We decided to move from Kyoto to Tokyo really early in the morning. We got off at the central station. My suggestion is to use the lockers for your luggages, that are in almost every big Japanese station, they cost from 300yen to 700yen for the big ones. The central station is the heart of Tokyo, you see big skyscrapers all around, the scale of everything is enormous, but it is an area so calm and quiet.






If you start walking straight from the central exit of the station, you will end in the gardens of the imperial palace. We didn't got into the actual palace, because I believe that you should have a permission to do so. But from the outside, the contrast between the modern skyscrapers and the ancient buildings of the palace is really interesting. Have a look also at the trees all around, the gardeners do an excellent job.
P.S. In my whole trip to Japan, I was interested in the manholes, they are always customed. In front of the imperial palace, for exemple, they were decorated with flowers.
Percorrendo la strada esattamente davanti all'uscita centrale della stazione, vi troverete come per magia nei giardini del palazzo imperiale. Non siamo entrati all'interno del palazzo, anche perché credo si debba avere un permesso speciale per accedervi. Ma anche dall'esterno il contrasto tra i moderni grattacieli e gli antichi edifici del palazzo è davvero interessante. Date un'occhiata anche agli alberi tutt'intorno, i giardinieri fanno un ottimo lavoro.
P.S. In tutto il mio viaggio in Giappone sono stata catturata dai tombini, sono sempre personalizzati. Davanti al palazzo imperiale, ad esempio, erano decorati con fiori.
Αν ξεκινήσετε να περπατάτε ευθεία από την κεντρική έξοδο του σταθμού, θα φτάσετε στους κήπους του αυτοκρατορικού παλατιού. Δεν μπήκαμε μέσα στο παλάτι, γιατί πιστεύω ότι θα έπρεπε να είχαμε την άδεια να το κάνουμε. Αλλά και απ έξω η αντίθεση μεταξύ των σύγχρονων ουρανοξυστών και των αρχαίων κτιρίων του ανακτόρου είναι πραγματικά ενδιαφέρουσα. Ρίξτε μια ματιά στα δέντρα γύρω, οι κηπουροί κάνουν μια εξαιρετική δουλειά.
ΥΓ Σε όλο μου το ταξίδι στην Ιαπωνία τα καπάκια των φρεατίων τραβήξανε το ενδιαφέρον μου, έχουν πάντα ιδιαίτερα σκαλίσματα. Μπροστά από το αυτοκρατορικό ανάκτορο ήταν, για παράδειγμα, διακοσμημένα με λουλούδια.








Coming back to the central station, we spotted in the Marounouchi building a Rugby temple, because we have been in Japan during the Rugby World Cup. They built a temple where every fan could pray for its team and there was also a bench with a Sumo player with a rugby ball in his hands. Exactly in front of this building there is a pedestrian area with some tables and chairs where anyone can sit, so we grabbed a Vietnamese sandwich and we enjoyed the place.
Tornando verso la stazione centrale, abbiamo visto nell'edificio Marounouchi un tempio per il rugby, perché siamo stati in Giappone durante la Coppa del mondo per l'appunto di rugby. Avevano costruito un tempio dove ogni fan potesse pregare per la propria squadra e c'era anche una panchina con un giocatore di Sumo con un pallone da rugby in mano. Proprio di fronte a questo edificio si trova un'area pedonale con alcuni tavoli e sedie dove chiunque può sedersi, quindi abbiamo colto l'occasione al balzo, preso un panino vietnamita e ci siamo goduti questo angolino.
Επιστρέφοντας στον κεντρικό σταθμό, εντοπίσαμε στο κτίριο Marounouchi έναν ναό ράγκμπι, επειδή βρισκόμασταν στην Ιαπωνία κατά τη διάρκεια του Παγκοσμίου Κυπέλλου Ράγκμπι. Κατασκεύασαν έναν ναό όπου κάθε οπαδός θα μπορούσε να προσευχηθεί για την ομάδα του και υπήρχε ένας παγκάκι με έναν παίκτη Sumo με μια μπάλα ράγκμπι στα χέρια του. Ακριβώς μπροστά από αυτό το κτίριο υπάρχει ένας πεζόδρομος με μερικά τραπέζια και καρέκλες όπου μπορεί κανείς να καθίσει, γι 'αυτό αγοράσαμε ένα βιετναμέζικο σάντουιτς και απολαύσαμε τον τόπο.



