Last weekend in Japan

Don't forget.... all the pictures are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/dotc/


Ohayoo gozaimasu....  it is Thursday morning (around 630 am) here in Tokyo.  Today is the start of Golden Week - the big holiday week in Japan.

Figured I had better get the rest of my trip details out to everyone before I am back in the States and this entire experience becomes just a fond memory.

Our 3rd (and last) weekend in Japan we really lucked out.  The weather (according to the ultimate authority - the iPhone) had originally said early in the week that it was going to rain on Friday and Saturday but then it changed and we had very cold and windy rainy days on both Thursday and Friday and Saturday and Sunday turned out to be nice days -- sunny with highs in the low 60's - perfect for doing a lot of walking around.

On Saturday the three of us - Michelle, Karen and I - met for lattes at Starbucks over here by our hotel and then we were off.  We started going back to Asukusa to take a better look at the market and because Karen had not been there before.  It was fine with me going back.

We headed out on the Yurikamome train line (we refer to that as our "home" line because it is the one we take back and forth to work.  I think I told you that each station has a pattern printed on the glass like a therme with a sheet saying what it means.  This is the Daiba station art (the station by our hotel).  It is a wave pattern called Ohnami monyou.  Some of the other art patterns are cherry blossoms, dragons, etc.  Didn't get a chance to get off at each station to get a picture of each sign with its explanation -hmm we have nothing planned for today, maybe I will do that!  I did get some pics of all the art from a sign at the Shimbashi station. 

At the Shio dome station - the one before Shimbashi - they have this cool clock that I have named the "steampunk" clock because that is what it reminds me of.  

Once we got to Shimbashi we had to change train lines and go on the subway... we had a choice of taking the Ginza line or the Asukusa line.... we went with the Ginza line because that is the one we found first!  And got to Asukusa.  The market and temple were much less crowded on Saturday - not sure if some folks were scared away by the rain the previous day or if Sunday (when I went there the previous week) is just a bigger day out.

We walked around the market and Michelle, who has been there before, took us over to the other side of the main temple where there were more shrines and statues as well as a little brook with  a bridge and fish in it and a small waterfall.

We walked around a bit more and did some shopping and browsing and then decided to head over to the Imperial Gardens.  BUT after the previous week, I knew to try to get something to eat while we were here in Asukusa so we found this little place where we had lunch.  I had the "mixed sandwich" which turned out to be just that mixed with meats, tuna and egg salad.  No, it wasn't all mixed between 2 slices of bread! The way they do their sandwiches here is like 3 half sandwiches cut on the diagonal WITH crusts cut off  (many a kids' dream!) and there are 2 "halves" with 2 pieces of bread and whatever filling and one "half" with 3 slices of bread with filling.

After lunch we headed back to the train station and found our way back to the correct train line and headed to Otemachi station (the stop for the Imperial Gardens).  Again we got on the Ginza line to Nihombashi where we changed lines to the Tozai line to Otemachi.

Scarily enough, I was the navigator!  Ok, it was me and the iPhone app I bought!  Best $$ I have spent on an app yet!

We got to the Imperial Gardens without a missed step -- no missed ones but gads there was a LOT of walking and lots of stairs and that was just to get out of the subway station!

The Imperial Gardens -- yes that is where the Emperor lives, though I am sure he wasn't home that day because if he and the family were, I am sure they would have asked us up for tea! -- is this huge garden and grounds smack dab in the middle of the financial district.  Apparently it is one of the few places in Tokyo that was not leveled during WW II.  Pretty amazing the contrast from nature to industrialization within a few feet of each other.

It is really quite beautiful and we only covered a very small part of it.  It wasn't exactly what we had expected.  Guess we thought it would be what we in the West think of as Japanese gardens -- little bridges and ponds with sculpted landscaping.  This was more like a big park that had some "tended" areas and others that seemed to be "wild".  But like I said we only covered a VERY small part of it so maybe what we were expecting was somewhere else on the grounds.

This was the Imperial grounds for centuries and as such there are still remnants of the former fortress walls as well as the guardhouses.  One of them, the Hyakunin Bansho guardhouse once housed 100 samurai as the first line of defense against attacks against the emperor.

nevermind.! 

