enjoyed for the most part. Everyone is so courteous and polite, the carriages are clean, there is no litter and it has a friendly environment.

After picking up the Nagano tickets we went back to Senso-Ji temple to see it lit up in the nights sky and minus the rain!

It was good to see the Asakusa area, including Nakamise-Dori shopping street in the dry and observe craft items being made and sold.

Once back at the temple it was a joy to behold lit up and glowing.

We were in this area tonight having booked to go to a sumo event with dinner which we were both very excited to see.

The sumo wrestling proved to be one of the best things we’ve done so far in Japan. The venue, food, drinks, compere, wrestlers and the crowd all made for a special night that we will remember for a long while.

Then the main event started and the arrival of the two sumo wrestlers. They played up to the crowd with some play acting before moving to the more serious act.

https://videopress.com/v/gKOp8QGY?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

We’ve so enjoyed today and the last 5 days in Tokyo. Hoping that the rest of Japan is as amazing an experience. Tomorrow it’s off to Nagano to see the snow monkeys for a couple of days before moving on to Kyoto.