They only big district left from our trip was Ueno, so we jumped into the Metro and we reached this park. I should say that I didn't love it. Maybe if you have children you can enter the zoo, but we didn't. We just enjoyed the big lake with the lotus plants and then, we had a small walk in the Ueno market, after that we decided to leave.
Mancava solo la visita di un quartiere nel nostro viaggio: Ueno. Quindi abbiamo preso la metropolitana e abbiamo raggiunto questo parco. Devo dire che non mi è piaciuto granché. Forse avendo dei bambini si può optare per entrare allo zoo, ma noi non l'abbiamo fatto. Ci siamo goduti per qualche minuto il grande lago con le piante di loto, quindi abbiamo fatto una passeggiatina nel mercato di Ueno e ce ne siamo poi andati.
Μας έμεινε να δούμε στο Τόκιο μόνο μια μεγάλη περιοχή: Ueno. Oπότε πήραμε το μετρό και φτάσαμε στο πάρκο. Θα έλεγα ότι δεν μου άρεσε και πολύ. Ίσως αν έχετε παιδιά μπορείτε να μπείτε στο ζωολογικό κήπο, αλλά εμείς δεν πήγαμε. Απολαύσαμε μόνο τη μεγάλη λίμνη με τα φυτά λωτού και στη συνέχεια κάναμε μια μικρή βόλτα στην αγορά του Ueno, μετά αποφασίσαμε να φύγουμε.













To close in the best way this visit of Tokyo, I had to see the Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku. We got off at Harajuku station, in this area there are a loooot of shops, I really suggest you to come here for cloth-shopping, and you will see also many people dressed with nice style. In one of the streets there is a monitor that shows the people that are walking, I managed to snap a picture when it was showing me.
The Tokyu Plaza is so special because it has an amazing entrance full of mirrors that go in different directions, so magical. It is the perfect spot for an instagram picture.
Quindi per chiudere al meglio questa visita di Tokyo ho voluto assolutamente vedere il Tokyu Plaza di Omotesando Harajuku. Siamo scesi alla stazione di Harajuku, in questa zona ci sono moooolti negozi, consiglio vivamente di venire qui per fare shopping di vestiti e vedrete anche molte persone vestite con stile. In una delle strade c'è un monitor che mostra le persone che camminano, e sono riuscita a scattare una foto mentre stava mostrando proprio me.
Il Tokyu Plaza è così speciale perché ha un fantastico ingresso pieno di specchi che vanno in direzioni diverse, davvero magico. È il posto perfetto per scattare foto per Instagram.
Για να τελειώσουμε με τον καλύτερο τρόπο αυτή την επίσκεψη του Τόκιο έπρεπε να δω το Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku. Βγήκαμε στο σταθμό Harajuku, σε αυτήν την περιοχή υπάρχουν πολλά καταστήματα, πραγματικά σας προτείνω να έρθετε εδώ για ψώνια ρούχων και θα δείτε επίσης πολλούς ανθρώπους ντυμένοι με στυλ. Σε έναν από τους δρόμους υπάρχει μια οθόνη που δείχνει τους ανθρώπους που περπατούν, κατάφερα να τραβήξω μια φωτογραφία όταν έδειχνε εμένα.
Το Tokyu Plaza είναι τόσο ξεχωριστό γιατί έχει μια καταπληκτική είσοδο γεμάτη καθρέπτες που πηγαίνουν σε διαφορετικές κατευθύνσεις, μαγικό. Είναι το ιδανικό σημείο για να τραβήξετε μια εικόνα για το instagram.

After a few minutes of walking, you have three choices to reach the top of Mount Takao, that's why I think that it is the perfect trip for anyone. The first choice is to hike, the second is to get the cable train, that with the 31° is the steepest train of Japan, and the third choice is the chair lift. We decided to go up with the chair lift and get down with the cable train. The experience of the chair lift has been amazing, it was so quiet and you float just one meter above the ground through tall trees, it has been like flying.
Μετά από λίγο περπάτημα, έχετε τρεις επιλογές για να φτάσετε στην κορυφή του Mount Takao, γι 'αυτό πιστεύω ότι είναι το τέλειο ταξίδι για οποιονδήποτε. Η πρώτη επιλογή είναι η πεζοπορία, η δεύτερη είναι ο οδοντωτός, ο οποίο με τις 31 ° είναι το πιο απότομο τρένο της Ιαπωνίας, και η τρίτη επιλογή είναι οι καρέκλες τύπου τελεφερίκ. Αποφασίσαμε να ανεβούμε με τις καρέκλες και να κατεβούμε με τον οδοντωτό. Η εμπειρία τις καρέκλες ήταν εκπληκτική, ήταν τόσο ήσυχα και επιπλέβαμε μόvo ένα μέτρο από το έδαφος αναμέσα από ψηλά δέντρα, ήταν σαν να πετούσαμε.