We didn't see many buildings in the areas we walked around.  They did have a small museum that had a display of more recent (20th century mainly) silk screens, enamelware and such.  There was also this building with intricate mosaic tile work on the 2 sides that were visible.  I am sorry that the picture does NOT do the building justice but...

There was also a building that was called the Ishimuro Stone Cellar where they kept the emergency stores for times of siege. Although there are rumors it was an emergency escape passage from the palace.

Saw a lot of bamboo of various types as well as different trees and bushes and flowers -- and being the great horticulturist I am, I have NO idea what most of them are, other than pretty!  Have lots more shots of them on the flickr page  if you want to see them.

The gardens also seems to be a place where families come to picnic as there was at least one lawn we saw that had people sitting around just relaxing.

There were several times when I began to think Karen and Michelle were trying to leave me behind... BUT since I was the one with the directions "home", I figured I was safe!  JUST KIDDING GIRLS!

So, that was our Saturday.

Sunday, Karen had to study so  Michelle and I planned to head off to Harajuku and Akihabara.  There is a large Meiji shrine and bazaar there in Harajuku as well as the "young people's street" (where cosplayers hang out.  And Akihabara is a really big electronics area as well as a place for anime stuff.

Once again we met for lattes at Starbucks and then took off with me and the iPhone app in charge of navigation.  We took our "home line" to Shimbashi and then the Ginza line subway to Omote-sando.  We got off and walked around looking for the bazaar but when we found it, it was less of a "bazaar" and more of a high end shop! So we went further down to the Meiji Jingu shrine -- again a huge shrine right in the middle of a bustling city!  

Before we got to the gates (torii) of the shrine we were met by folks wanting us to sign petitions as well as those giving out religious material.  Same all over the world I guess!

Got to the main entrance to the shrine, said to be the largest torii in the world.  Unfortunately, I had not read up on my Shinto customs and did not pay proper reverence to the sacred place.  I am sure I will be forgiven since it was out of ignorance not irreverence.

There was a "wall" of what looked to be very large ceramic jars with various symbols on them.  I have no idea what they were and unfortunately the sign beside them was only in Japanese.  Across the road from the jars was a "wall" of wine casks -- labelled with French names -  that were for consecration.

There were also several inner torii before we got to the temple itself.

The temple is quite beautiful with a lot of wood carvings... not a lot of statues like Buddhist temples because from what I understand about Shintoism, they are more into nature.

Saw another wedding...  not sure what it is about me and weddings in Japan.  These photos were taken on my phone because somebody forgot to recharge the camera battery, so they are not very detailed.  The bride and groom are under the umbrella and the attendants - I believe them may be priests/novitiates or the like are in the orange hakama pants. Surprisingly, all the guests in the procession looked quite somber.  Not sure why that would be.

I thought about buying some charms for everyone -- for good luck, health, etc. -- but I figured maybe they would only work if you bought them yourself.  I did buy myself the "bells of yasuragi" (tranquility).  I had forgotten what they were called and had to translate the Japanese characters to get the name right.

We ate at the little restaurant there at the shrine.  Michelle said it was the best pizza she had ever eaten.  I opted for more traditional fare -- udon noodles and something  not sure what it was... think one thing was fish and another some sort of fried tofu.  There was also what looked like an eggroll but I think that was sweet rice rolled in fried tofu and served cold.

We then got on the Yamanote line -- above ground train -- and headed to Akihabara. We opted for  - ok just took that one by accident both trains went the same way, that line is a loop - the long way on the train and it was a quite pleasant ride.

Akihabara was a madhouse and unfortunately we didn't have a really good sense of where we were going.  I was looking for anime/manga stuff but..... 

OH YEAH, I got interviewed for Japanese TV!  They wanted to know if I liked anime.  I of course said yes.  Unfortunately, he was more interested in my feelings about Sailor Moon which I have never watched.

We found what was supposed to be the biggest book store and while they had a lot of manga there... guess what, it was in Japanese!  Couldn't really find any of the titles I am familiar with so...  Also couldn't really find any anime stuff that I knew other than these dispensers which I think are toy dispensers for something Bleach related since that is Captain something.

I am wondering if either what we in the states are familiar with is either done here in Japan or not as big in Japan OR I was just in the wrong place.  Probably a bit of both.

After that we headed back home for the day.

Well that was weekend 3 -- the last weekend.

talk to you soon

dot