Hello from the Five Star Vagabond

Welcome to 700 travel blogs, to access a full index on your mobile please scroll to the bottom & choose from 700 locations. Email is [email protected]

Shabusen-Ginza-Tokyo-Kobe-beef
Shabusen-Ginza-Tokyo-Kobe-beef

Asia best city Tokyo

Tokyo Skytree

Asia best city definitely Tokyo Japan

Asia best city Tokyo

Asia best city Tokyo Japan, this was my 3rd visit after being there twice in 2007. There is so much to see and do in this fantastic city. I guarantee I won’t wait 7 years before I visit again.

Tokyo Skytree is a broadcasting, restaurant, and observation tower in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan. It became the tallest structure in Japan in 2010 and reached its full height of 634.0 meters in March 2011.

Asakusa

Asia best city Tokyo

Looking down at Asakusa from the Skytree. Asakusa is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan, most famous for the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals.

Sky Tree at night

Asia best city Tokyo

I rarely use a photo I have not taken myself, however this one I found on Twitter is an exception as it is so spectacular.

 Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple

Asia best city Tokyo

 Sensō-ji is an ancient Buddhist temple located in AsakusaTaitō. It is Tokyo’s oldest temple, and one of its most significant. Formerly associated with the Tendai sect, it became independent after World War II. Adjacent to the temple is a Shinto shrine, the Asakusa Shrine. Want to see more photos just CLICK HERE.


Tsukiji Honganji Temple

Asia best city Tokyo

Hongwan-ji, is a Jodo Shinshu Buddhist temple located in the Tsukiji district of Tokyo. Tsukiji Hongan-ji’s predecessor was the temple of Edo-Asakusa Gobo, built in Asakusa in 1617 at the behest of the 12th monshu, Junnyo Shōnin. The temple burned during a city-wide fire in 1657, and the shogunate refused to allow it to be rebuilt in Asakusa due to a prior project there. Instead, the temple was moved to a new parcel of land being reclaimed by the Sumida River—today’s Tsukiji. This land was said to have been reclaimed by Jodo Shinshu followers themselves who lived at nearby Tsukudajima. The name Tsukiji comes from the kanji characters meaning “reclaimed land”. This new temple, named Tsukiji Gobo, stood until it was leveled by the Great Kantō earthquake of 1923.

New Sanno Hotel

Asia best city Tokyo

Dinner with Clai & Dan at the New Sanno Hotel It offers a swimming pool, recreational facilities, a Navy Exchange, and other services designed for military travelers. The hotel is regulated and controlled by the U.S.–Japan Status of Forces Agreement. In addition to active duty and retired US military personnel eligible to use other Armed Forces Recreation Centers, DoD civilian employees duty stationing in Japan, contractors on DoD orders to execute contracts for the US Armed Forces stationed in Japan, US Embassy Tokyo personnel and individuals administratively attached to US Embassy Tokyo are eligible to use the hotel.

New Sanno Hotel

Asia best city Tokyo

 I dined with friends at the US military hotel in Tokyo (New Sanno Hotel). You actually need a passport checked by an armed guard just to get in the door.



Met a couple of military guys, one was an ex Lieutenant Colonel whose name is Lance Gatling, you guessed it, his great great Grandfather was Doctor Richard Gatling who invented the Gatling gun in 1861 during the American civil war. Naturally talking to these guys I learnt some interesting facts, America lost about 600,000 in the civil war. In World War II, they lost about 200,000, & 54,000 in Vietnam. The primary cause of death in the Civil War was disease and infection.

Metro cafe

Asia best city Tokyo

 Metro cafe is one of our favorite Tokyo bars, you can always meet delightful Japanese ladies there. It is located at Omotesando Station.

The Cellar Grill at Omotesando

Asia best city definitely Tokyo Japan

Not far from the Metro Cafe is a great little restaurant called the Cellar Grill.

Bob Bitzer & I at the Cellar Grill

Asia best city Tokyo

A great night with lots of laughs.

The Cellar Grill

Asia best city Tokyo

Feeling no pain at the Cellar Grill, now lets get back to Cafe Metro.

Friends in Tokyo at Metro cafe

Asia best city definitely Tokyo Japan

Here we are back in our favorite drinking spot in Asia best city at Omete-Sando station. I’m with Clai, Dan and Bob.

kabuki theatre tokyo

Asia best city definitely Tokyo Japan

The building was destroyed on October 30, 1921. Since it burned down from an electrical fire, the second building was designed to “be fireproof, yet carry traditional Japanese architectural styles”, and at the same time using Western building materials such as lighting equipment. The reconstruction commenced in 1922, and was uncompleted when the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake struck and caused it to burn down. It was rebuilt in a baroque Japanese revivalist style, meant to evoke the architectural details of Japanese castles, as well as temples of pre-Edo period. The theater again burned down in the Allied bombing during World War II. It was restored in 1950  preserving the style of 1924 reconstruction, and was until recently one of Tokyo’s more dramatic and traditional buildings.