From where the chair lift leaves you, till the top of Mount Takao you must walk around 2 km. In Mount Takao we understood why Pokemon exist. You will see a bunch of super strange animals, like this caterpillar of the picture, or the flying squirrels (unfortunately I didn't see those) or really big and beautiful black butterflies (I saw one, but I didn't have time to capture it) or even wild monkeys. Along the way you will find many panoramic spots where you can enjoy the incredible view from above.
Da dove vi lascia la seggiovia, fino alla cima del Monte Takao dovete camminare per circa 2 km. Qui al Monte Takao abbimo capito da dove vengono i Pokemon. Vedrete un sacco di animali stranissimi, come questo bruco in foto, o scoiattoli volanti (che purtroppo non ho visto) o bellissime farfalle nere giganti (ne ho vista una, ma non ho avuto il tempo di immortalarla) o persino scimmie selvatiche. Lungo la strada incontrerete molti punti panoramici da cui poter godere dell'incredibile vista dall'alto.
Από εκεί που σας αφήνουν οι καρέκλες, μέχρι την κορυφή του Mount Takao πρέπει να περπατήσετε περίπου 2 χλμ. Εδώ καταλάβαμε γιατί υπάρχουν τα Pokemon. Θα δείτε πολλά παράξενα ζώα, όπως αυτή τη κάμπια στην φωτογραφία, ή ιπτάμενους σκίουρους (δυστυχώς δεν τα είδα) ή τεράστιες όμορφες μαύρες πεταλούδες (είδα μία αλλά δεν είχα χρόνο να την τραβήξω) ή ακόμα και άγριους πιθήκους. Κατά μήκος του δρόμου θα απολαύσετε και πολλά σημεία με καταπληκτική θέα.




 
If you can't see wild monkeys, you can pay a cheap ticket to see a sort of super small monkey-zoo, if you don't have children I wouldn't suggest it, even if we were lucky enough to see a show kept by a zookeeper.
Se non riuscite a vedere le scimmie selvatiche, potete pagare un biglietto abbastanza economico per vedere una specie di piccolo zoo per scimmie, se non avete bambini a seguito, non lo consiglierei, anche se siamo stati abbastanza fortunati da vedere una spettacolo tenuto da un guardiano dello zoo.
Αν δεν μπορείτε να δείτε άγριους πιθήκους, μπορείτε να πληρώσετε ένα αρκετά οικονομικό εισιτήριο για να μπείτε σε ένα μικρό ζωολογικό κήπο με μαϊμούδες, αν και αν δεν έχετε παιδιά δεν θα το προτείνα, ακόμα κι αν ήμασταν αρκετά τυχεροί για να δούμε ένα show.







In the path that we chose, the Trail 1, there are a lot of really old cedars along the way and one of them is the most important one, the famous Octopus cedar (Takosugi), a 500years old cedar with a height of 37 meters (you can see it in the picture). It is called in this way, cause the roots at the base curve like the shape of an octupus. That's why you will find a lot of octopus statues in this area.
Nel percorso che abbiamo scelto, il numero uno, ci sono molti antichi cedri lungo la strada e il più importante di questi è il famoso cedro-polipo (Takosugi), un cedro di 500 anni con un'altezza di 37 metri (lo potete vedere in foto). Si chiama in questo modo, poiché le radici alla base si curvano come un polipo. Ecco perché ci sono molte statue di polpi in questa zona.
Στο μονοπάτι που επιλέξαμε, το νούμερο ένα, υπάρχουν πολλοί πραγματικά παλιοί κέδροι κατά μήκος του δρόμου και ένας από αυτούς είναι ο πιο σημαντικός, ο περίφημος κέδρος χταπόδι (Takosugi), ένας κέδρος 500 ετών με ύψος 37 μέτρα (μπορείτε να το δείτε στην εικόνα). Ονομάζεται με αυτόν τον τρόπο, γιατί οι ρίζες στη βάση κάνουν καμπύλη σαν να ήταν ένα χταπόδι. Γι 'αυτό θα βρείτε πολλά αγάλματα χταποδιού σε αυτή την περιοχή.




