We had 2 missions to accomplish during our short layover in Tokyo:
1. Japanese Curry
2. Sakura

Once we freshened up, we went out for a walk around the area.

This shot was at 1am. You cant tell but the train was full.

I was craving curry and I found what I was looking for … after getting lost in Shinjuku station and resorting to use Google Maps.

Kudos to the staff person in blue for speaking 3 languages – English, Hindi and Japanese.

We ordered the Pork and Chicken Katsu curry.

Deliciousness being prepared in the deep fryer.

Y E S ! Best Katsu curry ever! As a comparison, the curry on ANA was bland compared to this.

We called it a night because we had an early morning start. We planned to head over to Shinjuku Gyoen Park to check out the cherry blossoms.

Amazing view out of the room in the morning.

Looking down.

What a beautiful day for a walk! The park was a relatively slow 10 minute walk away from the hotel and we got in after paying the Y200 fee. There was decent crowds all over the park despite the fact that it was very early in the Sakura season and the blossoms were not in full bloom.

Once we were done with the park, we walked back to Times Square to check out the shops.

Our hotel building.

Food court in the basement of the building.

We walked around the Shinjuku station area to kill time. My bonus mission to find a liquor store for Japanese whiskey was an utter failure but it just gives me another reason to come back – I will have you Hibiki 17 and I will stop at nothing to find you. 12pm rolled around and we checked out of the hotel.

One last view before checking out.

We decided to take the Narita Express to get to the airport. After paying at the kiosk, we headed down to the platform to catch our train.

We were in car #2.

Local trains passing by.

She approaches.

She left right on time. Gotta love Japanese punctuality.

1 hour and 24 minutes later, we arrived at NRT.

Next up – ANA Suites Lounge.