New Places in Tokyo - Animal Version

Partying at the pop up highball bar at Tokyo Midtown - a great way to start Heather's visit!

Part of the fun of having people visit is going to places we haven't been before.  My sister loves animals, so we make sure she doesn't miss her own menagerie at home, at least not too much!

 






One of our stops is the Shinagawa Aquarium.  It's entrance is a little difficult to find - it took our taxi two tries to make the correct turn. (This is what's nice about Tokyo - after he missed the first turn, he stopped the meter.  The remaining ten minutes it took him to get there he didn't charge us.)  I'd say it's a typical medium size aquarium, good for a couple of hours of fun.  My favorite part is the animal shows - we got to see sea lions and dolphins.  The "underwater" tunnel through the tank of sharks, turtles, stingrays and fish is pretty cool, too.

He's smiling at me!

Wow - are they exactly the same height above the water?

Steve gets up close and personal with his dolphin photos.

Soft, smooth hands!

There's a bonus here, too - they have a touching tank, but it's not your typical starfish.  It's the fish that nibble the dead skin off your hands.  You have to pay money to have this "spa treatment" in Chinatown!  Steve hates it and yanks his hand out - he says they are biting him (that's kind of the point...)





Later in the week we stop by the Tokyo Zoo.  I'd say it's a typical medium size zoo - no unique way of interacting or experiencing the animals, but an enjoyable half day.  There are panda bears, lots of monkeys and one of my favorites - red pandas.  He was sleeping in the trees though, so I couldn't get a good picture of him.

We have fun with pictures here, too.

He wants to eat me!

Just monkeying around

He is very big in person.

I think my sister is starting to suffer from animal-petting withdrawal.  Does she realize this is just a statue?

Nice lemur...

Luckily I had planned for this and made arrangements to stop by a Cat Cafe.  In Tokyo, you can stop at a "cafe" (they do serve drinks, apparently) and pay to sit and pet cats.  I think there are also bunny and owl cafes, too.  Recently I read that there are a couple that are being investigated for unclean conditions, but I researched this one and it's safe for the cats.  They are also up for adoption, so it's a nice way for them to be introduced to many different people.

I know she's trying to figure out how she can sneak the cat home.

"I'm in my happy place!"

The owner gives us treats and we can entertain the cats using toys.  We're the only ones there, so half an hour is just the right amount of time.

Nespresso selfie!

We don't have coffee at the Cat Cafe, but we do stop to refresh ourselves at various Starbucks and the Nespresso Cafe while Heather's here.  Even though the sales people at Nespresso speak limited English, I get talked into buying "free" travel mugs....but it does mean we get an extra drink!  My sister convinces me to try a frozen coffee (it IS hot outside) and it's pretty good - better than any frappuccino I've gotten from Starbucks.

 

The dogs are enjoying Heather's visit, too!  They love the new toys "Aunt" Heather brought them.

They get to hang out at Bubbles with us, too!

Tahoe is looking for people to pet her.  Tie-Dye just wants me to protect him from strangers.