Tokyo is an interesting mix of old and new. It has wonderful shrines, temples, and gardens but lots of quirky modern neighborhoods as well. Though it is the largest city in the world at 37 million, it actually doesn’t feel as big to me as New York City. It’s pretty spread out and not super vertical like NYC or Hong Kong and really quiet compared to most big cities. Since it was quiet, organized, and filled with polite people, we really liked Tokyo more than we thought
Ginza on a Thursday evening. Not crazy crowded but there were few tourists compared to normal due to COVID restrictionsThis is a Torii gate separating the normal world from the sacred oneWe were lucky to see a wedding at the shrine. The bride has the big head coveringWe had a private guided tour of Tokyo and our first stop was Meiji Shrine built to honor their beloved Emperor MeijiKazaridaru are decorative empty sake barrels donated to the Shinto shrine by Sake brewers The Shinto shrines have no set prayer times or holy books. People pray when they want to and how the want to. Though there is tradition, there are not set rulesShinto is an interesting religion. It doesn’t have rules for living your life, or holy books, or anything to say about an afterlife. Buddhism takes care of these aspects of religion. A cool mixCool mix of traditional and modern throughout JapanA bamboo grove in the middle of the cityThe imperial residence. Yes the emperor lives hereOur next stop was the Imperial Palace and Gardens. A beautiful park with a bamboo grove surrounded by buildingsPagodas hold relics of the Buddha (usually ashes)Besides the Buddha statues there are usually fortune telling booth where you randomly get a fortune sheet Smoke is a whisper to god. I’m still bald, so Karen must have whispered for something elseNext we visited Senso-Ji in Asakusa, the oldest (1377 years old) Buddhist temple in Tokyo. The temples are a combination of religion and superstition but beautiful in any caseBig companies donate big lanterns for good luck Lots of Japanese and foreign touristsOur tempura lunch. The orange stuff was fried ginger. It was my favorite thing though it was all goodAsakusa is also a huge shopping and lunch area so naturally we shopped and had lunch hereEntire blocks dedicated to Anime cultureMaid bars, Anime stores, and lots of young men Our tour guide Hiro was awesome and taught us a lot about Japan beyond the sights we visitedOur final stop was something completely different. Akihabara was famous for electronics, then cell phones, now it is Anime central. A totally different part of Japanese culture