The Ginza

Asia best city definitely Tokyo Japan

The Ginza is known as an upscale area of Tokyo with numerous department stores, boutiques, restaurants and coffeehouses. Ginza is recognised as one of the most luxurious shopping districts in the world.

Asia best city definitely Tokyo Japan

Asia best city Tokyo

A great people watching corner.

Shabusen in the Ginza

Asia best city definitely Tokyo Japan

Kobe beef at Shabusen at the Ginza A terrific restaurant for Kobe beef, go at lunch time for special prices.

Near the Tsukiji Market

Asia best city Tokyo

The Tsukiji Market is the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world and also one of the largest wholesale food markets of any kind. 

Tsujiki Market

Asia best city definitely Tokyo Japan

The market is being relocated.

Sumida River 

Asia best city Tokyo

  Sumida river flows through Tokyo, Japan. It branches from the Arakawa River at Iwabuchi and flows into Tokyo Bay

Sumida River

Asia best city Tokyo

I must say Tokyo 2014 was better for me than Tokyo in 2007, it certainly helps now I know the city better and I have some friends to mix with.

 Sushizanmai

Asia best city Tokyo

 Sushizanmai at Tsujiki is still my favourite restaurant in Tokyo.

Sushizanmai

Asia best city Tokyo

I met this lovely lady called Mammi at Sushizanmai.

My favourite Japanese song

 

David Herd at Shabusen

Asia best city definitely Tokyo Japan

Thanks for visiting my Asia best city definitely Tokyo Japan post, please check out Shinjuku and Yokohama.

                          What a great year for travel in 2015                                    

               

   Sydney                               Paris                                   Bangkok           
 497d0b6e-c0bd-4ba2-86be-c02100f050a8        65470622-d17a-4b90-bf97-2574df4c412d        1a2160c1-41f7-465a-954c-631e083eb229
          Tokyo                        Rio De Janeiro                        Budapest
f59e958e-8eaf-48b4-8e96-c291a0c13d1a        f044491e-69aa-4082-b49b-1ff33557d7d4        a6a948cd-f30a-49ea-a905-82be4d202cc9
           London                            Beijing                            Capetown
2246c6cf-5fa6-4fbe-ac30-b569253ad2a6        f65d714b-f44c-4b2e-9505-3511ebecbb80        4e82052a-24d0-41e1-ab84-10e8f27634d1
 
            Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you            
 book through these links below.  Book now & pay later.
                                                                 Plus free cancellation .
                                               Bangkok Hotels                    Pattaya Hotels
                                            d0c59ff5-7f2b-41b5-9312-4556d4a62037            01a75360-9573-473f-acba-3a187f779b7f
A-One hotel on Beach Road

Seven deadly Songkran days

For a great room rate at the A-One hotel opposite the beach just book through THIS LINK.               

 
Pattaya live webcam
 
9a1fec74-4461-46cd-8663-97f5893c8f6e (1)

That’s all folks

1g Duck

A quaint Tokyo street

 

My visit to HCM City January 2015

 

Fukuoka Hiroshima Sapporo Sendai

Tokyo Kagoshima Kanazawa Nagoya

Nagasaki Yokohama Kyoto Kamakura

Counter only started June 16 2020.

Author: David Herd

My history, particularly over the last 30 years is dominated by overseas travel. I sold my home in Australia October 20th 2011 and have have been living in Thailand since then. I don’t know where the time has gone? It seems like you go to sleep one night, wake up the next morning, and 20 years have flashed by. Not sure how many years I have left, however I have enjoyed a wonderful charmed life, and if it all ended today I would leave this world with no regrets. I was born in Sydney halfway through the last century, started my travels in the 60s with the usual U.K. Europe adventure at the age of 20, back to Australia and worked in Sydney, Melbourne & Adelaide in Sales & Marketing with multinational companies including Sanyo, Canon & Remington. Engaged to be married 3 times and never quite made it to the alter, finally realized by the mid 90s I was not cut out for "long term relationships" so I moved to the Gold Coast in Queensland in January 1987, worked for a couple of banks as a Financial Planner, I took a year off work in 1998 to travel and never went back to full time work again, after 25 fun filled years on the Coast I packed up and moved to Thailand. What is the purpose of this blog? Well I really want to use it to record my travel experiences & to display my photographs, give and receive travel tips, comment on places I visit, restaurants I eat in and use it to replace the autobiography I intended to write, apart from all that it helps me fill in my day. :) I moved to Thailand mainly because I wanted to keep travelling while my health allowed me to, there are huge advantages being closer to all the places I want to visit. Cost of living in Thailand is around 35% of the cost in Australia, plus flights are 50% cheaper because you are much closer to everywhere. ???? Consequently I am able to travel to many more places compared to living in Australia. Having said all that, it is & has always been my intention to return to Australia when my travelling is finished, I predict this will happen around 2021.

Comments are closed.