Trail 1 is really beautiful, you will spot a lot of red lanterns that follow the path, cause this Trail is used sometimes during the night as well. There are a lot of shrines and temples along the way that during their celebration day are open also in the evening.
In many corners you will see statues with a red hat and a red bib, this is a statue that protects wanderers and children (that's why it is associated with the bib).
Il Percorso 1 è davvero bello, noterete molte lanterne rosse lungo la via, perché a volte si cammina anche durante la notte. Questo persorso è ricco di molti santuari e templi che durante il loro giorno di celebrazione sono aperti anche di sera.
In molti angoli scoverete statue con un cappello rosso e un bavaglino rosso, sono sculture che proteggono i viaggianti ed i bambini (ecco perché è associato il bavaglino).

 




























When we reached the top of Mount Takao we stopped for a good dish of Ramen. You can have cold Ramen or hot Ramen, so it is perfect for every season. We were really hungry, so we ate there, but remember that above the cable train station, there is an all you can eat restaurant where you can have beer tasting as well. And next to the cable car station don't miss to try the Takao-cheese-tarte, I wish I was in Takao to get one right now, delicious.
Anyway, the most incredible feeling has been reaching the top of Mount Takao from where you have a nice view of Mount Fuji. That day was quite rainy, so I hiked with no hope to see it, but then, here it was, Fuji-san in front of me. This has been by far the most excited moment of my Japanese trip.
After it, we made Trail 1 backwards and we used the cable train to go downhill.
Dopo aver raggiunto la cima del Monte Takao ci siamo fermati per un buon piatto di Ramen. Ci sono Ramen freddi o caldi, quindi sono perfetti per ogni stagione. Avevamo molta fame, quindi abbiamo mangiato qui, ma tenete a mente che sopra la stazione della cremagliera c'è un ristorante all-you-can-eat, con degustazione di birra. Sempre vicino alla stazione non perdetevi le tarte di formaggio di Takao, vorrei essere lì in questo momento per mangiarmene una, deliziose.
Comunque, la sensazione più incredibile è stata raggiungere la cima del Monte Takao da dove si gode della vista del Monte Fuji. Quel giorno è stato abbastanza piovoso, quindi non avevo speranza di vederlo, e invece, mi sono ritrovata il Fuji-san proprio di fronte. Questo è stato di gran lunga il momento più emozionante del mio viaggio giapponese.
Dopo di che, abbiamo rifatto il percorso al contrario ed abbiamo scelto la cremagliera per scendere.
Όταν φτάσαμε στην κορυφή του Mount Takao σταματήσαμε για ένα καλό πιάτο με Ramen. Μπορείτε να πάρετε κρύο Ramen ή ζεστό, είναι ιδανικό γέυμα για κάθε εποχή. Ήμασταν πραγματικά πεινασμένοι, γι 'αυτό φάγαμε εκεί, αλλά να ξέρετε ότι πάνω από το σταθμό του οδοντωτού, υπάρχει ένα εστιατόριο all-you-can-eat, οπου μπορείτε να κάνετε γευσιγνωσία μπύρας. Και πάλι δίπλα στο σταθμό μην ξεχάσετε να πάρετε τα γλικά με τυρί του Takao, θα ήθελα να ήμουν εκεί για να φάω ένα τώρα, τόσο νόστιμα.
Εν πάση περιπτώσει, το πιο απίστευτο συναίσθημα το έζησα φτάνοντας στην κορυφή του Όρους Takao από όπου έχει απίστευτη θέα του Όρους Fuji. Εκείνη η μέρα ήταν πολύ βροχερή, γι 'αυτό δεν είχα καμιά ελπίδα να το δω, αλλά αντιθέτως, εκεί ήταν, το Fuji-san, μπροστά μου. Αυτή ήταν μακράν η πιο εντυπωσιαστική στιγμή του ιαπωνικού μου ταξιδιού.
Στη συνέχεια, κάναμε το μονοπάτι 1 προς τα πίσω και χρησιμοποιήσαμε τον οδοντωτό για να κατέβουμε.