Airports

As I wrote in the previous two posts hubby and I had been to India during New Year holidays. On the night of 30th December 2010, we stayed at a hotel near Haneda Airport in Tokyo. The next morning we left the hotel at about 7.45 am and reached Haneda Airport by taxi within ten minutes.

Tokyo International Airport
Tokyo International Airport, which is commonly known as Haneda Airport, is one of the two primary airports in Tokyo Area. Haneda handles most of the domestic flights to and from Tokyo along with a few international flights. The airport unveiled a new dedicated five-storied international passenger terminal on 21st October 2010 that has made international travel a lot easier for us. We reached the departure terminal located on the third floor of this new building and went to the Cathay Pacific check-in counters. After getting the boarding passes and checking in our baggage, we moved around in the newly constructed airport terminal building.

There is a market place named Edo Koji Zone with many gift shops and restaurants in the fourth floor of the building. Edo Koji Zone is modeled after a typical street from the Edo period and is lined with restaurants selling traditional Japanese dishes and cuisines. Walking around this area gave us a taste of the traditions and culture of old Japan.

Hubby standing near Edo Koji Zone

I am standing at Edo Koji Zone

Edo Koji Zone

Hubby at Edo Koji Zone

Next, we went outside the building complex and got a nice view of the new international terminal building and many airplanes of various countries. After enjoying the views for some time, we returned back inside the building complex.

I am standing outside the new International terminal building at Haneda

International terminal building

View from International terminal building

Another view from International terminal building

After this, we went to the fifth floor of the terminal building where Tokyo Pop Town Zone is located. This area is modeled after contemporary Tokyo. There is a Cool Zone that includes shops having action figures and science-related toys. There is also a planetarium cafe located at this floor but we did not have time to explore much.

Hubby standing at the entrance of the Cool Zone of Tokyo Pop Town

After security check, we went to the boarding gate for Cathay Pacific flight. Our flight left the airport at about 10.55 am and reached Hong Kong International Airport at 15.00 pm (local time). It was a five hours very comfortable flight. We had five hour transit stopover in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong International Airport
After reaching Hong Kong International Airport, we went through the security check and reached the departure hall of Terminal 1. From the departure hall, we got a beautiful view of the outside. There are so many boarding gates at this airport terminal. We wanted to check our boarding gate and had to walk for almost 10 minutes inside the building! This airport terminal is really big!

View from the departure hall of Hong Kong International Airport

Another view from the departure hall

Several boarding gates

The departure hall is very nicely decorated and there are many shops and restaurants around. There was a beautiful Christmas and New Year decoration, and we took a few photos of us in front of the decoration. There was another section describing the history and glimpses of Hong Kong. It was really wonderful to read about Hong Kong.

Decorations at the departure hall

Christmas/New Year decoration at the departure hall

I am standing next to the Christmas/New Year decoration

Hubby and I in front of the Christmas/New Year decoration

Hubby standing next to a section giving glimpses of Hong Kong

Hubby standing near a pillar board describing about Hong Kong

After enjoying seeing various shops, hubby and I were rather hungry. So we went to a Chinese restaurant located inside the airport terminal and had spicy noodles and fried rice. Hubby had tan tan mein noodles and I had shrimp fried rice. Both these dishes were delicious.

Various shops at the departure hall

A restaurant at the departure hall

Hubby waiting for the food to arrive

Noodles

Fried rice

Hubby having noodles

I am having fried rice

Hubby having Jasmine tea

After having food, we again moved around inside the departure hall of the airport. We still had about an hour to wait. Hubby relaxed on a chair near the boarding gate of our Cathay Pacific flight and I just moved around. Our flight left Hong Kong at about 20.00 pm and reached Mumbai at 00.05 am (local time). We celebrated the beginning of the New Year inside the airplane!

Outside view from the boarding area

Hubby waiting at the boarding area

We finished the arrival and customs procedures by 1.30 am at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai. After that we took a bus and reached the domestic terminal. Our morning flight to Pune was cancelled and so we had to take a taxi up to Pune. After a taxi ride of about 5 hours, we finally reached my parents’ home in Pune at about 2 pm on January 1st. We had a nice time with my parents and just relaxed at home during our stay in Pune. We did not go for any sightseeing. I will write about our stay in Pune in the next two posts.

Tokyo Sky Tree

Hubby and I had been to India during the New Year holidays. The domestic flight from Akita Airport was scheduled for the morning of 30th December. We expected flight delay or cancellation due to heavy snow in Akita. But the flight left Akita at right time and reached Haneda Airport at 11.30 am. Afterwards we took a taxi and went to a nearby hotel where we were going to spend that night. We left our baggage at the front desk of the hotel. We had the entire afternoon free and so we decided to visit Tokyo Sky Tree.

Tokyo Sky Tree is a broadcasting and observation tower being constructed in Sumida ward of Tokyo. The construction of the tower was started in July 2008 and is scheduled to be completed in December 2011. The main purpose of this tower is to serve as a television and radio broadcasting tower. Tokyo Tower, the current broadcasting tower, is 333 meters high and no longer tall enough to give complete digital television broadcasting coverage as it is surrounded by many high-rise buildings. Tokyo Sky Tree is the tallest artificial structure in Japan since 2010. When completed, the tower will have a height of 634 meters. The tower is scheduled to be opened in the spring of 2012.

From Haneda, we changed trains several times and reached Oshiage railway station which is adjacent to the site of Tokyo Sky Tree tower. As soon as we came out of the railway station, we were struck by the hugeness of the tower under construction. The day we went to see Tokyo Sky Tree, it was 533 meters tall and looked massive from such a close range.

Tokyo Sky Tree as viewed from just outside Oshiage railway station

Upper portion of Tokyo Sky Tree

We walked towards the tower and took a few photos. It was rather difficult to have the entire tower in one frame as we were too close to the tower.

Tokyo Sky Tree as we walked towards the tower

I am standing in front of the tower

Tokyo Sky Tree from another angle

We walked up to the nearest point of the construction site of the tower and again took a few photos.

Tokyo Sky Tree as viewed from the nearest point of the construction site

Another view of the tower from the nearest point of the construction site

I am standing in front of the tower

Hubby (only part of his face seen) standing in front of the tower

We enjoyed Tokyo Sky Tree and it surroundings for some time and then returned back to the hotel.

Good bye Tokyo Sky Tree