Reg & Haris' Visit - Part IV

This is finally the fourth and final segment of Reg and Haris' Visit to Japan. We continued on our busy agenda with a visit to Shinagawa Aquarium on Monday, February 25.

A beautiful rock garden outside of the aquarium

Thrilled by the sharks

Observing through the giant 500-ton Tunnel Water Tank, which is 22 metres long. Many species of fish and sea creatures co-habitate in this space.

Markus thought this crab was funny looking!

Dolphins are such charasmatic and intelligent mammals. We've been to several aquariums while in Japan, and it's such a joy for Markus to watch them perform tricks in sync.

Honda World Headquarters

The next day, we trained it to Aoyama to visit the Honda World Headquarters' main office, which is located in central Tokyo. The office space is for the business related facets of Honda, including marketing and sales. On the lower level, the showroom houses the latest models of several kinds of vehicles and motorcycles. The motorheads, including Markus, enjoyed getting the feel of the bikes. For lunch, we met with Rodney's friend Travis who works at the HQ's, then headed back to the showroom to watch an ASIMO demonstration, the world's most advanced humanoid robot. The demo was very entertaining, especially for Markus. Following the show, ASIMO posed with us for some photos.

Markus enjoyed sitting on the Ape bike

Reg getting a feel for the new CBR 600RR

Silly Haris lounging on the Silverwing Scooter. The lady behind the counter got a laugh out his pose.

Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility

Key specifications of the new ASIMO:

Height: 130cm

Width: 45cm

Weight: 54kg

Running speed: 6km/hour

Normal walking speed: 2.7km/hour

Speed of running in a circular pattern: 5km/hour

Walking speed while carrying objects: 1.6km/hour

Check out this short video of ASIMO performing some of his latest dance moves.

TOKYO NATIONAL MUSEUM

Later that day, we went to our final touring spot, the Tokyo National Museum. As I've mentioned in previous posts, there are hundreds and hundreds of museums in Tokyo. Many have become favourites of mine. At the TNM, we appreciated exhibits conveying images of historical and modern Japan culture.

In addition, there were special exhibitions displaying artifacts from China, which included this piece, the Head of Botthisattva (left), made of 6th century limestone.

We were fascinated by many interesting items identified as National Treasure, which included swords and other Japanese weaponry.

Japanese armor

Several works of art such as Japanese screens, scrolls and antique kimonos, dolls, enameled porcelain, and so on, graced the floors of the museum.

As always, we really enjoy having visitors come to Tokyo. The 10 days went by like a breeze and together we enjoyed exploring the many sites of Tokyo, albeit visiting certain hot spots multiple times. There's always something new to explore, and having the company of family and friends with us makes our experience most memorable.

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Reg's thoughts on Japan:

"I have heard many wonderful things about Japan from my sister's Rodelyn and Reliza, my brother-in-law, Rodney, as well as others who have been to the awesome country. Visiting a foreign country, I was impressed by how organized the airport procedures were upon arrival. The airport employees directed Haris and I to each of the stations in an orderly manner. Directly after checking out of customs, I found people to be very polite as they bowed, welcomed, excused themselves and thanked us for our business. As Haris mentioned, compared to Windsor with a population of less than 300,000, we have a hard time keeping the city streets as clean as they do in Tokyo where millions of people reside. Everywhere, people are cleaning even sidewalks and infront of shops. Recycling stations are every where. My sister's condominium had a very efficient and clean refuse room, where crates are lined up to separate recycleables. You can see that they care a great deal for their environment.

The whole transportation network was quite an experience. Coming from a small city where cars are the primary source of transporation, trains and subways were very efficient and convenient. They were situated within walking distance from everywhere we went.

I enjoyed the many sights of Japan, especially with the infamous Mount Fuji standing tall in the horizon. The breath taking scenery in Hakone and snowy Nikko were spectacular. You can't help but take hundreds of photos. Other spectacles were the ancient temples and historic displays in the museums.

While in Harajuku, we were fortunate to have met "Hok" from the Fox show, ‘So You Think You Can Dance’. While doing public interviews for a local show, he was kind enough to break for some photos with us and busted out some breakdancing moves for us on the sidewalk. I was pretty thrilled about this since I have to admit I was a b-boy back in the day.

We were able to accomplish a lot of sightseeing during our visit. Thank goodness the spring-like weather was beautiful the whole time, a great change from the sub-zero temperatures of Windosr. Honda World Headquarters was cool, including the show from the world famous robot, Asimo. Technology is ubiquitous in Japan, and very apparent at Honda HQ's. The nightlife and club scene in Roppongi was very entertaining. Shopping was abundent, and I'm sure one of my sister's favourite pastimes. She was an expert at showing us where to find the best souvenirs, bargains and unique shops.

Lastly, I wanted to thank Rodelyn (our tour guide and cook), Rodney (for taking time off work and being our driver) and Markus (he kept us entertained; he is such a smart kid!), for their hospitality. This Japan experience was one of the most memorable vacations ever and I hope to travel back there again."