Trip to Tokyo [東京之旅] (1/26/2013)

We woke up at 3:30 am. The taxi driver arrived at exactly 4:00. There was not much traffic in the early morning so we arrived at Taoyuan Airport at about 4:45am! Luckily, we could see the sign of Scoot Air on the curb side of the departure hall.

我們清晨3:30起床，機場接送的司機準時在4:00出現。清晨交通順暢，4:45就抵達桃園機場了。在出境大廳外的走廊，可以看到酷航的招牌。

The sign of Scoot Air at Taoyuan Airport [桃園機場的酷航招牌]

We didn't wait too long in check-in. There was no Scoot counter at the Airport, so the staff from Eva Airways helped with the check-in procedures.

等check-in沒花多少時間。桃園機場沒有酷航的櫃台，所以是由長榮的員工幫我們check-in。

The experience boarding a Scoot plane was not that bad. Three hours without drink and food was not so unbearable. (You could bring your own food aboard.)

搭酷航的飛機其實沒那麼糟。三個小時沒喝機上的飲料沒吃機上的餐點其實不會不能忍受。(你可以帶自己的飲食上去。)

Inside the Scoot cabin [酷航機艙內部]

We arrived at Narita Airport at about 10:30 am Japan Time. Now I could take a look at the aircraft that brought us here.

我們抵達成田機場約是日本時間10:30。離開空橋後，拍一張我們搭乘的酷航飛機。

Scoot aircraft at Narita Airport [在成田機場的酷航飛機]

We bought the Keisei Express ticket (for the return ride only) plus 2-day metro ticket for 2,980 Yen each. A great bargain because it saved a lot of money. Then we also bought Suica Card (2,000 Yen each with 500 Yen deposit). We took Tokkyu Access at 11:26 (a faster common train heading for Haneda Airport)  and it took us about 60 minutes to get to Asakusa Station.

我們買了京成電鐵的優惠票(只有回程)加上地鐵二日券。這樣一人要2,980日幣，還蠻划算的。我們另外買了西瓜卡(一張2,000日幣，內含500日幣押金)。我們用西瓜卡搭乘11:26發車的東急Access (比普通車快一點，目的地是羽田機場)。到淺草站大概花了60分鐘。

There is a long stairway from the exit of the subway to the ground. A terrible experience to carry our baggage upwards: two large trunks!

從地鐵站出口到地面，有一個很長的樓梯。要提著兩個沉重的行李箱真是一種折磨啊！

We left the baggage at Toyoko Inn, so that we could move more freely. We walked around, crossed the Sumida River (隅田川) and felt cold and hungry. It was about noon so we simply entered the first store we could find, a local ramen store. It was small and crowded, but warm. The ramen was cheap and delicious (500 Yen). After I finished the noodles, the chef asked if I needed more noodles. He then boiled some more for me without extra charge. What a nice store! We also ordered a half-boiled egg (cost us extra 100 Yen) and a dish with very spicy salted vegetable (not a very wise decision).

把行李寄放在東橫Inn，就跑出去逛了。過了一個橫跨隅田川的橋之後，覺得又冷又餓。快中午了，我們只想隨便找家店吃東西，找到一家拉麵店。裡面空間狹窄但很溫暖。拉麵算便宜(500日幣)，也很美味。我吃完麵條後，廚師還問我要不要加麵。我當然說好。他馬上煮了另一捆麵，不另外收費。真是一家很讚的店。我們也點了半熟蛋(另外加100日幣)以及一盤又辣又鹹的小菜(失敗的選擇)。

Then we visited Tokyo Fukkou Museum, with many relics/debris from the 1923 Kanto Earthquake in exhibition. There was a monument of those died during air raids in WWII outside the Museum. Another Hall of the Deceased was located nearby, and another Bell of the Deceased (contributed by Chinese Buddhists) was too. It was a sad place. And Jody got very sick.

吃完麵後，有力氣了。我們先去附近的東京復興博物館，包含了許多1923年關東大地震的殘骸磚瓦的展示。博物館外面有一個悼念二戰空襲罹難者的紀念碑。還有一個慰靈堂以及慰靈鐘(由中國佛教徒捐贈)在附近。這真是一個悲傷的地方。Jody覺得非常不舒服。

Remains of a burnt car during the 1923 Kanto Earthquake [1923年關東大地震的火燒車殘骸]

Hall of the Deceased [慰靈堂]

We then went to a garden nearby, a Japanese-style garden: trees, meadows, fish, ducks. A few seniors sat on the chairs and did their paintings of the beautiful scenery near the pond. 

接著我們來到附近的一個日式公園，有樹、草坪、魚、鴨。一些老人家坐在池塘邊畫畫。真是一幅安詳的風景。

The pond in the garden [公園的池塘]

 A nice place for painting [繪畫寫生的好地方]

After that we passed by the Ryougoku Sumo Hall (両国国技館), crowded with people waiting in line to get into where sumo wresting took place. The tickets were sold out. We tried out best to pass through the flood of people, and got to the Edo-Tokyo Museum finally. 

之後我們經過兩國國技館，許多人在排隊入場看相撲。當天票都賣光了。我們努力穿過人潮，因為我們的目的地是江戶東京博物館。

People outside Ryougoku Sumo Hall [兩國國技館外的人潮]

The Edo-Tokyo Museum [江戶東京博物館]

Besides the ordinary exhibition, this museum offers special exhibition which would cost you extra money. When we were there, it was an exhibition of stuffs from Owari (尾張) family, a branch of the Tokugawa (徳川) Shogunate. It was not so impressive. Jody got very sick and visited the the bathroom several times to vomit whatever she ate that day. 

除了一般展外，這個博物館還有特別展，當然要另外買票。當時的特別展是尾張德川家的至寶。沒有期待中的精彩。Jody覺得很不舒服，一直跑廁所，吐了好幾次。

After a long rest, we finally got to the ordinary exhibition. Lots of architectures mimicking the real ones that existed before or still in existence, including Nihombashi (日本橋), Ryouunkaku (凌雲閣). The most impressive was the many miniatures of buildings and town peoples during the Edo Period. No two miniatures are the same.

休息了好一陣子，我們終於去參觀一般展了。有許多模仿真實建築(現存或已不存在)的建築在裡面，包含了日本橋、凌雲閣。其中最讓人印象深刻的是江戶時代的建築以及町人的縮小模型。這些模型維妙維肖，沒有兩個完全相同。

The special exhibition of the Owari family of the Tokugawa Shogunate [尾張德川家的至寶]

Miniatures of town people during the Edo Period [江戶時代的町人模型]

 A reconstructed phone booth, a symbol of Japan's modernization [電話亭的重建：日本現代化的象徵]

Finally we decided to leave the museum, at about 6:30 pm. It was dark and Jody was still stick, so we took the subway for only one stop, from Ryougoku to Kuramae (cost 170 or 130 yen I guess).

到了下午6:30，我們決定離開這個美術館。天色已黑，Jody還是很不舒服，所以我們就搭地鐵，從兩國到藏前一站就到 (170或130日幣吧？)。

Jody couldn't eat anything so we bought a large box of yogurt and a loaf of bread and went back to the hotel. It was a hard day.

Jody什麼也吃不下，所以我們在便利商店買了一大盒的優格以及一個麵包，回到旅館吃。真是辛苦的一天。