Eleven-Hour Tokyo Tour

Yes, you read that correctly.  The tour was excellent and covered much of the best of Tokyo.  We hopped on the bus and our first stop was the Imperial Garden.  We entered the Holy Gates to get into the Meiji Jingu Shinto Shrine.  170,000 trees were planted to create a man-made forest.  

The forest is kept clean by hand raking.

This Holy Gate was the first of many that got smaller and smaller.

This path is lined with casks for sake and Franch wine.

This were one of many bridal couples we saw throughout the day.

 Our next stop was the Nijubashi Bridge near the Imperial Palace.  It the formal entrance is for heads of states, royalty and other high dignitaries.    

Near the bridge is a statue of a famous samarai.

Next we toured the Asakusa Temple.  The incense acts as an offering to the gods to keep evil spirits away.

To purify yourself, first you rinse your left hand, then the right and then the left again.  Next you rinse your mouth.  Repeat with the hands to then be able to make a request from the gods.

Geisha abound.

These are offering pots.

 

 

 The steps lead up to the temple.

After lunch we toured the Skytree.  It is 634 meters in height while the Tokyo Tower is only 336 meters.  We took the elevator up 350 meters to circle the view from the deck.

 
We ended our day with a cruise on Tokyo Bay.  While the cruise was brief the view was breathtaking

 

While Tokyo has a vast array of delicious and high-end Asian and other ethnic restaurants, we have found wandering down narrow alleyways to be a real treat.  The ways are busy and noisy.  We have chosen places for lunch and dinner based on occupancy (we don't go into empty or low occupancy places).  So far we have found delicious small meals at very low prices and have enjoyed the company of mainly local diners.

Ordinary Things

Our room at the APA Hotel  in the Ueno district of Tokyo was recommended by the son of a friend.  The room is about 10 x 12 with a double bed, a small entry and a full bath.  It is quite affordable and the location across the street from the train station is convenient.  A Japanese breakfast of new and delicious items is included. Not spending a lot of time in the room, makes this an excellent location for us.

We have been wandering the area, especially Ueno Park.  There are a tons of small restaurants in the area and we have found delicious food and very affordable prices.  As a country of great manners, this elderly American couple has felt welcome wherever we have roamed. 

Today we had a private guide for a four-hour tour of temples and ending at a fish market.  Yoshi was personable and took special care to explain the history of the places we visited.  

 We traveled via Tokyo's excellent subway system.  It is clean, efficient and a mystery for we novices.   

We started at the Nakamise Dori shopping street , a 17th century Edo market area.  This giant lantern hangs at the entrance to the area.  

 
This dragon is carved into the bottom of the lantern.

The first temple we visited, Senso-ji, was erected by the owners of Panasonic in tribute for their huge financial success.  The original Buddhist  temple, dating from 645 CE, was burned 95 years ago.

 At the entrance to the temple these gods protect the area. The god on the left is sounding “ah” and the one on the right “m.”  These Sanskrit terms represent the length of one’s life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although the temple is Buddihst, there is also a small Shinto shrine. Jerry participated in the Shinto ritual of obtaining one's fortune.  His came out with the number 23, meaning “the trouble upon you will changed to the better gradually, like clouds that go vanishing off.  His request will be granted later.  The lost article will be found.  The person you wait for will come soon.  Building a new house and removal are both good.  Marriage, employment and traveling are all fine.”

These were among the geishas visiting the area.  They are educated in music and dance.

Yoshi introduced us to epicurean delights starting with red bean candy, then rice cakes  Yum. 

 
This five-story pagoda is a typical Buddhist. The bottom story represents earth, next is water, then fire, then wind and lastly air.

 The nearby temple protects the area. This Buddhist temple is 100 years old.

This man is making soba noodles using a gentle touch with a sharp knife to make the very thin noodles.

There are many souvenir items on sale such as these “sushi” erasers.

We sampled an egg appetizer.

 This is where we enjoyed a delicious sushi lunch.  

Where we can find good sushi in California there is nothing like a small local restaurant to tantalize the tongue.
 

We concluded our tour at the fish market.  There we enjoyed a delicious sushi lunch with mochi dipped in chocolate for dessert.

Tokyo

 We are off on a new adventure.  Japan has been on our “bucket list” for many years and we are eager to explore.  We left San Francisco International Airport on Tuesday and arrived in Tokyo Wednesday night.  We ordered a meet and greet from a local and it was well worth the money.  He helped us get our Japan Rail Pass, got us tourist cards, showed us how to get to the right train into Tokyo and how to get to our hotel.            

On the train we sat next to a couple who started a conversation with us.  It turned out they were from Israel.  Then the woman said that her country was having real problems.  She is originally from Ukraine.  Enough said.

We decided that we would leave Thursday as an open day to recover from jet lag.  We are staying across the street from Ueno park which is the oldest public park in Tokyo so this gave us a great starting place.  

This morning we just wandered the park and it was really beautiful.  Lots of shrines, museums and places to photograph.  No photos allowed inside of most of the shrines but we enjoyed taking photos outside and seeing the sights.  

 

Lunch was an experience.  We tried a sushi restaurant near our hotel.  You ordered by a touch screen at your table and the food is promptly delivered.  When you want to pay the bill, you touch a button on the screen, give the cashier your table number and pay.  Eight rolls cost less than $15.00 dollars.  Never see that in the US.  The food was excellent.  We plan to go back.